Team Time Management Strategies & Tools For an Efficiency Boost

Let me break down the importance of team time management using a somewhat relatable, musical metaphor.

Without proper time management, your team is like a dysfunctional jazz band: everyone is in their own heads, playing different tunes. There's obviously no harmony, just a bunch of solos that don't go together.

The metaphor gets even sillier when it comes to the importance of time management for remote teams.

Imagine performing parts for a symphony but each player is in a different time zone and on their own unique schedule.

What happens is that when a violinist starts their part, the flutist is still brushing their teeth, the trombonist is walking their dog, and the harpist is already in a meeting.

They do their best to make the symphony sound as epic as possible, but their schedule differences make the music feel incomplete. As a result, the symphony is a harmonical chaos, as it lacks a unified rhythm.

So, it’s safe to say that if your team was on a schedule and had proper time management skills, they would know when to play their parts, avoiding being off-key and making questionable noises.

Proper time management allows teams to stay on track, avoid meeting creep, meet deadlines, and increase productivity without stress or, God forbid, burnout.

The only "issue" here is that time management, like any other skill, requires dedication, discipline, and diligence—or, as I like to call them, the 3D.

So, you and your team can improve efficiency only by consistently using proper team time management techniques.

These techniques will help you manage your workload as a team, sync schedules, avoid time gaps and distractions, and reduce team members' anxiety and stress. Your team will be able to get things done without bogging down.

Knowing this, we listed 5 fun-to-implement team time management techniques and games in this article to help you manage your team's time and teach the team the value of it.

At the very end of the article, you'll find a list of the top 5 best apps for team time management. If you're short on time一who isn't一skip all the time management tactics and jump straight to that section to find reliable software quickly.

Now, let's dive in.

But first, why is team time management so important? What are the consequences of poor time tracking for teams?

As a team lead or PM, I am sure you already know the answers to these questions, but here’s a quick reminder.

Time is a non-renewable resource; once it's gone, it's gone for good, and there’s no way you can recover it. So, when your team doesn't track time, they don’t have a clue of where it went. I like to think of time as a snowflake: one second, it’s in the palm of your hand and you can clearly see it, and the next, there’s not a trace of it; it melted away.

And when your team’s time “melts away”, it leads to unspeakable consequences. Their performance is nowhere near seamless, projects are not delivered on time, they skip meetings, can’t focus and concentrate and eventually burn out.

So, poor time management doesn’t just disrupt your team's professional life; it affects them individually.

Here are some consequences you, as a team leader, must pay attention to:

• Signs of poor mental health. If your team members start to isolate, disengage, and take frequent sick days, and their work quality drops, they might be struggling with burnout or anxiety.
• Signs of low self-esteem. If your team members suddenly start over-apologizing, seeking constant validation, trying to complete tasks perfectly and failing, blaming themselves for team issues, they might be struggling with low self-esteem.
• Signs of impulsive decision-making. Lack of time often leads to rushed decisions, so if your team members make impulsive decisions without considering options, they need to improve their time management.
• Your team being quietly flagged as "low-performing". Failing to manage time effectively leads to missed project deadlines, which can harm your team's reputation at work as other teams may find your team "a low-performing group".
• Signs of poor prioritization and reduced productivity. If your team focuses too much on less critical tasks and neglects the important ones, it can decrease their productivity.

As you can see, time management skills affect your team members’ work and overall quality of life. That's why you are responsible for recognizing the importance of effective time management.

To help you manage your team’s time effectively and introduce proper time management techniques, we created a list of fun, easy-to-implement games and tactics.

Without further ado, here are the top 5 practical team time management activities to help you boost team’s efficiency and keep everyone on track.

Top 5 team time management techniques

Check out these 5 silly yet effective games and tips you can introduce to your team to help them understand the importance of planning and time management.

#1 The “60 seconds” game

During my time at uni, when I was studying engineering management, we had several classes dedicated to making the perfect elevator pitch. My classmates and I pretended we had business ideas and needed to pitch them to potential investors.

In case you forgot, an elevator pitch is a quick self-presentation in which you share your background, experience, and purpose with the person you’re talking to; it doesn’t have to be an investor. The rule states that the presentation should be as quick as an elevator ride, between 30 and 60 seconds (hence the name).

When my classmates and I started pitching, the professor interrupted midway, saying, “Aaand you’re out!” Our pitches were too long or so concise that they lost their purpose.

The professor saw us struggling, so he had us play the “60 seconds” game to improve our presentation skills.

He asked us to remove our watches and close our eyes while he covered the clock on the classroom’s wall.

Then, he asked us to open our eyes and stand up when we believed one minute had passed.

Unsurprisingly, we all stood up at different times, demonstrating that we don’t have internal clocks and don’t actually know how long (or short?) 60 seconds is.

In the end, this quick exercise helped us perfect our pitches. Over time, we learned to get our points across in under 60 seconds while establishing a connection with the person we were talking to.

That’s why I suggest you use this quick game to help your team appreciate every single second of their time and encourage them to think about how they spend each minute.

#2 Use a time management app

This tip is an obvious one.

Using a time management tool is necessary because it helps your team stay organized and meet project deadlines.

Here’s how:

• Time management tools can help your team identify and focus on high-priority tasks so they get important work done first.
• These apps provide a clear overview of the projects and schedules, so your team will have no trouble managing their workload.
• By tracking time spent on tasks, your team members can identify "gaps" in their schedules and periods in which they may be wasting time (and remove these gaps to improve efficiency).
• Time management software is all about accountability, allowing your team members to see what tasks are assigned to them, track task progress, and ensure that everyone contributes.
• Ultimately, a time tracker can help your team achieve short- and long-term goals by allowing them to set clear deadlines and monitor progress.

#3 The card sorting game (for larger teams)

If you lead a larger team, you should try playing the card-sorting game with them.

This game is designed to show the importance of planning and making strategic decisions and moves.

Here are the rules:

• Divide your team into 2-3 smaller teams.
• Give each team a deck of cards.
• Ask them to arrange cards as quickly as possible in a specific order of your choice.
• Each team has 5 minutes to plan and practice before engaging in three rounds.
• The team that was the quickest, wins.

My suggestion for this game is not to focus on the win itself and the winning team announcement but on the results. Your job as a team leader is to illustrate each team’s progress in the game and highlight the importance of preparation and task delegation.

#4 The picture game (to improve empathy and delegation)

Delegation skills are something everyone should work on. When done right, the ability to delegate benefits your team in multiple ways:

• Your team knows their tasks so the work is completed more efficiently.
• The tasks are distributed according to each team member's strengths and skills.
• Your team members can learn new skills and gain experience, which prepares them for possible future roles.
• Your team members will feel empowered, as proper delegation boosts their morale and job satisfaction; it makes them feel seen, trusted and valued.

As mentioned above, these benefits are realized only if delegation is done properly.

Here’s what “proper delegation” means:

• As a team lead, your job is identifying the right tasks to delegate according to your team member's strengths.
• You need to consider how each task can help them develop new skills.
• You need to consider each team member's workload to avoid overburdening them.
• You must provide clear introductions, autonomy level, task scope, deadline, and expected outcomes.
• You must ensure that team members have access to the right tools, information, and support to complete the tasks.
• You must establish milestones for long or complex tasks so you can monitor progress and address any issues early.
• It's your job to create an environment where team members feel comfortable asking questions.
• You should acknowledge and appreciate team members' efforts and achievements as they reinforce their value to the team (and company).
• Remember to reflect on the outcomes of delegated tasks to assess what worked well and what could be improved.

So, from all the above, I'd say it's pretty clear that empathy and clarity are the pillars of delegation.

Clarity is pretty easy to master; empathy, on the other hand, not so much. That's why you and your team should practice empathy.

There are many empathy-boosting games, but one of my favorites and the quickest to use is the picture game.

As a Team Lead, print out various pictures—such as smiling dogs, mountains, nature scenes, sunsets, storms, or a poorly lit room—and place them on a conference table during a meeting.

Ask your team members to pick one, and in 30 seconds, explain why each of them chose the picture in question.

This exercise allows them to share their feelings and thoughts, giving you insight into their current mindset, what they enjoy, or even a dream they have. Remember, you should go first to set an example.

It’s important to note that not everyone on your team will feel comfortable openly sharing their emotional state; this step requires trust and vulnerability, which some may not be ready for. Those who seem to “have it all together” might be the ones struggling the most. As a Team Lead, it’s your responsibility to develop your own empathy so you can recognize underlying issues that your team members might not express openly. Ultimately, it all begins and ends with empathy. ✨

#5 Kanban & a circadian rhythm

This tip is the ultimate productivity boost. I’m talking about a skyrocketing, the-limit-does-not-exist type of productivity.

Let’s start with Kanban.

Kanban is a simple yet powerful method originating from the Japanese manufacturing system that helps your team get more work done.

Kanban relies on placing the tasks on a whiteboard in the following steps:

• Divide the whiteboard into three columns.
• Label the first column "To do", the second "Doing" and the third "Done."
• The first column should consist of tasks on your team's to-do list, the second should be used to decide what your team is working on right now, and the third should be used to record what has been completed.
• Add tasks to the "To do" column using a marker or post-it notes.
• When you add tasks to the "To do" column, use verbs like "prepare", "perform", "source", etc.
• Once your team members start working on the tasks, drag them to the column "Doing."
• When each of your team members completes a task, drag the tasks from "Doing" to "Done".
• Pull another task from "To do" to "Doing."
• Repeat the process until the project is completed.

This way of working encourages a state of “flow”, the state of pure focus and concentration. And, if I may add, the act of moving tasks from one column to another feels so satisfying. 🥲

What's great about Kanban is that it can be used individually and on a team level. Each team member can implement it daily to improve their own productivity.

But Kanban works best to improve your team member’s efficiency when paired with their circadian rhythms.

Now, let’s talk about the circadian rhythm.

Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock aligned with the day and cycle, work and travel. Those rhythms run in the background and are responsible for essential functions in our body.

When discussing productivity and circadian rhythm, the rhythm suggests that our activity and energy change throughout the day.

So, if you want to maximize productivity, you need to align tasks and priorities with your energy state at that moment. For instance, each team member should define their energy throughout the day using somewhat descriptive terms like “slowed down”, “at 50%”, and so on, and align those energy levels with the Kanban board and its columns.

You can encourage your team to mix Kanban with their energy levels in a briefing. The idea is to make your team aware of their energy highs and lows and how much they can complete within their energy range.

Now that you know practical tips and games that can improve team time management, let's move on to the 5 best apps for team time management that will keep you and your team responsible, organized, and productive.

5 best team time management software

Learning about team time management techniques is pretty exciting and easy, but applying them on a daily basis is when things get complicated.

So, to help you get the most out of your day and learn how to make time management work for you and your team, here are the 5 best time management apps your team will be thankful for.

#1 Memtime for time tracking

Are you surprised to see Memtime at the top of the list? You shouldn’t be as I’m allowed to be a bit biased. 😏

I LOVE Memtime. Simply because it’s so light, discrete, and bug-free (shoutout to our fantastic devs!) and provides insights into your work habits. It’s perfect for freelancers and remote teams alike.

It doesn't send you annoying notifications every half an hour, disrupting your focus and suggesting "you should take a break." Instead, it allows you to work as long as you like uninterrupted, quietly tracking all your activities across programs and tabs.

Additionally, what’s outstanding about Memtime is that it’s a self-hosted time tracker that stores all captured activity data offline, on your device. So, no client of mine can know that I once spent 17 minutes searching for the perfect synonyms for “unique” and “bold”.

Here are more of Memtime’s features worth noting:

If Memtime seems like your own and your team's cup of productivity tea, I suggest you start our free team trial.

#2 Forest app for better focus

What if I told you that your focus and concentration could help trees grow?

Sounds bananas? Well, it’s not and the proof is Forest app.

Here’s how it works:

Here’s what a growing tree looks like:

Forest is a fantastic app that serves as a gentle reminder to stay away from distractions. Plus, it’s a beautiful way to visualize the power of focus. Watching a tree grow on your phone or desktop is surprisingly calming and motivating.

#3 Scoro for work management

Scoro is a work management app that streamlines business processes. Currently, it has a 4.6/5 review on Capterra; it’s clearly a favorite among users.

The app offers:

At first glance, it’s a well-rounded project management software with heaps of features. For this reason, it comes with a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll have a reliable process management app.

The downside of Scoro?

It’s quite expensive, especially for smaller teams or startups. Scoro requires that you add at least 5 users, whereas the lowest subscription costs $26 monthly per member (on a yearly plan). If you opt for the „Pro” plan, labeled as „Recommended” on Scoro’s pricing page, you’ll need to pay $63 monthly per user.

#4 Remember the Milk for checking off your to-do list

If you have been in the business game for 15+ years, you probably know about Remember the Milk. It’s a to-do app, an oldie but a goodie with a classic yet intuitive interface.

Here are some of its features:

From what I’ve seen, I’d say it’s a reliable productivity app for teams; it can help you organize and manage your team’s schedule. If you are not a fan of the old-fashioned app design, I’d say skip this one.

#5 Motion for boosting productivity using AI

Whenever I hear about AI productivity apps, I get skeptical and suspicious. Can AI truly solve our daily issues, like lack of focus and productivity? I was unsure.

But I decided to give Motion a go and was not disappointed.

Here are some features worth noting:

The AI part of Motion is hidden in its ability to sort tasks according to your input and schedule them.

The tasks will appear in your calendar once everything is set up (and it will require a bit of time). So, when you are supposed to start a new task, it notifies you it’s time to start a new task. The only trap here is allocating time correctly for each task. Otherwise, the app will send you notifications it’s time to start a new one, so you might get a bit frustrated if you didn’t finish the previous tasks. But you don’t have to worry; the AI automatic rescheduling will keep you on top of your tasks.

Without getting into the use of Motion too much, I suggest you give it a try, as Motion can help you create unique schedules. It’s obedient and fast; you won’t have trouble using it, so you’ll get an app that perfectly organizes your personal and professional projects and tasks.

Wrapping it up

I know this article was a bit of a marathon to get through, so rather than wrapping up with the usual spiel and highlighting the importance of time management, let’s keep it short and sweet.

Here’s a to-do list that’ll help you keep your team on track:

With these tips in mind, please don’t forget to make every second count.

Good luck with your team time tracking, and may the clock always be in your favor! ⏱️