Building Productive Teams

Top performers protect their time differently. Most of us lose precious hours to chaos and distraction. On the advice of my business coach, I did a time audit. What I learned changed everything. I tracked my hours for a week. Captured everything I spent time on. Now I’m working to eliminate, delegate, or automate everything that doesn’t move the needle. If you struggle to get the important things done, here are 12 productivity tools that actually work: 1. Timeboxing Divide your day into clear blocks. Give each block one purpose. Nothing else happens during that time. It's simple but powerful. 2. Pomodoro Technique 25 minutes of focus. 5-minute break. No compromise, no distractions. I was skeptical at first. Now I can't work without it. 3. Two-Minute Rule If something takes less than two minutes, do it now. Those small tasks pile up and drain your energy when ignored. 4. Kanban Board See your work move from "to-do" to "done." It's surprisingly motivating to watch progress happen visually. 5. 1-3-5 Rule Plan your day around: 1 big task 3 medium tasks 5 small tasks This creates balance and prevents overwhelm. 6. Eat the Frog Do your hardest task first thing. Everything else feels easier after that. 7. Flowtime Technique Work until your focus naturally fades. Take a short break. Learn your rhythm. 8. 80/20 Rule Focus on the vital 20% that creates 80% of your results. Be ruthless about cutting the rest. 9. Getting Things Done (GTD) Capture everything. Organize what matters. Let go of what doesn't. 10. Warren Buffett's 25/5 Rule List 25 goals. Circle your top 5. Ignore everything else. 11. Eisenhower Matrix Organize tasks by urgency and importance. It shows you what really needs your attention. 12. Task Batching Group similar work together. Your brain works better this way. The reality is simple: Time management isn't about squeezing more into your days. It's about making space for what matters most. Choose your minutes wisely. They become your life. ♻️ Find this helpful? Repost for your network. 📌 Follow Amy Gibson for practical leadership tips.

In the face of an overwhelming volume of to-dos, turning to time management as a solution is a dead end. What do people who are really good at time management get? More work! Time management is important, but it's a productivity tool - not a solution to pressure. Instead, take aim at the three things that create volume pressure in the first place: tasks, decisions, and distractions. When you're faced with what feels like an overwhelming pile, consider the following: 1) What tasks have I taken on that are not linked to my major goals? Can they be deferred or deprioritized? 2) What decisions regularly create cognitive load for me? Are there any that can be replaced with policies or principles so I don't need to carefully weigh them each time? 3) How can I use structure to stop relying on will-power to reduce distractions? This can be as simple as a pomodoro timer, going on airplane mode for 30 mins, or physically isolating yourself in a conference room. If you pair time management with task, decision and distraction management you'll have a more sustainable approach over the long haul.

Let’s talk about the leader who’s laser-focused on organisational goals 👇🏾 They’re smashing KPIs, but here’s the thing—if they’re missing the mark on investing in their people, they’re building a castle on sand. Here’s how you help them shift gears without losing their edge: Start with a Truth Bomb: Organizations don’t grow—people do. If the team isn’t evolving, those big goals will hit a ceiling faster than a budget meeting runs over. Paint the picture: a thriving, empowered team is the rocket fuel for sustained success. Flip the Script: Ask them: “What would happen if your people felt their growth mattered as much as the quarterly targets?” Get them to connect the dots between individual development and organizational success. Bonus points if they see how this aligns with their values. Spotlight the Invisible ROI: Show them that investing in personal growth isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a strategy. Fewer headaches, higher retention, innovation on steroids. It’s like giving their leadership style a turbo boost. Coach the Coach: Teach them to make space for meaningful 1:1s that focus on growth aspirations, not just task updates. Encourage them to be curious and truly present—no multitasking allowed. This is where the magic happens. Celebrate the Ripple Effect: As they lean into growing their team, reflect on the wins. Show them the momentum. Their people are thriving, the goals are being crushed, and—surprise!—they’re becoming a leader people want to follow, not just have to. And remind them—being obsessed with the scoreboard is fine, but if they want to win long-term, they need to focus on coaching the players, not just counting the points. Keen to learn more? Subscribe below to the Braver Leaders Newsletter to stay connected to industry-leading insights and thought leadership that will transform the way you lead in 2025 and beyond. >> https://lnkd.in/gWwB4FuM << #leadership #investinpeople #coachingleader #braverleaders #uae

I've tried 100s of time management techniques.  This is by far my favourite: I used to work 80 hrs/week and call it "productive." When really I was: - Attending pointless meetings - Fighting countless small fires - Being involved in every decision Now I work less than 70% the time and get 4x as much done. The Eisenhower Matrix helped me get there.  It teaches you to categorise tasks by importance and urgency. Here's how it works: 1. Do It Now (Urgent + Important) Examples: - Finalise pitch deck before investor meeting tomorrow. - Fix website crash during peak customer traffic. - Respond to press interview request before deadline. Best Practices: - Attack these tasks first each morning with full focus. - Set a strict deadline so urgency fuels execution. 2. Schedule It (Important + Not Urgent) Examples: - Plan quarterly strategy session with leadership team. - Map long-term hiring plan for next 18 months. - Build a personal brand content system for LinkedIn. Best Practices: - Protect time blocks in advance. Never leave them floating. - Tie them to measurable outcomes, not vague intentions. 3. Delegate It (Urgent + Not Important) Examples: - Handle inbound customer service queries this week. - Organise travel logistics for upcoming conference. - Update CRM with latest sales call notes. Best Practices: - Build playbooks so your team executes without confusion. - Delegate with deadlines to avoid wasting time. 4. Eliminate It (Not Urgent + Not Important) Examples: - Tweak logo colour palette again for fun. - Attend generic networking events with no ICP fit. - Review endless “best productivity tools” articles. Best Practices: - Audit weekly. Cut anything that doesn’t compound long-term. - Replace low-value busywork with rest, thinking, or selling. If you are always reacting to what feels urgent,   You'll never focus on what matters. Attend to the tasks in quadrant 1 efficiently,  Then spend 60-70% of your time in quadrant 2.    That's work that actually builds your business. Which quadrant are you spending too much time in right now?  Drop your thoughts in the comments. My newsletter, Step By Step, breaks down more frameworks like this. It's designed to help you build smarter without burning out. 200k+ builders use it to develop better systems. Join them here:  https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb ♻️ Repost this to help other founders manage their time.  And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building and running businesses. 

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. Years ago, I thought time management was: ↳ Making to-do lists, ↳ Planning everything on a schedule, ↳ And still not getting everything done. But I learned the hard way: It’s not about doing more, it’s about doing it right. Here are 12 game-changing strategies: (that truly transformed my productivity) 1/ Anti-To-Do List: Track what not to do (low-value tasks or habits that waste time). 2/ The Rule of Three: Instead of endless task lists, set just 3 key priorities per day. 3/ Time-Stamped Planning: Estimate time for each task, so your schedule isn’t just a wish list. 4/ Switching Tax Awareness: Switching between tasks can cost up to 40% of your productivity—minimize it. 5/ Waiting Time Hack: Use waiting in line or commuting for micro-tasks (replying to emails or listening to audiobooks). 6/ 90-Min Deep Work Cycle: Your brain works best in 90-minute focus sprints followed by breaks. 7/ Day Theming: Assign specific tasks to certain days (e.g., Mondays for planning, Fridays for networking). 8/ Set Hard Stops: Decide when work must end to prevent overworking and force efficiency. 9/ Productive Boredom: Allow quiet time for creative thinking (no phone, no music). 10/ Just Start Rule: When procrastinating, commit to just 2 minutes of a task—momentum usually follows. 11/ Multiplier Tasks: Some tasks (automating a workflow or hiring the right person) save you time forever. 12/ Manage Energy, Not Just Time: Track when you’re naturally most focused and schedule deep work. Time is the only resource you can’t get back. Manage it wisely. ♻️ Share this with your network. ☝️ For more valuable insights, follow me, Victoria Repa.

Your calendar isn't the problem. Your habits are. Founders are some of the busiest people out there, Yet many still feel like they're falling behind. Not because they're lazy - But because their systems are working against them. And the truth is... More hours won't get you to where you need to be. You need smarter habits to protect the ones you already have. Here are 11 time habits that actually work: (and how to implement them) 1. Plan Tomorrow, Today ↳ 5 minutes at EOD to sketch out tomorrow. ✅ Block it on your calendar before you log off. 2. Time Block Deep Work ↳ Focus isn't found. It's scheduled. ✅ Lock in 90-min no-meeting blocks, 2 or 3x per week. 3. Use One Source of Truth ↳ Juggling 4 to-do lists = nothing gets done. ✅ Pick one app (or notebook). Stick to it. 4. Say No Faster ↳ Every "yes" is a time tax. ✅ Default reply: "Let me think about it." 5. Batch Similar Tasks  ↳ Context switching kills momentum. ✅ Stack admin, calls, or creative in blocks. 6. Set Weekly Themes ↳ Reduce decision fatigue. ✅ E.g. Mon = Ops, Tue = Sales, Fri = Strategy. 7. Use the 80% Rule ↳ Perfection is procrastination in disguise ✅ Ship at 80% - iterate later. 8. Automate Recurring Tasks ↳ If tech can do it, why are you doing it? ✅ Do a weekly audit to see what you can delegate to tech. 9. Build in Buffer Time ↳ Back-to-back = burnout. ✅ 10-15 min between meetings to reset. 10. Protect Your Mornings  ↳ Start reactive, stay reactive. ✅ No emails or meetings. First 60 mins = sacred. 11. Weekly Reset ↳ Chaos loves unreviewed weeks. ✅ 30 min every Sunday to reflect + realign. Time management goes beyond just discipline. It's how you design your days. Which one of these are you actually doing? And which ones are you avoiding? Let me know below 👇 ♻️ Repost to help others in your network. 🔔 Follow Alvin Huang for more content like this. 

A reliable indicator of long-term performance is the ability to recover and return to a steady state. In many workplaces, momentum is commonly linked to sustained urgency. Leaders who remain effective over long periods tend to follow a different pattern. They reset in a timely and steady manner. They can move past previous results, whether positive or challenging. They return to a workable baseline and start again with a clear head. Psychologists refer to this as emotional regulation. In practical terms it means taking in the information, keeping what matters, and setting aside the rest. Teams benefit because it leads to clearer communication. It also supports steadier decision making. It helps maintain an environment where reactions do not interfere with judgment. Sustained performance usually comes from consistent behaviors rather than isolated events. It depends on a steady pattern of behavior applied over time. When people return to that pattern efficiently, their results tend to stabilize. Outcomes vary over time. Habits shape results over extended periods. Leaders who restore their baseline consistently make clearer decisions, strengthen their teams, and maintain steady productivity.

Leaders, what if the reason your team isn't thriving… is you? Consider this: Many managers unknowingly rely on outdated assumptions based on invalidated beliefs. They lead as if the only way to motivate their people is with external rewards, punishment, and oversight. While this might produce short-term compliance, it rarely creates lasting engagement or loyalty. But decades of research (nicely summarized recently by Marylène Gagné and Bex Hewett, 2024) show there's a better way: leading with human needs in mind. When leaders shift from control and external incentives to supporting our team's innate psychological needs—autonomy (choice), competence (growth), and relatedness (connection)—they ignite intrinsic motivation, the fuel of human thriving. The result? Higher performance, creativity, and greater retention. Simply put: 🛞 Autonomy leads to ownership. 💪 Competence fosters confidence. 🤝 Relatedness builds loyalty. So, if your goal is a thriving, accountable, high-performing team that's in it for the long haul, consider whether your management approach aligns with how people naturally thrive. Gagne and Hewett's paper, "Assumptions about Human Motivation have Consequences for Practice" from the Journal of Management Studies can be found here: https://lnkd.in/gMpcUKDE

In too many schools, here’s the norm: No one’s in classrooms. Feedback only happens when stakes are high. PD feels like a waste of time. Leaders are buried in their offices. That approach? It’s not working. We’ve seen it. Over and over. So when we partner with school leadership teams, we help them build something better. Something that actually supports great teaching. Here’s what that looks like: 1. Every teacher has the same coach for the whole year. Weekly observations. Weekly 1:1s. No skipping. No pushing to next week. That time is the most sacred time in the building. 2. Every teacher is crystal clear on their 3-4 biggest goals every 6 weeks. Success isn’t vague. It’s specific. And it’s revisited every week. Every teacher gets real PD. A tight model. Intentional rehearsal. High-quality practice with real-time feedback. 3. Every teacher knows if they’re getting better. We track progress. We celebrate wins. Growth isn’t a guessing game. When you build that kind of culture, people don’t leave. They stay. Because they’re winning. And leaders and teachers and kids all want to be part of winning teams.

Reflecting on my year working in schools in very different contexts, I'm convinced that the most important - yet underrated - relationships in school improvement are between CLs (curriculum /phase leaders/HoDs) and their SLT line managers. Before individual coaching processes have any hope of making an impact at any scale, it's essential to develop a team of CLs who can drive change in their areas. This requires a few things: ⭐ A good shared analysis of how to generate excellent learning outcomes in the subject - informed by formal and informal outcomes. Without this, everyone is guessing and misfiring, wasting effort. Sometimes external ideas are needed. ⭐A good shared understanding of how classroom practices need to change or be sustained to secure those excellent outcomes. Generic ideas about learning only go so far - and the line management partnership needs to support translating broad ideas and whole-school priorities into curriculum specific action. Imposing general ideas rigidly, can foster compliance that doesn't actually improve outcomes. It's hard to do this as SLT if you know nothing about a subject you line manage - so you need to listen and learn. ⭐A good shared sense of how well things are going - eg with routine joint learning walks, triangulating with assessment. You can't wait to see the exam results! And termly formal one-off observations are a waste of everyone's time. ⭐Time for CLs to be able to know how things are going - proper built-in time to see lessons on a regular basis and a recognition that this a core element of the work. Always amazes me when CLs do not regard it as a central responsibility to know how well their colleagues teach and how curriculum resources are used in practice, week in week out. ⭐Time for CLs to meet with their teams in routine cycles and - with appropropriate training - an understanding of how to lead team meetings as coaching/feedback sessions linked to curriculum needs. ⭐ A trust that is built around capabilities and confidence-building. CLs need some autonomy - but also that needs to be warranted, not just assumed. Plenty of CLs struggle to be true drivers of change (if they knew exactly what to do, results would be better already) and need help to develop those attributes: it's a central role of the SLT line manager to support each CL to get there. ⭐ SLT line managers need to earn trust by being sincere in their support and problem-solving stance, not blurring QA/accountablity language and roles such that CLs hide things and put on a show or become defensive. Unless people truly believe things can be better, they don't seek to make them so. In short, schools should put these relationships at the core of their PD priorities because it's a learning process for all concerned. CLs can be the engine room of a great school - but that doesn't just magically happen. It needs to be fostered, nurtured, designed, built.. The way they are led by the SLT is central to everything.