A crucial first step is helping your team recognize hidden time drains. Many people are surprised to learn how much time is lost to small interruptions or routine tasks. During your 1:1s, try asking questions such as "What tasks seem to eat up the most time in your week?" or "Are there recurring meetings or requests that disrupt your focus?" For example, if someone spends hours each day responding to ad-hoc emails, you might suggest batching email responses at set times. By making these patterns visible, you empower your team to make more intentional choices about their time. Below is a list of additional considerations for what tasks can sometimes become "time drains".

Once time drains are clear, introduce simple planning methods to help your team regain control. Time blocking is a powerful approach—encourage team members to set aside dedicated periods for focused work, such as blocking two hours each morning for deep analysis and handling emails later. Breaking large projects into smaller, manageable tasks with clear deadlines also helps prevent last-minute scrambles. For instance, you might say, "Let’s map out your monthly reporting prep into weekly milestones so nothing piles up at the end."

Sustainable productivity comes from building habits that last. Encourage routines like a weekly planning session or a daily check-in to set intentions. Remind your team to protect time for deep work and to take breaks to avoid burnout. A simple suggestion like "Try setting a 25-minute timer for focused work, then take a 5-minute break—see if that helps you stay energized" can make a big difference. Supporting these habits helps your team maintain high performance without sacrificing well-being.

To make your coaching on time management even more effective, be sure to structure the close of your 1:1s in a way that reinforces new habits and ensures follow-through. As you wrap up the conversation, summarize the key insights and agreed-upon actions. For example, you might say, "To recap, you’ll try blocking out time for your report in the mornings and batch your email responses into two windows each day. Let’s check in next week to see how that’s working for you." This approach not only clarifies next steps but also creates accountability and a natural follow-up point for your next 1:1. Ending your 1:1s with a clear summary and a plan for checking progress helps your team build momentum and makes it easier to track improvements over time.

Here’s a realistic example of how you might coach a team member on time management in a 1:1:

• Jake: I noticed you’ve been staying late a lot this month. What’s taking up most of your time lately?
• Jessica: Honestly, I spend a lot of the day jumping between emails and quick requests, so I end up working on the monthly report after hours.
• Jake: That sounds exhausting. Have you tried blocking out time just for the report, maybe in the morning before the emails start piling up?
• Jessica: I haven’t, but that could help. I always feel like I have to respond to everything right away.
• Jake: What if you set two windows a day for emails, and let the team know? That way, you can focus on the report when your energy is highest.
• Jessica: I like that idea. I’ll give it a try and see if it helps me finish the report earlier.
• Jake: Great! So, to recap, you’ll block out time for the report in the mornings and batch your email responses. Let’s check in next week to see how it’s going.

In this exchange, Jake helps Jessica identify her main time drain (constant email interruptions), introduces a practical planning technique (time blocking), and encourages a sustainable habit (batching email responses). Notice how the conversation is supportive and solution-oriented, empowering Jessica to experiment with new approaches. Jake also closes the 1:1 by summarizing the plan and setting a follow-up, reinforcing accountability and progress.

You’re now ready to guide your team toward better time management. In the upcoming role-play, you’ll get to practice these coaching techniques in a realistic scenario and see how they can transform your 1:1s into powerful moments for growth.