Time Utilization for Growth: Are You Spending Your Time Where It Matters Most?

If someone audited your calendar, what would they say you value most?

Would it reflect your personal and professional goals? Or would it read more like a reaction log — endless meetings, urgent requests, and tasks that keep you busy but don’t move you forward?

One of the most overlooked truths about career growth is this: it’s not just about working hard, it’s about being intentional with your time.

Last week, we focused on navigating career transitions — how to step into a new role with clarity and purpose. This week, we’re taking that conversation a step further. Because once you’re in a new role (or even a familiar one), the next challenge is figuring out how to spend your time in a way that supports continuous growth.

Your Time Tells a Story

Time is your most limited professional resource. Once spent, it’s gone. And yet, most of us treat our calendars like a game of Tetris—filling in every available block with meetings, tasks, and “just one more thing.”

But here’s the truth: how you spend your time is how you shape your career.

If you’re constantly in reactive mode — jumping from meeting to meeting or managing small fires — you’re likely underinvesting in the activities that create real progress: strategic thinking, skill development, personal reflection, and meaningful relationships.

That’s where intentional time utilization comes in.

The Four Categories of Time

Not all hours are created equal. Over time, I’ve found that professionals tend to operate within four primary time categories:

1. Projects – Strategic initiatives, problem-solving, creative work, innovation
2. Administrative – Email, reporting, scheduling, status updates
3. Development – Learning new skills, coaching, feedback, professional growth
4. Personal – Mental clarity, physical well-being, emotional recharge

The first two are where most of our hours tend to go. They’re the loudest. The most visible. The most “urgent.”

But the last two? That’s where future growth lives. And they’re the most at risk of getting squeezed out.

The Busy Trap

Let’s be honest — we’ve all said things like:

• “I’m too busy for training right now.”
• “I’ll get to that development course next month.”
• “I wish I had more time to think.”

These aren’t time problems — they’re prioritization problems. And they often stem from the belief that productivity = progress.

But in leadership and in life, busyness without intention is just noise.

Realignment Starts with Awareness

The first step to reclaiming your time for growth is understanding where it’s currently going. Not where you think it’s going — but where it actually goes.

To help with that, I’ve created a Time Utilization Audit Worksheet — a quick, reflective tool that will help you:

• Break down how much time you’re spending in each category
• Identify imbalances or blind spots
• Set realistic targets that align with your growth goals
• Create small, meaningful changes that add up over time

There’s no “perfect” formula here. For some, a 60/20/10/10 split may work. Others may need something totally different. What matters is that your time reflects your values, responsibilities, and aspirations.

Yes — I Do This Too

If this sounds like a concept that’s “nice in theory,” I get it. But I want you to know: I use this exact method myself.

Running my own coaching and training business means I wear many hats—coach, strategist, content creator, sales lead, administrator. Without a clear picture of how I’m using my time, it’s easy to slip into reactive work and lose sight of what really moves the needle.

So, I regularly conduct my own time audits. In fact, I’ve developed a version of the Time Utilization Audit specifically for solopreneurs or business owners, like me, who juggle a variety of responsibilities and growth priorities.

If that’s you, grab the solopreneur version of the tool. It breaks down time categories to better reflect the entrepreneurial journey.

What Story Is Your Calendar Telling?

If your calendar told the story of your career — would it be the one you want?

Would it show steady investment in your learning and development?
Would it include the space you need to think, grow, and lead?
Or would it just show how good you’ve become at checking boxes?

Download the Time Utilization Audit Worksheet and take 15 minutes to assess where your time is going. You may be surprised by what you find — and empowered by what you choose to change.

If you’re working through this and would like some help aligning your time with your growth strategy, I’d love to chat.

Let’s make time work for you — not against you.