Time Management Styles: Explore Workplace Patterns Behind Productivity

Have you ever thought about your own or your team’s time management styles? No? If not, maybe you should give it a try.

‘Cause here’s the thing: understanding time management styles can increase your own and your team’s efficiency and productivity and reduce stress一delivering results we all strive for.

And styles of time management vary so much; there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Each team member has specific ways of organizing their workload that align with their productivity levels and personality.

So, basically, by identifying who in your team is more task-oriented, deadline-driven, or highly flexible, you can tailor your approach to them to maximize their productivity and help them better balance workloads.

In this article, we explore the top 5 time management styles, providing their pros and cons and teaching you how to support employees with different types of time management styles properly. At the end of the blog post, we also discuss how you can determine your time management style ASAP and what you can do to change it if you want to.

No more talking, let’s get started.

Let’s talk about time management for a second.

Time management.

It’s such a workplace buzzword; you probably hear it more often than "can you see my screen?”. 

It feels like a catch-all phrase alongside “being efficient and productive” that somehow covers everything from replying to emails faster to mastering the art of being attentive in a Zoom call.

But what does it mean to be good at time management and use time management techniques to make the most of your day?

Well, the way we at Memtime see it, time management is about organizing and planning your day, all to ensure you一get this一work smarter, not harder.

To avoid being busy the entire day but not completing any tasks from your lists. Or to get things done faster in less time than before.

That’s why we believe it’s so essential for everyone to find their time management style in the workplace that relies on their working rhythm and natural energy peaks.

Types of time management styles

As previously mentioned, we’ve outlined the top 5 most common time management styles and their pros and cons. At the end of each style, you’ll also find a quick tip on how to support an employee with that particular approach.

Let’s dive in.

#1 Early bird

The early bird (or early starter) is the team member who works proactively. They work on their task list long before deadlines hit, ensuring everything is completed well ahead of time.

Early birds are often viewed as “hard workers,” but they are much more than that. They are organized, checklist aficionados who get goosebumps when they scratch off items before submission time. They are afraid of deadlines and will do anything to ensure they submit their tasks long before due dates.

➕ Pros:

• Having an early bird on your team means you’ll often receive tasks and assignments well before deadlines, giving you enough time for review and adjustments.
• Clients are often impressed by early risers, viewing them as organized and proactive in their work approach.
• Early birds tend to start the day strong, so they are able to set a productive tone for the rest of the team.

➖ Cons:

• Employees with an early bird time management style may struggle with flexibility, as they find it difficult to adapt to last-minute changes or unexpected shifts in priorities.
• They often underperform under tight deadlines or in high-pressure situations.
• Collaboration can become tricky due to different peak productivity times if others in the team are night owls.

🆘 How to support an early bird: If you see an early bird struggling, encourage them to build some flexibility into their planning. Suggest they leave small gaps in their schedule to adjust to unexpected changes. It’s also helpful to reassure them that not every task needs to be finished way ahead of time. Regularly check in to make sure they’re comfortable with any ongoing adjustments, and remind them that their proactive nature is already a huge asset to the team

#2 Hopper

Hoppers, or multitaskers, are pro balancers. They tend to bounce from one project to another, working on each in parts. Additionally, they plan all their tasks at once, with almost the same priority level and keep track of multiple tasks at once.

So, shuffling from one task to another is a piece of cake for hoppers. They thrive in a more chaotic environment and are comfortable being involved in many projects at a time.

➕ Pros:

• Hoppers thrive in dynamic environments, quickly transitioning between tasks and staying busy. They love working in teams and are a perfect fit for agencies.
• Their ability to juggle multiple matters simultaneously means they can handle multiple clients, projects, or tight timelines.
• They can quickly adapt to changing priorities and have high chaos tolerance, flexibility, and responsiveness.

➖ Cons:

• Hoppers may struggle with staying organized, as they can have scattered focus and unfinished tasks piling up.
• Deadlines can become a challenge if they get caught up in too many different tasks without a clear sense of priority.
• Because they work in fragments, hoppers might find it difficult to follow a structured workflow or be consistent in projects.

🆘 How to support a hopper: If you notice a hopper struggling with deadlines, encourage them to reduce distractions and prioritize (only?) 2-3 tasks simultaneously. You can even suggest they try time chunking (setting specific time blocks for each task to help them create a structure). Also, be sure to check in on them from time to time to ensure they stay on track and don’t get overwhelmed by the number of things they’re juggling.

#3 Planner

A planner, or the “big picture” person, is someone who is excellent at understanding deadlines and mapping out the steps needed to meet them. Planners have excellent organizational skills: They see the overall scope of a project and create a clear plan to successfully complete it.

At their core, they are quick-thinkers who spend most of their time planning without paying attention to the details.

➕ Pros:

• Planners know how to create clear, structured project outlines and break down tasks into manageable stages.
• They are skilled at setting mini-deadlines, ensuring that everyone— including themselves—stays on track.
• Since they are good organizers, planners can tackle even the most complex projects and tasks.
• Often, planners are creative thinkers who like to dabble into innovative strategies and solutions for different challenges.

➖ Cons:

• Planners can sometimes become overly focused on the big picture, overlooking important details that ultimately impact project success.
• While their structured approach is beneficial, it can also make them rigid and less adaptable to changes.
• If not careful, planners can set unrealistic deadlines, putting pressure on themselves and their team, which can lead to burnout.

🆘 How to support a planner: Pair planners with team members who are more detail-oriented to ensure that all project aspects are covered. If you are up for it, make regular check-ins to help planners adjust their timelines based on your feedback and new project requirements.

#4 Hyper-focused

When one of your teammates is hyper-focused, you can be confident in one thing: they will complete the task assigned to them as efficiently as possible. These employees focus on one task at a time and move on to the next when the current task is finished.

Hyper-focused employees love getting "in the zone" and enjoy dedicating themselves to a single task.

➕ Pros:

• Hyper-focused employees are consistent and you can rely on them; they deliver exactly what is expected with attention to detail.
• They take pride in producing high-quality work and are committed to delivering the best possible results.
• They often use time-blocking or focus sessions (and other focus-enhancing techniques) to increase their productivity which indeed makes them even more productive.
• They hold themselves to high standards and love being thorough in their tasks.

➖ Cons:

• They may struggle with flexibility and dislike being interrupted, making them less adaptable in dynamic environments.
• They can find it difficult to transition between tasks quickly or juggle multiple projects at once.
• For hyper-focused individuals, leaving tasks incomplete is considered a stressful situation; they prefer to see things through to completion.
• They can sometimes spend too much time on a single task, making it hard to "let go" and move on.

🆘 How to support a hyper-focused employee: Encourage them to set specific time intervals for tasks and remind them to take breaks or switch between projects when needed. Using time tracking tools is a must for hyper-focused employees, as they can use them to visualize how they allocate their time so they can adjust their focus when necessary.

#5 Cliffhanger

Cliffhangers finish their tasks near deadlines all because a long line of procrastination perpetuates their close-call timing. But here’s the thing: because they procrastinate most of the time, the closer they are to the deadline, the more efficiently they work against the clock.

With cliffhangers, there’s no specific or strict plan; they are expert improvisers who, despite all odds, get things done. They live off the adrenaline rush they get as the clock needle moves closer to the deadline.

➕ Pros:

• Cliffhangers are speedy workers who thrive under pressure; the closer to the deadline the task is, the more efficient they are.
• They don’t get easily stressed or overwhelmed, making them ideal for dynamic environments.
• Cliffhangers handle last-minute changes or urgent client requests with poise; even unexpected requests will be managed smoothly.

➖ Cons:

• Cliffhangers tend to misjudge how long a task will take, leading to delays or missed deadlines.
• Since they tend to complete work just before deadlines, there’s often no time left for feedback, adjustments, or addressing concerns.
• While they can deliver fast results, the quality of work may suffer due to rushing, leading to errors.

🆘 How to support a cliffhanger: Encourage cliffhangers to track their time allocated to different tasks. This can help them identify procrastination patterns (which they are probably aware of) and motivate them to prioritize work more effectively, reducing the need for last-minute rushes and ensuring higher-quality results.

How to discover your personal time management style

Going through these 5 time management styles was a bit tough, wasn’t it? Each one comes with its own set of challenges, and there’s no single “perfect” style to adopt.

But no matter which style dominates your professional life, you can always find ways to work around it and improve it. You can also do the same for your team members’ time management styles.

Where do you start?

The key is recognizing that you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. So, the first step is to uncover your own and your team’s time management habits.

And I’m not talking about taking an online quiz about time management or trying all time management methods at once (like Pomodoro timer, time-blocking, etc.) to see which one works for you.

I’m talking about finding a reliable way to truly understand how you and your team approach time and daily tasks.

That’s where Memtime comes in.

Memtime is our automated time tracking software (with no start/stop buttons) that gives insight into your working habits. It’s like a memory assistant that captures everything you do throughout the day and stores this data offline, on your device only.

With Memtime, you can easily look back at your tasks and projects, and see how long it took you to complete them.

Here are some of Memtime’s features worth noting:

But Memtime isn’t just for you; with our free team trial, you can use it across your team.

If you are up for trying Memtime, schedule a call with us, and we’ll run a custom live onboarding for your staff. At the end of the trial, we’ll arrange another live session with you to answer any questions you may have. Then, you can choose a Memtime package that best suits your team's needs and continue tracking your time.

How to change your time management style

As we wrap up this article, I want to remind you that it’s completely okay—and even necessary—to change your time management style if it no longer serves you or if it’s leading to inefficiency and stress.

Your current time management habits aren’t permanently hardwired into your brain. They’re just deeply rooted patterns; with some effort, you can bring them to the surface and adjust them. With intentional effort, self-awareness, and consistent practice, you can change how you perceive and manage time.

Here’s how you can start changing your time management style in just 5 steps:

1. Identify your current time management style. We’ve covered how you can do that with Memtime’s help. 🙂
2. Set clear goals and task priorities. To move away from the old procrastination habits, learn to break down large tasks into smaller, manageable tasks and prioritize tasks based on their deadlines, importance, and complexity.
3. Experiment with time management techniques, like time-blocking or task batching. The more you experiment, the quicker you’ll find ways that can help you improve focus and efficiency.
4. Use Memtime to stay on track. Memtime will help you visualize how you spend time and ensure you stick to your new time management approach.
5. Be patient. Changing your time management style doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time to develop new habits, so allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them.

In the end, please remember that time is on your side (literally, with Memtime), so enjoy learning about your time management style. You and your team can learn how to work with your styles and will have no problem introducing new habits, if necessary.

Take it one tick at a time, and happy time tracking! ⏱️