Time management vs productivity coaching: what’s the difference?
What’s in a name?
I’ve struggled for a while now with what to call myself. Am I a time management coach, or am I a productivity coach? Am I a coach, or am I a mentor? I thought this might be helpful to explore further so you can understand the differences.
Both a productivity coach and a time management coach can help you with understanding yourself better and creating systems to help you make the most of your available time.
It shouldn’t really matter what the coach calls themselves; what’s important is that the coach brings their skills, knowledge and experience to help you work through the issues that you bring to the table (or the virtual Zoom room ‘table’!).
Most of the people I work with want to be more productive and efficient at work so they have more time and energy for their interests outside of work.
Time management versus productivity
Traditional time management coaching typically focuses on helping individuals allocate their time effectively to achieve their goals. It’s ideal for people who struggle with prioritisation, meeting deadlines or balancing work and life.
Whereas productivity coaching aims to enhance overall efficiency and effectiveness. This might look like adopting better habits, leveraging tools and technologies to streamline tasks and improving or optimising processes.
In my mind, the goal is similar in that the objective is to improve how you, the coachee, are spending your time. It’s for this reason that I call myself a time management coach.
Time is the golden thread that has woven its way through my story, as well as being the thing that ties together everything I do in my business.
However, my approach to time management is more holistic. Conscious time management takes an approach that goes beyond just external time-saving strategies. It encompasses self-awareness, mindfulness, and an understanding of our values and priorities. Conscious time management acknowledges that time is not an infinite resource and encourages people to cultivate a deeper connection with how they are investing their time.
Couple this with my project management expertise and creativity, and you have a unique combination of skills in a coach, or mentor, to help you get more time for the things that really matter and achieve your dreams too.
Time management coaching versus mentoring
In coaching, you (as the coachee) explore what you want to achieve and identify your desired outcomes. Coaching looks holistically at your whole world, so everything can be on the table… whether it’s your career, relationships, finances, health & wellbeing and so on. And I find with my conscious time management coaching, all of these aspects are interlinked with our time. You set the agenda, not the coach. Coaching is a partnership, and I will support you to determine what steps or actions you need to take to get you closer to your desired outcome.
The usual premise of coaching is that the coachee has the answers within them (although they may not feel like they do), and the coach - through asking the right questions - can tease the answers out of you.
However, what I find with time management and productivity is that my clients don’t necessarily have all the answers and what they need is some guidance, support and advice from someone with more experience in this area. I certainly tick this box - with 17 years of project management experience under my belt coupled with my coaching qualification, I’m well placed to help you with your time management, productivity and project management!
So I call myself a coach, but a large part of what I do is mentoring. There may be times when I know a helpful technique or method that I can share with you that you can then experiment with, with my support.
In both cases your final destination may seem a long way off, and some parts of the journey will be harder than others, but as a coach and mentor I will keep you on the right track to achieving your goals.
The journey is likely not going to be a walk in the park, but rather an up and down trek. Think of me as your trusty sidekick, who will help keep you motivated and empower you to keep going when the journey gets tough (whilst doing my Duke of Edinburgh treks at high school, I kept my team buoyant by singing silly songs…I promise I won’t sing, definitely not my area of expertise! But don’t fret - I do have other skills and strategies!). Blocks and barriers are naturally going to appear, particularly as you step out of your comfort zone. When we get beyond our comfort zone, this is where the magic happens!
If you’d like to explore my coaching services, you can book a free 30 minute Discovery Call with me here.