Time Management Tips From Extremely Busy People

Helpful hints from politicians (from Ed Balls to Yvette Cooper), journalists (from Arianna Huffington to Jon Snow), business leaders (from Richard Branson to Nicola Horlick) and many more

Arianna Huffington, editor of the Huffington Post

On a Sunday morning I pile up my work and stay in bed. It’s the perfect combination of productivity and relaxation. And if I decide to do what I should be doing more of – unplugging my iPads and laptops – I’m ready at a moment’s notice to fall into a nap

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group

I learned to delegate from a young age. Actually removing myself from the office has helped me look for the next big venture. I try to exercise every day – whether it is a swim, a game of tennis or a kite-surf when on Necker island. Manage the BlackBerry, don’t let it manage you. The key is to do it in bursts and not to let it dominate your day. Speak to people – I do get a lot of emails every day and try to answer as many as I can; but I also believe that you need to speak to people. It can save you and them a lot of time. And write it down – I carry notebooks wherever I go to jot down thoughts and notes. You can’t beat pen and paper.

Alain de Botton, philosopher

I find that being awake between 3am and 4am is hugely fruitful. Half-formed thoughts that manifested themselves previously only as anxieties have a chance to become conscious. This is the time for making lists and writing books.

Emily Maitlis, newsreader

I move incredibly quickly. I usually complete a non-studio day in trainers and a gym kit, dragging poor children around like teeny ducklings trying to keep up. I respond almost immediately to all emails as I can’t bear a backlog. I’m not a perfectionist. I love getting things done more than I love tidying up their edges (as my washing-up will testify).

David Lammy, MP

The ability to recall facts and give speeches from memory are two of the most important weapons in a politician’s arsenal. Each day I am pummelled with new information, but rarely do I get the chance to commit it to memory. There are two moments where I have the time to do that – the twice-weekly 7am run and the tube ride into Westminster. The iPhone is key to both. I use it to record most of my meetings, then play it back on my jog and the tube, memorising the key points. Another recent revelation has been the Flipboard app. When I’m packed like a sardine on the Victoria line, I can just about find enough space quickly to scan articles and tweets it has downloaded from across the world on the issues I tell it I care about.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty

Sleep is very important to me and I would rather plan to rise early to do an extra hour of urgent productive work than sit up into the small hours. Common sense, perhaps, but it’s sometimes important consciously to diarise thinking time rather than feeling like a helpless passenger rattling through days of back-to-back meetings. I swear by my BlackBerry for noting thoughts whenever they come and for keeping on top of emails. I’m using it now. But I’ve had to train myself to learn when to leave it and its owner alone to recharge.

Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary

Don’t get stressed about being late. It’s inevitable. Snap at anyone who calls at 8.35am – the toughest time of the day (this is as effective with prime ministers as it is with telephone salespeople). Get your husband or partner to cook. And shop. Get off the bus or tube a stop early and walk the last stretch to work – it helps if it’s Green Park.

Duncan Bannatyne, chairman of the Bannatyne Group

One major goal at a time is enough. If you try to do too many things at once, you’ll end up failing on several fronts. I try to focus on big decisions and eliminate trivialities. The other thing I believe in is delegation. You have to trust the talented people you hire to do their job and take responsibility.

Alice Temperley, fashion designer

On Friday mornings, I browse Portobello Market early, to find inspiration. I find it calming to escape into a creative mindset.

Jon Snow, newsreader

I have recently learned a new word – it is: “NO!” It is proving incredibly useful in parrying the constant demands that are made of a bloke who turns up regularly in people’s living rooms on the television. Psychotherapy; a happy home life; that word “No!”; a cycle-dependent life – I try them all. My ultimate life-saver is retreat to the wilds But what happens if the wretched broadband fails?

Nicola Horlick, investment fund manager

I was a mother at 25 and a director of a major bank in the City at 28. I went on to have six children, one of whom fought a 10-year battle against leukaemia and lost. I learned very early on that the only way to survive and get everything done was to delegate, and to treat the people who worked with me properly so they would stay long-term. Our first nanny stayed for 10 years and the second for five. We had the same housekeeper for 16 years. Now I don’t need so much help, but the importance of delegation remains with me and I do the same at work. It is still the case that the burden of making sure the family has a home that is clean and tidy and a fridge that is full tends to fall on the mother, even if she works, so I need to be ultra-organised. I don’t write lists, but I have them in my head.

Rory Stewart, MP

My secret is lots of sleep. If I get less than five hours, I bore and depress myself and others. But my favourite new trick is to remove the battery from my BlackBerry and hide it.

Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of Kids Company charity

Seven PAs keep me going around the clock. It starts at 8am, and finishes about 12am. I dictate everything while playing with toy helicopters, remote-controlled cars and plastic spoons. At night, I go home carrying a multicoloured laundry bag full of papers, filed in a manner incomprehensible to everyone – including myself. So I hold tight a little book full of lists, which I add to at 4am. My joy is to use a felt-tip and colour out completed tasks.

Alan Rusbridger, Guardian editor

I play the piano every morning for at least 20 minutes. Not just tinkering but forcing myself to concentrate on learning a piece – lessons and all. It settles the mind, calms the spirit, blots out the BlackBerry and generally sets me up for the day.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy, newsreader

I have computers, phones and tablets around my house, car and newsroom. I don’t switch the phone off on holiday because the mountain to get through afterwards would be too horrendous. And, yes, it drives my family mad. Now that most newspapers put the next day’s main stories online late at night, you can get ahead of the game by spending a bit of time on the websites before bed. I can only truly relax by doing something that involves my total concentration. I used to go scuba diving because it takes the full, undivided power of my brain just to stay alive. Since having children I’ve rediscovered dreaming of rock stardom. There’s nothing like learning a song on the guitar and belting it out at the top of your voice to drown out thoughts of work. I can always feel myself smiling when I do it.

Kirsty Wark, journalist

I have a list. And though I am a sucker for lovely stationery, in the search for organisation and clarity, I rip away each day.

Tom Aikens, chef

I go for a long run and mull things over, listening to techno or house music. It’s a great way to think about the previous week, the following week, food ideas and new dishes.

Robert Peston, BBC News business editor

Ashtanga yoga – for 75 minutes, once a week – restores calm and order.

Ed Balls, shadow chancellor

It’s hard when your kids are small and need constant attention, but time opens up as they get older and want you around but at a distance. Which is how I have been able to add marathon training and piano practice to my Saturday routine. But shopping to cook and then “creating” in the kitchen has always been my weekend relaxation.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/may/04/time-management-tips-busy-people