9 Simple Steps to Finally Take Control of Your Time

Want to take control of your time – but not sure how?

Ever glanced at your phone only to realize hours have vanished into thin air? Or found yourself drowning in to-dos while the things you actually enjoy keep getting pushed to “someday”?

If so, you’re in the right place. EVERYTHING changes when you take control of your time.

How do I know? I've been exactly where you are. And I'm about to share something that changed everything for me: You can take control of your time without sacrificing your sanity.

In fact, I used this exact system to slash my working hours from a brutal 80 hours per week to just 2. (Yes, you read that right—and I even got promoted afterward.)

How? Read on to find out!

💡Key takeaways:

Taking control of your time isn't about doing more—it's about aligning your schedule with what truly matters to you
When you master your time, you'll experience less stress, higher productivity, and a dramatically better quality of life
The 9 strategies below can help you reclaim hours of your life starting today (most people only need to implement 2-3 to see massive results)

How to take control of your time:

Audit your time
Set goals and priorities
Plan your week
Use time management techniques
Minimize distractions
Delegate and automate
Use a task management system
Set boundaries
Take care of yourself

Let's start from the beginning…

What does it mean to take control of your time?

Let's face it: Most of us have no idea where our time actually disappears to.

We just know it's gone, and with it, our chance to:

Grow our business or advance our career
Spend quality time with family and friends
Take care of our physical and mental wellbeing
Pursue passions and hobbies that light us up

When you don't take control of your time, you're essentially handing the steering wheel of your life to someone else—your boss, your clients, your inbox, or worse, your social media feed.

At the same time, many people struggle to manage their time effectively because they:

Overcommit and lose control of their schedule
Struggle to maintain work-life balance
Find it hard to say “no”
Get stuck in perfectionism

But when you take control of your time, you can increase productivity, reduce stress, and improve your quality of life.

For example, I structure my time to focus on my family, grow my business, and travel the world—without burning out. That’s what matters to me.

By taking control of our time, we get to spend more time with our kids, take care of our health, and pursue our personal hobbies, such as learning Spanish!

And here's the good news: You can change this starting today.

How? I’ll share the best strategies next!

How can you take control of your time? 9 powerful strategies

If you don’t take control of your time, you may find yourself overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, and burnout. So, take control of your time with these powerful strategies:

1. Audit your time (with surprising results)

Most people drastically underestimate how much time they waste each day. A time audit reveals the truth.

Take my client Margie, who wanted to find a few extra hours in her week. She was an incredibly busy law firm partner who didn't have the time to keep up with work, spend time with her husband, or go to the gym.

So, I showed her how to do a time audit.

And Margie was stunned! Because by doing her audit, she realized she was wasting 11 hours a week reading and watching the news.

By doing a simple audit, she was able to reclaim those hours and make time for other things in her life.

How do you do a time audit?

For the next two weeks, track your time in 30-minute blocks. Yes, it might feel like extra work, but trust me—it’s worth it. Imagine what you could do with the 10+ hours per week most people discover they're wasting!

Look for:

Tasks that consume time but produce little value
Activities you can eliminate, delegate, or automate
Your most productive times of day (protect these fiercely!)

2. Set goals and priorities that actually matter

Without clear priorities, you'll always feel busy but rarely feel fulfilled.

Start with SMART goals that excite you

Your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. But they should also make you want to jump out of bed in the morning.

What would fundamentally change your life or business if you achieved it this year? That's where to focus.

Use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize

This simple 2×2 grid will transform how you prioritize:

Urgent & Important: Do these immediately
Important but Not Urgent: Schedule these (most high-value work lives here!)
Urgent but Not Important: Delegate these tasks
Neither Urgent nor Important: Eliminate them ruthlessly

To help you figure out which tasks belong in the “Neither Urgent nor Important” bracket, figure out where you are being overly perfectionistic.

The way I like to understand what is worth my attention and what isn't is to care 15% less. Yes, you want to give more than 100% – but going from performing at an A+ level to performing at an A- level would save you SO MUCH ENERGY… and it wouldn’t compromise your output.

For more on how to set and achieve personal goals, take a look at our short video here:

3. Plan your week (the 30-minute ritual that changed my life)

My husband Demir and I used to dive into each day hoping things would somehow work out. They rarely did.

Then we developed our Winning the Week Method—and everything changed. We accomplished more while working less and stressing less.

Here's the simple process:

✅ Weekly Review – Reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what can be improved.
✅ Set Goals – Define your top goals for the week and break them into smaller, actionable tasks.
✅ Prioritize Tasks – What task on your list is so important that if completed, it would allow you to pop a bottle of champagne that week? Use this formula to identify your #1 must-win task for the week.
✅ Calendarize Everything – Block time on your calendar for each task so your priorities actually get done.
✅ Review & Adjust – At the end of the week, evaluate your progress, make adjustments, and prepare for the next week.

This 30-minute ritual will give you more control over your time than any productivity app ever could.

Want to get the full strategy? Get your own copy of our popular Winning the Week worksheet – for FREE:

4. Master these time management strategies

Did you know less than 20% of people have a solid time management system? No wonder most feel overwhelmed!

You don't need anything complicated—just consistent application of these powerful techniques:

Pomodoro technique: Work intensely for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer 15-30 minute break to recharge.
Task batching: Group similar tasks together (emails, calls, creative work) to maintain focus and flow state. This alone can save you hours each week.
Time blocking: Dedicate specific chunks of time to specific activities—and protect these blocks like your life depends on it.

Feel overwhelmed by all of the strategies? Then, start here:

Take just ONE hour a day to achieve your goal.

For example: When Demir and I were writing our book “Winning the Week”, we spent about 8 hours a week on writing – or one hour a day. Using this strategy, we were able to write it in less than a year WHILE we were running and growing our business, traveling the world, renovating our apartment, and raising a daughter.

Want to learn our complete time management system? Join thousands of professionals inside the Lifehack Tribe.

5. Eliminate distractions (they're costing you more than you think)

That “quick check” of email? It will cost you up to 30 minutes of refocused attention, according to research.

The notification that just popped up? It's stealing your most valuable resource—deep, focused attention.

So, take back your focus with these strategies:

Create a distraction-free workspace where deep work can happen
Silence ALL notifications during your most important work periods
Establish clear boundaries with coworkers about when you're unavailable
Batch email responses to 2-3 specific times per day instead of constant checking

What's an example of how you can remove distractions at the workplace?

Let's say someone comes to you and asks you if you have a minute. You can say, “You know, I have 3 minutes before I need to start something. Can we discuss this in this timeframe?” This will make the other person evaluate if it truly is a quick question – or a longer conversation that will eat up your time.

6. Delegate and automate (stop doing $10/hour tasks)

Here's a hard truth: You can do anything, but you absolutely cannot do everything.

The most successful people I know aren't doing more—they're doing less, but focusing on higher-value activities.

What to delegate

Look for tasks that:

Don't require your specific expertise
Are time-consuming but necessary
Someone else could do 80% as well as you

This applies to both work AND personal life. We've outsourced everything from admin work to laundry and meal prep for years.

💡 Pro tip: Delegation only works if you set clear expectations and processes. Need help? We teach you how to delegate effectively in this course.

What to automate

Any task you repeat regularly is a candidate for automation:

Email responses and follow-ups
Social media scheduling
Bill payments and subscriptions
Data entry and reporting

7. Use a task management system

Your brain is for having ideas, not holding them. Without a reliable system, important tasks will slip through the cracks.

A good task manager helps you:

Organize ALL your responsibilities in one place
Prioritize what truly matters
Track progress without feeling overwhelmed

I personally swear by Asana—I use it for everything from client projects to family vacation planning.

You can learn my full system here:

8. Set boundaries by saying no

Your time is finite. Every “yes” to someone else's priorities is a “no” to your own.

Setting boundaries might feel uncomfortable at first, but it's essential for taking control of your time. They also lead to less stress, more peace of mind, and greater happiness.

Start by:

Creating “office hours” for meetings and calls
Communicating clearly when you're unavailable
Practicing kind but firm “no” responses
Remembering that boundaries protect your ability to deliver your best work

One of the best ways to establish a boundary? A communication policy. This is a short guideline on how people can reach you and when they can expect to hear back from you.

A lot of my clients create one-page communication policies that they link to in their email signatures and send to new clients. Some even share it with their kids!

9. Take care of yourself (it's not selfish!)

Taking control of your time isn't just about productivity—it's about creating a life you don't need to escape from.

I make quality sleep, regular breaks, and even weekly pedicures non-negotiable because they keep my energy high and my mind clear.

Your self-care foundation should include:

Regular breaks throughout your workday
Movement that energizes your body and mind
Nutritious meals that fuel sustained focus
Time for hobbies and relationships that bring you joy

Remember: You can't pour from an empty cup. Taking care of yourself isn't selfish—it's the most strategic investment you can make.

Of course, mastering time management doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a learning curve—but up next, I’ll share common mistakes to avoid so you can fast-track your success

Common mistakes to avoid in your time management journey

Even with the best strategies, these pitfalls can derail your progress:

Perfectionism paralysis: Don't let perfect be the enemy of done. Start with the 5-minute rule—commit to just 5 minutes on a task to build momentum.
Allowing constant interruptions: Protect your focus like the precious resource it is. Turn on Do Not Disturb, close your door, or work from a different location when needed.
Giving up after setbacks: Progress isn't linear. When things go wrong (and they will), revisit your goals, adjust your approach, and keep moving forward.

Your next step: Win your week in just 30 minutes

Now you know how to take control of your time—but knowledge without action changes nothing.

The single most important skill to master right now is weekly planning. It's the foundation everything else builds upon.

Our Win the Week Worksheet gives you the exact framework we've used to help thousands of professionals reclaim their time and transform their productivity.

Want to get it now?

Grab your FREE copy of our Win the Week Worksheet to plan your most productive week yet:

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