The Time Management Lie That’s Burning You Out
If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a perfectly color-coded calendar, wondering why you’re still behind and burned out, you’re not alone.
Many high achievers believe the key to success lies in mastering the elusive art of time management.
I chased this vision for years.
Just find the right planner. Block off enough hours. Wake up earlier. Multitask better. Do more.
I meticulously and painstakingly tried to find the perfect combination of productivity tips and hacks so everything would finally click.
Instead, what I found was a harsh and unexpected fact:
You can’t actually manage time.
The only things you can manage are your behaviors, your thoughts, and how you prioritize the puzzle pieces of your life.
Time itself doesn’t bend to your will. Every day will have 24 hours. Every week 168. The only thing that really makes one day or week feel different from the next is how you think about that time and the choices you make with it.
For me, that’s where it all finally clicked.
The Problem with the Time Management Myth
The phrase “time management” has sold us on the idea that if we just plan better, work harder, or download the right app, we’ll finally crack the code and get everything done.
But this is a losing game.
For high achievers, this hope quickly becomes a downward spiral into perfectionism.
You optimize to fill in the gaps so you can squeeze a little more out of each day. You let overwhelm mean you must be failing. Or you continue to say ‘yes’ to everything that sounds exciting or important, assuming with a little better “managing” you’ll be able to get to it and avoid disappointment.
You sacrifice your health, your family, and your peace of mind all under the illusion of good time management.
And inside our teams and organizations, this problem only compounds.
A culture that values output over sustainability encourages people to treat burnout and workaholism like a badge of honor. Companies install wellness perks like meditation apps, but if no one feels like they have time to use them, it’s not a solution, it’s just optics.
So, how do we actually feel better about how we spend our time?
The answer: we stop trying to manage the clock and start shifting how we think, behave, and show up.
A shift in your life doesn’t come from trying to control the minutes on your calendar. It comes from recognizing this simple truth: you’re not in charge of time, but you are in charge of your choices. That’s where your power lives.
What You Can Manage
Instead of trying to manage time, start managing these three things:
1. Your Behaviors
Behavior is the visible part of the iceberg. It’s what shows up in your calendar, your to-do list, your email habits, your meetings, your yeses and nos. And these behaviors often run on autopilot.
Do you immediately jump into back-to-back meetings with no buffer?
Do you default to checking email during every free moment?
Do you say ‘yes’ because you don’t want to let people down, even when you’re already at capacity?
Until you become conscious of these patterns, you can’t change them. This is why most productivity strategies fall flat: they ask you to plug new habits into old systems.
Real progress starts with examining how your current behaviors are working against the life you want…then choosing differently.
2. Your Thoughts
Productivity is not just tactical, it’s deeply psychological.
Symptoms like perfectionism, fear of judgment, people-pleasing, or tying your worth to your output are thought patterns that lead to unsustainable schedules.
They make you overcommit. They make you feel guilty for resting. They trick you into thinking that being “busy” equals being valuable.
Managing your thoughts means noticing these inner narratives and questioning them.
“Why do I feel like I can’t take a break?”
“What story am I telling myself about what it means to say ‘no’?”
“How am I defining success?”
When your internal beliefs start to shift, your external behaviors follow.
3. Your Approach to Your Day AND Life
Zoom out. Because it’s not just about how you structure your day, it’s about how you design your life with intention.
Are you clear on what matters most to you and optimizing for that every day? For example, do you say family is your top priority, but you’re consistently working late and missing dinners? Or do you want to prioritize health, but you keep skipping workouts because other commitments fill your calendar?
Are your goals aligned with your values or defaulting to someone else’s? For example, are you chasing a promotion, not because you want it, but because it’s the “next logical step” in your company’s ladder? Or do you keep volunteering for high-visibility projects, even though deep down, you value creativity and quiet focus more than recognition?
Are you building a sustainable daily routine that supports your energy, not just your efficiency? For example, do you feel guilty for taking a walk at lunch, even though it helps you reset and think more clearly in the afternoon? Or do you check emails first thing in the morning “just to get ahead,” but it instantly puts you in reactive mode and drains your focus before your real work even begins?
No amount of scheduling can fix a life running on autopilot.
But when you take the time to reflect, reset your priorities, and lead with intention, even your calendar starts to reflect the shift. It begins to work with you, not against you.
What This Means for Teams and Companies
This type of mindset shift isn’t just personal, it’s cultural.
If your team or company is struggling with stress, disengagement, or turnover, adding more structure and tools won’t fix it alone. People don’t burn out because they’re bad at time management. They burn out because the system rewards overextension and punishes boundaries.
Here’s what better looks like:
Building workflows that include white space not just for tasks, but for thinking, breaks, and recovery.
Encouraging reflection and autonomy, rather than micromanagement and urgency.
Supporting managers in having real conversations with their teams about workload, energy, and expectations.
Shifting from “how much can we get done?” to “what’s the smartest way to work sustainably?”
This is how companies keep top talent. This is how teams thrive, not just produce.
Redefine What Time Management Means to You
Most people think time management is about discipline. About cramming more into each day with just the right system or schedule.
But time freedom doesn’t come from squeezing more in. It comes from stepping back.
What if success looked like being fully present for the life you’ve built?
What if your calendar became a reflection of your values, not just your responsibilities?
That’s when everything shifts.
You feel more grounded. More clear. More in charge of how you move through your day.
You don’t need a better planner.
You need a better relationship with your time.
Because when you focus on your behavior, your mindset, and your alignment, you create space.
And inside that space?
Ease. Clarity. Momentum.
The kind that lasts.
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About Me
Hi, I’m Kara. I’m a former workaholic turned time-management expert. I help women stressed out in their 9-5 get more done, in less time, so they can get back in the driver’s seat and start living a life they love.
