From Always On to Actually Productive: Tools for Time Management
By Paige Edwards-Werhan
“The best time to perform a particular task depends on the nature of that task.”
-Author Daniel H. Pink in When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
Is your mental bandwidth currently stretched as thin as a smartphone battery at 1 percent? In our always-on higher-education culture, time management can often feel less like a strategic plan and more like a frantic game of Whac-A-Mole.
According to Dr. Cal Newport in his research for the books Deep Work and A World Without Email, the persistent pressure of an always-on culture creates a state of fragmented attention. Newport argues that constant digital responsiveness triggers “attention residue” — where your brain remains mentally tethered to a previous interruption — which sabotages your ability to perform the high-level, meaningful work central to institutional goals.
To help you regain focus and protect your cognitive bandwidth, consider adopting these two evidence-based tools that prioritize deep work over a crowded inbox.
The 1-3-5 Rule: Strategic Task Management
If your to-do list resembles a never-ending scroll, it may be time for a more disciplined framework. The 1-3-5 Rule, a practical heuristic that spread through blogs, digital‑workflow communities, and productivity platforms, is built on the principle of realistic output. It suggests that you can effectively accomplish nine tasks per day:
- 1 Big Item: A primary project requiring significant focus
- 3 Medium Items: Important tasks that move the needle but are less complex
- 5 Small Items: Brief administrative “quick wins”
This approach ensures your most important work gets done instead of being buried by minor tasks. Because the system is scalable, you can pivot during unexpected changes in your schedule and stay organized without feeling guilty about an unfinished list.
Energy Journaling: Managing Biology, Not Just Time
We have all experienced the frustration of attempting a complex task, such as grant writing or data analysis, during a mid-afternoon energy slump. Research suggests we should shift our focus from managing the clock to managing our internal biology.
This concept is championed by Gretchen Spreitzer and Traci Grant at the University of Michigan’s Center for Positive Organizations, who advocate for an “Energy Audit” to identify the specific drivers of professional engagement.
To conduct your own audit, track your performance for three days:
- Rate your energy levels on a scale of 1 to 10 every two hours.
- Identify your patterns, specifically your natural “peaks” (high focus) and “troughs” (low focus).
- Align your schedule to match these biological fluctuations.
By mapping these patterns, you can reserve your “biological prime time” for high-impact work and save routine administrative tasks for your natural energy dips.
This strategy is further supported by Daniel H. Pink in When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. Pink emphasizes that most individuals follow a predictable Peak-Trough-Recovery pattern. By aligning our most cognitively demanding professional demands with our natural circadian and ultradian rhythms, we can significantly improve both our output and our well-being.
The takeaway: We’re at our best when we respect our cognitive limits. Give these strategies a trial run this week. Your brain and your calendar will certainly appreciate the shift.
Continue your professional development with HRLD:
- Register for Time Management to Reclaim Your Workflow, an in-person workshop:
- Schedule time for Finding Your Time Management Style, an on-demand Workday Learning course.
- Visit HRLD online.
- Contact the HRLD team.