Time Management in Business: Why Every Hour Counts

Every element of our time should be used wisely.

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” — William Penn

In today’s fast-paced business world, time isn’t just money — it’s opportunity. How leaders and teams choose to spend their time can mean the difference between growth and stagnation. Yet, many organisations still struggle to make the best use of this precious resource.

The Current Picture: UK Productivity

Recent data from Britain's Office of National Statistics, shows that UK productivity fell 0.8% in Q2 2025 — the sharpest annual drop since late 2024. This is a clear signal that businesses need to take a closer look at how time is being managed across their teams.

While the economy has shifted, one constant remains: Organisations that invest in effective time management strategies consistently outperform those that don’t.

Are your staff looking like this? There are a number of reasons this could be - Have you Asked?

Why Time Management Matters in Business

Efficiency and Profitability: Good time management ensures that effort translates into results, reducing wasted hours and unnecessary costs.

Employee Wellbeing: Poor time management often leads to stress, burnout, and disengagement. Structured approaches help employees feel more in control.

Competitive Edge: Businesses that manage their time well can innovate faster, serve clients better, and adapt to change with agility.

Staff using their time effectively brings a much higher level of productivity for their team & you.

Common Time Management Pitfalls

• Back-to-back meetings with no space for thinking or doing.

  
  

• Unclear priorities leading to wasted effort on low-value tasks.

  
  

• Poor delegation where leaders carry too much themselves.

  
  

• Reactive working — always firefighting instead of planning ahead.

Time can get away from you with distractions, unclear requirements and poor delegation

Turning Lost Time Into Results

The good news is that time management can be taught, refined, and embedded into your workplace culture. Training sessions, team workshops, and leadership coaching can all help businesses:

• Identify and eliminate time-wasting activities.

  
  

• Build smarter ways of working.

  
  

• Empower teams to focus on high-value tasks.

Help your Teams build smarter ways of working to help them feel Empowered.

Final Thought

Every organisation gets the same 24 hours a day — but not every business uses them wisely.

If your team could achieve more with the time they already have, now is the moment to take action.

Free Quick 'Time' Tip to get you started with your teams - it's important to know where TIME goes

One Quick Tip

At the start of each week, write down your top three priorities — the tasks that will make the biggest difference to your business. Keep them visible and check in daily.

Most businesses find this simple step quickly shows where time is really going… and just how much more could be achieved with the right systems and support.

👉 That’s where I can help — guiding you and your team to move from small fixes to lasting productivity gains.

👉 Book a session with me today to discover how Empowering Your Circle can help your business turn time into productivity, and productivity into performance.

Hazel, Empowering Your Circle