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How to Be a Responsible Investor of Your Time

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As someone who thrives on productivity and performs best when tasked with multiple challenges and responsibilities, I’m constantly trying to sharpen my entrepreneurial toolkit. Staying busy means my brain is “on” 24/7, and I prefer it that way. 

But at the same time, I’ve also learned how to optimize my time management so that I stay productive, motivated, and most importantly, fulfilled. If you’re struggling with time management, regardless of your seniority or the industry you’re in, there are ways you can work on being more strategic with your time investments so you get more from your time in the long run. 

Just like investing, learning how to make time work for you — not the other way around — is a key step in scaling your business and your personal ambitions. 

Here are 4 ways I’ve learned on how to invest my time more wisely:

1. Audit your schedule

One way to evaluate if you’re truly streamlining your workday, tasks, and schedule, is by performing a self-audit. Every smart and successful business owner and employee will also constantly be thinking in terms of the bottom line, and it should be no different when it comes to demands on your time. 

Say you (or your employees) spend five hours on a task and that roughly translates to $300 in labor, yet the lifetime value for the product is far less than that. Not only are you wasting your time, you’re wasting your money. Hold yourself accountable. Learn how to manage your time wisely, and never waste it.

To perform an audit, use an old-school planner, free timesheet application, Google calendar, Asana — whatever task manager that works best for you — and time how long each task takes. If you learn that one of the items in your to-do list is a time-drainer, think about smart workarounds. 

Is there a tool you haven’t tried that could automate some of your work? If, for example, you’re the one doing all the billing for your company, is it possible to outsource this duty? Can you delegate it? Have you looked into virtual assistants?

The reality is, you will always have the same amount of time, but if you want to succeed, your responsibilities and goals will only increase. This is why one audit is not enough. As your business grows, perform routine audits to ensure you’re still on track and budgeting your time wisely. 

“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year – and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!” – Tony Robbins

2. Invest in others

Hiring smart, capable, out-of-the-box thinkers is how you will succeed as a business leader in your industry. Your most important team member? You can guess: Your co-founder. This person will be your #2, your deputy, your partner-in-crime. They will be the one who you can rely on when working out complex deals with clients, and piecing together a business strategy to lay out for investors. But this person can’t just be any smart individual with an impressive resume, they need to counterbalance your strengths and weaknesses. 

For example, you will never succeed if your business partner is the type to agree with all of your decisions. You need someone who will push back, challenge you, and think ahead. Investing in the right people has strong dividends because they end up saving you time in the long run by coming to you with solutions, not problems.

Building a team isn’t easy, but just remember: Always hire smart people and let them bring their ideas to the table. As Steve Jobs once said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

3. Don’t let the small stuff weigh you down

For small business owners, it may be necessary for you to roll up your sleeves and work on the more granular, time-consuming tasks at hand so that your business survives. However, as soon as you finally do have the resources and the staff, you must step back and focus on high-level items. 

So many of us get knee-deep in day-to-day executions, that we forget to step back and look at the bigger picture. That can be dangerous for long-term strategy and monetization planning. Regardless of whether you’re an entrepreneur, consultant, or employee — it doesn’t matter. You should always try to carve out time in your day to take those important steps back and create, or re-evaluate your roadmap. 

Don’t just think big ideas, think colossal ideas. If you’re a mid-level employee and must ask your manager to have the spare time to be able to do this, chances are, they will be more than happy to do so, as it shows you’re showing higher-level initiative.  

“Those who believe they can move mountains, do. Those who believe they can’t, cannot.” – David J. Schwartz

4. Optimize your day-to-day life

You should use the time you spend at home as a way to unwind, be with your family and loved ones, and quite simply, relax. But you should also be thinking ahead to the next day and how you can improve and optimize the tasks ahead of time. 

This could be something as simple as prepping your briefcase on a Sunday night before work. It could be making your task list for the next day so you’re ready to go first thing in the morning. Work out what your daily optimization “hacks” look like, and you’ll find that not only do they save you time so that you can be focusing on higher-level plans, but they’ll create less stress and chaos in your personal life and your overall career.

Ultimately, you want to feel in control of your own time, not the other way around. The time you have is the time you can spend coming up with the next great idea, the time you can spend cracking the code for an important project, and the time you spend working on yourself and your skill set. Never underestimate or undervalue time, and know that if you invest in it the most strategic way, the payoff will be exponential. 

Are you good with time management? Share your tips & advice for our readers below!

Manick Bhan is the founder and CTO of LinkGraph, an award-winning digital marketing and SEO agency that provides SEO and paid media services. He is also the founder and CEO of SearchAtlas, which offers a full SEO software suite. He is the former CEO of the ticket reselling app Rukkus.

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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

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What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

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  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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