How to Take Control of Your Time, Your To-Do List and Your Life in 2025

Excerpts from the Podcast:  

Jenni: Welcome to the Modern Family Finance Podcast, where we dive into all things money, career, and life. I’m Jenni, your host—a San Francisco Bay Area financial planner specializing in serving women and LGBTQ+ professionals. Today, we’re tackling a topic that’s on everyone’s mind, including mine: taking control of your time, managing your to-do list, and creating a life that is both productive and fulfilling.

Our guest today is Alexis Haselberger, a time management and productivity coach based in San Francisco. Alexis is on a mission to help people “do more and stress less.” Through her coaching, workshops, and online courses, she has empowered thousands to regain control of their time and their lives.

I’m thrilled to have you on the show, Alexis. Thanks for being here today!

Alexis: I’m excited to be here!

What are common productivity pitfalls and how can you avoid them? (3:49)

Jenni: What types of clients benefit most from your work?

Alexis: I primarily work with mid- to late-career professionals who are already established but feel overwhelmed. I call this group “successful by brute force”—they’ve achieved success, but it often comes at a cost. From the outside, they seem to have everything together, yet they’re working late into the night, neglecting their health, sacrificing time with family, or just constantly feeling stressed and stretched too thin.

My clients include managers, executives, entrepreneurs, doctors, and lawyers—people with demanding careers who need to maintain success but with less stress. Some have families, others don’t, but all have a lot on their plate and a lot at stake.

Jenni: That makes sense. High-performing professionals often power through challenges, but that approach isn’t always sustainable. What are the most common struggles you see?

Alexis: There are many, but a key mindset struggle is the belief that it’s possible to do everything—they just haven’t cracked the code yet.

Jenni: Yes, I can relate to that.

Alexis: This is a major mental hurdle. People think if they could just optimize enough, they’d get everything done. But the reality is, even if you worked 18 hours a day, there would still be more work tomorrow. The to-do list is never-ending. For example, my reading list has over 500 books, and it grows daily—I’ll never read them all.

Then there are structural issues, like meeting overload. I was just coaching two VPs who each had 38 hours of meetings last week. If you’re spending nearly your entire workweek in meetings, when do you handle emails, Slack messages, or actual work? The math doesn’t add up, so people end up working late.

Finally, many people lack effective systems. In college or early in their careers, they could track tasks with a simple notepad. But as responsibilities grow, those informal systems break down, and they don’t know what to do next.

How you can use “task realism” to time block? (7:22)

Jenni: I totally get that. We tell ourselves, “Other people seem to be doing it all, so there must be a way.” But why does it look like everyone else is managing?

Alexis: It looks that way because we only see the curated version of others’ lives—especially on social media. No one is doing everything. This mindset issue tends to affect ambitious people the most because they have big goals and high expectations for themselves.

To tackle this, I start by having clients track their time for a week. Seeing where their time actually goes is eye-opening. Many overestimate how much they can realistically get done in a day.

A useful exercise is time-blocking. If someone insists they can accomplish 30 things in a day, I ask them to estimate how long each task will take. Quickly, they realize they barely have time for five. This reality check helps people prioritize better and accept trade-offs.

Jenni: Trade-offs are tough, though! Ambitious people want to fit in everything—work, gym, family, hobbies. How do you help clients navigate these choices?

Alexis: We use experimentation. I developed a concept called “task realism.” If you only have time for five things, would you rather pre-select the five most important and complete them or start with a list of 25 and only finish five? In the first scenario, you feel accomplished. In the second, you feel like you failed—even though you did the same amount of work.

We also challenge the idea that you must be “caught up” to feel accomplished. The truth is, work, emails, and household chores are never truly done. Learning to step away and prioritize what matters is key.

How do you create boundaries and prioritize what matters most?  (15:04)

Jenni: Guilt is a big issue—whether it’s saying no, setting boundaries, or feeling like you haven’t done enough. How do you help people manage that?

Alexis: Guilt often stems from poor expectation-setting. Many people overcommit based on a best-case scenario instead of giving themselves realistic timelines. I encourage clients to build in buffer time—if you think you can deliver something by Tuesday, say Friday instead. This creates space for the inevitable unexpected delays.

Another key strategy is setting clear boundaries. For example, I work a four-day week. Every Thursday at 5 PM, my out-of-office email activates, letting people know I’ll respond on Monday. This not only sets expectations for others but also holds me accountable to my own boundaries.

Jenni: That’s a great tip! Many people only set out-of-office replies for vacations, but using them for regular boundaries could be a game-changer.

Alexis: Exactly! Another simple boundary is updating your Slack or Teams status when you need focused work time. Communicating availability helps reduce guilt and interruptions.

How can you use money to buy time? (25:33)

Jenni: As a financial planner, I often ask clients how they can use money to buy back time. What are your thoughts on that?

Alexis: I completely agree. Spending money strategically can create more space for what truly matters. I pay for a biweekly house cleaner, and I outsource grocery shopping to delivery services. It’s a trade-off I’m happy to make because it frees up hours of my time.

People can also barter or trade services. For example, when my kids were younger, we swapped babysitting nights with another family—freeing up date nights without additional costs.

Jenni: That makes total sense. And sometimes, investing in coaching or training can help break through roadblocks faster than struggling alone.

Alexis: Absolutely. If something is taking up too much mental space, hiring an expert can accelerate progress and reduce stress.

Final Takeaways (40:03)

Jenni: What’s the one message you’d want listeners to take away about time management?

Alexis: Don’t store everything in your head. Get it out into a trusted system—you’ll be less stressed and more effective.

Jenni: That’s powerful advice. Thank you so much, Alexis! Where can people find you?

Alexis: You can visit my website, www.AlexisHaselberger.com, or listen to my podcast, The Do More Stress Less Podcast. Episodes are short—about 10 minutes—so it’s an easy way to get practical tips.

Jenni: Fantastic! Thanks again, Alexis. May we all do more and stress less!