You might look at some people and wonder how they have it all. It can be difficult for the entrepreneurial spirit to juggle work, home, health, and friends. The people who accomplish this with the most apparent ease follow these secrets in time management.

Manage Your Technology, Don’t Let It Manage You

As more technology becomes available to use, you might find it dictating how you spend your time. Do you check emails every time an alert pops up on your computer screen? Do you spend more time using an app to write out elaborate to-do lists than you spend finishing the tasks on your list? While technology can be an excellent time management tool, be careful to avoid letting your technology manage your time.

Schedule Time for Email and Stick to It

Check emails a set number of times a day instead of repeatedly. Give yourself a dedicated time to check your email, and only check it a scheduled number of times during the day. Depending on your industry this may be as often as three times or as infrequently as once. Checking emails is not inherently bad to do; many people need to read and respond to emails in order to be successful in their work. However, checking emails repeatedly can break your concentration. Each time you stop what you’re doing to look at your in-box, it takes time to get back into your other work. Having a dedicated time for email allows you to focus on the rest of your day without distraction.

Focus Is Key in Success

When answering messages make sure that’s the only thing you’re doing. Working on one task at a time will allow it to have your complete focus. This tip is a finer point related to foregoing multitasking as part of good time management skills. If each task only has 30% of your attention, it may only be completed 30% as well as it could be. While advanced technology may make you feel like you’re getting a lot done, make sure you are actually accomplishing tasks instead of creating more labor for yourself by not focusing on the work at hand.

Apps can be a handy way to prioritize and track tasks and messages, but don’t let technology become a distraction. Clear your mind by writing down the most important work you have to accomplish, and stick to those goals. Time management skills are not impossible to learn, and can help you achieve balance in your life.