Managing Time

"Managing Time" (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series) – Your Quick Guide to Owning Your Clock

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What’s it about? This is your no-fuss handbook for making peace with the clock. It offers tips on figuring out where your time’s going, setting priorities, and dodging time-sucks. It’s less about robotic efficiency and more about working smarter.

Pros: It gets you to face your time habits head-on. The suggestion to log your day is eye-opening. The priority-setting tips are solid, and the distraction-busting advice is great. The checklists are back and helpful.

Cons: If you’re a time-management guru, this might feel like a refresher. It doesn’t dive into heavy-duty stuff like burnout or remote team syncing. It's not super tuned to our current chaos—think AI scheduling tools or the hybrid work blur. Also, the 20 minute reading time? A bit misleading—maybe I'm just a slow reader.

Who’s it for? This is a home run for anyone new to wrangling their schedule—think busy parents, fresh managers, or freelancers juggling hats. Time-management pros might grab a tip or two, but if you’re after deep dives, pair it with something like HBR Guide to Managing Stress at Work.

Verdict: It’s a quick, no-fluff guide that’ll help you stop racing the clock and start running your day. It won’t solve every time woe, but it’ll give you a solid grip on the basics.

• Where every minute’s a battle—this is a handy weapon to reclaim your hours.

• It's worth the (slightly longer than) 20 minutes if you want to make the review process less painful.

• While it may not dramatically change your life, it can help you avoid awkward moments like "So... what did you do today?"

Have you read it? Do you have a better recommendation from HBR? Share your thoughts! 👇

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