By Portia Yip, Marketing Services

With daily demands competing for our attention, managing our time can be a never-ending project. One solution is deciding what deserves our attention in the first place.

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Liz Pittman, an instructor with Continuing Studies at UVic since 2020, has extensive experience in communication and digital marketing. She has worked with a wide range of organizations both in-house with agencies and as an independent freelancer.

Today, she manages a full calendar teaching courses in communication, social media and content marketing. For Liz, teaching is an opportunity to help people understand the strategy involved behind these topics, which most people navigate in different types of professional environments.

"I enjoy taking something that can feel overwhelming, like digital communication, and making it really practical and usable," she shares. "People are often expected to manage social media or create digital content—simply because they have their own Instagram or Facebook accounts—but there’s a lot more involved."

How to start managing your attention better

One of the biggest challenges in today’s classrooms, and workplaces, is constant distractions. In a 2026 survey by Narrative Research, nearly four-in-ten Canadians are actively trying to reduce the amount of time they spend on screens.

But with the continuous stream of incoming messages or notifications, it can be difficult to stay focused on an important task.

"We are rarely just doing one thing anymore," Liz says. She also notes that people often underestimate how long focused work takes.

This means time management starts with recognizing that not all work requires the same level of attention. For example, answering emails, writing an article, developing a strategy or solving a problem all require different approaches.

"One of the most useful things people can learn is to match the way they manage their time to the kind of work they're doing and having an understanding of how they like to operate," Liz describes.

Every task isn’t always urgent

Making small changes can help reduce distractions over time. Liz recommends using app limits and physically putting your phone out of reach during focused work.

The goal is to make distractions less convenient. However, individuals can only do so much if workplace culture encourages constant availability.

"Organizations can't tell their employees to manage their time better while creating a culture where everybody is expected to be instantly available all day," she explains.

An example of how organizations can start improving this is by understanding what the pain points are and then setting clear communication boundaries. Organizations can survey employees to understand where friction exists: What belongs in an email? What should go into the group chat? What counts as urgent? How quickly is a response expected?

Leaders also have an important role in modelling healthy communication habits. For example, protecting focused work also means taking a closer look at meetings.

"Meetings chew up so much time for people," Liz says. "Not everything requires a meeting, and not everybody needs to attend every meeting, so being very precious around actual work time is important."

Using data and AI thoughtfully

Before introducing another productivity tool or completely changing how people work, Liz recommends finding out where the real problems are.

"A trend that we're seeing is less about finding another tool and more about reducing the number of tools we're using," she shares.

Instead of immediately downloading another productivity app, spend a few days noticing and tracking when interruptions happen, how often you check your phone, and which tasks you may struggle to make time for. Then choosing strategies that address the specific challenges.

AI can also support time management when used for the right tasks. Liz points to options such as automating repetitive work, summarizing information and organizing ideas. "I think AI can really help with time management if you're applying it to the right pieces of your work."

But adding another tool doesn’t automatically increase productivity and AI still requires human judgement. Tasks involving empathy, ethics or careful decision-making need human oversight. Using AI can end up using more time or reducing the quality of work.

"If you select it for the wrong parts of your day, it's probably going to cost you more in the long run—not only in time spent, but in the quality of work too," Liz says.

Creating space for what matters

Ultimately, time management is a skill that will always be important in every part of our personal or professional lives. One thing to keep in mind is that good time management isn't about having an empty calendar or doing more.

"Time management isn't necessarily about doing fewer things," Liz emphasizes. "It's about being intentional about what you say yes to and making sure to create space for the work and activities that are most important."

 

• Posted October 13, 2026