Boost profitability with better time habits and tracking tools
Effective time management is essential for marketing and PR agencies in the UK. With client demands, overlapping deadlines and limited resources, it’s easy to fall into the trap of over-servicing clients—a habit that can silently erode your profit margins.
This blog shares 10 practical, achievable tips that help marketing and PR professionals manage their time more effectively, minimise burnout and increase project profitability. Whether you’re a growing startup or an established creative agency, these strategies can help you take back control.
1. Prioritise what matters
Categorise tasks based on urgency and impact. Don’t let reactive tasks steal time from high-value work. Use timesheet data to understand where your time is really going—and where it should go.
2. Time block your calendar
Schedule time for focused work, meetings, admin, and breaks. Time blocking ensures everything gets the time it deserves, helping with creative agency time management and reducing context switching.
3. Delegate where possible
Agency growth requires clear delegation. Use your employee time management data to identify overload and shift tasks accordingly. Delegation frees up your time for high-impact activities.
4. Plan ahead for resourcing gaps
Avoid last-minute overloads by planning for holidays, sickness and availability. With tools like leave tracking built into yourtimesheet solution, it’s easier to keep the team balanced and projects on track.
5. Use time tracking tools
A simple timesheet app helps you capture exactly where time is spent. This is critical for reducing scope creep, setting realistic expectations and increasing agency time management efficiency.
6. Automate admin tasks
Manual processes waste time. Features like pre-filled timesheets and weekly reminders (as found in intuitive time tracking software) reduce admin and improve compliance without the hassle.
7. Schedule regular breaks
Short breaks throughout the day help boost focus and prevent burnout. Encourage your team to take time to recharge—it’s a key part of ensuring productivity.
8. Say no to unplanned work
Not everything needs to be done right away—or by you. Learning to say no (with confidence) is easier when you have time tracking for agencies showing your workload and commitments clearly.
9. Reflect and improve
Regularly review your approach. Use your freelance time tracking and project reports to spot inefficiencies, rebalance workloads and refine internal processes.
10. Stick to realistic project plans
Unrealistic timelines lead to over-servicing and reduced margins. Use accurate time data to set achievable plans from the start. Timesheets help you stay on track and ensure projects are delivered without stretching your team or budget.
Turn better time habits into agency growth
The most effective agencies aren’t always the busiest—they’re the ones who manage their time well. Time tracking and smart planning can transform the way you work, helping you focus on what delivers the most value.
Timemarker is a self-serve timesheet platform designed for UK-based marketing and PR agencies.
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use timesheet software for marketing agencies with UK customer support, try our free trial and see the difference it can make.