In an age of digital distractions and rising workplace demands, time management has emerged as both a cultural mantra and a business imperative. A recent meta-analysis published in PLOS One (Aeon, Faber, & Panaccio, 2021) synthesizes over 150 studies to determine if time management actually delivers on its promises. With nearly 54,000 participants analyzed, the study offers a high-resolution look at the impacts of time management across job performance, academic success, and personal wellbeing.

The findings reveal that time management shows a moderate, positive correlation with job performance (r ≈ 0.25), especially in behavior-based assessments such as motivation and job involvement. This effect is stronger in academic contexts when linked to behaviors like procrastination avoidance rather than test results. Intriguingly, the link between time management and wellbeing (r ≈ 0.31) - including life satisfaction, optimism, and mental health - was even stronger than its link to job or academic performance.

This contrasts with the common perception that time management is primarily a tool for boosting work output. Time management also demonstrated a moderate negative correlation with distress indicators such as anxiety and emotional exhaustion, although its effects on distress were generally weaker than its positive influence on wellbeing.

Notably, the study also explored how personal traits and external conditions affect time management. While factors like age and gender had negligible effects, conscientiousness showed a strong relationship (r ≈ 0.45) with time management ability. Meanwhile, multitasking and role overload correlated negatively, suggesting that fragmented attention and excessive demands undermine effective scheduling.

A secondary finding indicated that the benefits of time management have grown stronger over the years, especially in professional settings, possibly reflecting evolving job autonomy and digital workflow tools.