The age-old expression ‘Time is money’ isn’t too far from the truth. The most successful (and profitable) organizations in the 21st century require employees who are effective time managers, and know how to set and reach goals based on the organization’s vision and values. Employees who are able to prioritize their activities and set and reach goals in their personal and organizational lives will make the biggest impact.

The key for owners and managers is to develop employees to recognize and implement time saving strategies. There are many strategies to achieve a more productive day, below is our top four:

Define time management
Remember, the focus of time management is actually changing your behaviors, not changing time. A good place to start is by eliminating your personal time-wasters. For one week, for example, set a goal that you’re not going to take personal phone calls or check Facebook while you’re working.

Prioritize time use
You should start each day with a time management session prioritizing the tasks for that day and setting your performance benchmark. If you have 20 tasks for a given day, how many of them do you truly need to accomplish? And reduce those time-wasters that steal time we could be using much more productively. Frequent culprits are surfing the net and checking email. And set time limits for each task. For instance, reading and answering email can consume your whole day if you let it. Instead, set a limit of one hour a day for this task and stick to it.

Adopt a time management approach
Whether it’s a paper calendar or a software program, the first step to physically managing your time is to know where it’s going now and planning how you’re going to spend your time in the future. Figure out what system works for you and work that system tirelessly. A software program such as Outlook, for instance, lets you schedule events easily and can be set to remind you of events in advance, making your time management easier.

Enhance time management skills
Utilizing skills like delegating, organization and maximizing time usage can take your time management skills to the next level. No matter how small or large your business is, there’s no need for you to be a one-person show. For effective time management, you need to let other people carry some of the load. Determine which tasks you’d be better off delegating or outsourcing.

Being organized also saves time. Whether it’s a physical manila folder you’re searching for or files on your computer, both can suck up valuable time. Take the time to organize a file management system so it’s organized to the point that you can quickly lay your hands on what you need.

Lastly, identify ways to use traditional “down” time, like time between client meetings to the waiting room at your dentist. It’s impossible to avoid waiting for someone or something. But you don’t need to just sit there and twiddle your thumbs. Always take something to do with you, such as a report you need to read, a checkbook that needs to be balanced, or just a blank pad of paper that you can use to plan your next marketing campaign.

Whether you are leading a small firm or a Fortune 500 company, today’s workplace requires managing, motivating and developing your employees’ time management skills. Increasing and enhancing your current time management leadership ability is paramount to your organization’s success. The objective is to change your behaviors over time to achieve whatever general goal you’ve set for yourself, such as increasing your productivity or decreasing your stress. So you need to not only set your specific goals, but track them over time to see whether or not you’re accomplishing them.