Mastering Time Management: Our Favourite Tools for Small Business Owners

tamryn16
May 12
3 min read

Mastering Time Management: Our Favourite Tools for Small Business Owners

Being a small business owner means wearing all the hats — CEO, admin, marketing, customer service… and sometimes even IT. And if you’re not proactively managing your time, it can slip through your fingers faster than a Monday morning.

At Streamline VA, we know the hustle — and we also know the power of having the right tools and systems in place. That’s why we’ve put together our Time Management Toolkit, packed with practical templates and recommendations that we use in our own business and with our clients.

Here’s a look at the tools we love, broken down by time management strategy.

⏳ TIME BLOCKING

Time blocking is one of the simplest but most effective strategies for creating structure in your week. Rather than leaving your calendar wide open for chaos, you assign specific blocks of time for different types of work — CEO time, client work, admin, deep focus, breaks, etc.

We’ve created a Streamline Time-Blocking Template that’s colour-coded, high-end, and intentionally built with business owners in mind. It helps you visualise where your time is going, and more importantly, where it should be going.

🛠️ Tool: Google Calendar + Our Signature Template

✅ Sync your blocks to Google Calendar

✅ Add buffers using “Speedy Meetings”

✅ Available in Excel, PDF, and Google Sheets

📂 PROJECT MANAGEMENT

No matter how many hats you’re wearing, you need a central place to track tasks, deadlines, and workflows — especially if you’re working with a team.

At Streamline VA, we live inside ClickUp. It houses our recurring admin tasks, client onboarding, weekly workflows, and even internal goals. And because it’s customisable and scalable, it works whether you’re a solopreneur or managing a team.

🛠️ Tool: ClickUp

✅ Templates for Weekly Planning and Schedule Blocking

✅ Custom fields, recurring tasks, and automations

✅ Seamless with Google Calendar & integrations

👉 Click to Explore the Templates

👉 Schedule Blocking Template

⏱️ TIME TRACKING

Ever get to the end of the day and wonder where all your time went? Same. That’s why tracking your hours — even briefly — can be a massive game changer.

We use Harvest for time tracking. It’s simple, smart, and makes it easy to monitor client hours, internal admin, and everything in between. It’s also brilliant for reviewing where your time is actually going (spoiler: it’s not always where you think).

🛠️ Tool: Harvest

✅ Time tracking for projects, clients, or teams

✅ Reporting that helps you make smarter decisions

✅ Perfect for billing, batching, or just awareness

🎁 Referral Code: Click👉 Here

🧠 TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

Tools are helpful — but how you use your time is where the real magic happens. One of our favourite techniques? The Pomodoro Method. It’s simple: 25 minutes of focused work, followed by a 5-minute break. Repeat 4 times, then take a longer break.

This technique helps you avoid burnout, stay focused, and manage your energy throughout the day.

🛠️ Technique: The Pomodoro Method

✅ 25-minute focused work blocks

✅ Builds momentum and motivation

✅ Sync with digital calendar settings

💡 Pro Tip: Use Google Calendar’s “Speedy Meetings” or Outlook’s “End Appointments Early” setting to give yourself mental space between tasks.

Our Toolkit includes a printable Pomodoro Cheatsheet to help you get started.

💼 Introducing the Streamline Time Management Toolkit

We’ve wrapped up our favourite systems, templates, and strategy cheatsheets into one clean, easy-to-implement resource. Whether you're a seasoned business owner or just trying to bring a bit more calm to the chaos — this Toolkit will help.

Inside the Toolkit: