The Smart Account Manager’s Guide to Time Management

If you’re managing a full book of business, your calendar probably feels like a game of Tetris. Meetings, follow-ups, QBRs, fire drills—everything’s urgent, and the real work keeps getting pushed to the side.

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Sound familiar?

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Good account management isn’t just about being responsive. It’s about being proactive, strategic, and focused—and you can’t do that if you’re constantly in reactive mode.

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Here’s how to take back control of your time and stay ahead of your clients (instead of scrambling to catch up).

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Block Time for Deep Work

You can’t build strong client plans or prep for renewals if your day is full of 30-minute context-switching meetings. You need uninterrupted time to think.

• Block 60–90 minute “focus blocks” on your calendar every week
  
  
• Use this time for things like account planning, renewal prep, or analyzing client data
  
  
• Treat it like a meeting with your most important client—don’t cancel it
  
  

If you don’t make time for strategic work, it won’t happen.

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Create a Weekly Client Prioritization List

Not every account needs attention every week—but your top clients do. Don’t rely on your inbox to decide what gets your attention.

• Every Monday, list the 3–5 clients that need your focus this week
  
  
• Decide what you’ll do for each one: prep a QBR, schedule a check-in, review their renewal plan
  
  
• Review and update it every Friday so you’re always a step ahead
  
  

This keeps your time focused on the right relationships instead of letting urgency win.

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Use Templates to Speed Up Execution

Rewriting the same recap email or QBR outline wastes time. Standardize your processes so you can deliver high-quality work fast.

• Build templates for client emails, meeting agendas, and follow-up notes
  
  
• Use a shared doc or task board to track recurring workflows (renewals, upsells, onboarding, etc.)
  
  
• Reuse your best materials—customization should only take 10–20% of your time
  
  

Templates don’t make you less personal—they free you up to focus on what actually moves the needle.

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Set Clear Boundaries Around Communication

You want to be responsive. But if you’re always available, your day gets dictated by other people’s priorities.

• Let clients know your typical response times
  
  
• Use “batching” to check email and Slack at 2–3 set times per day
  
  
• Turn off notifications when you’re in focus mode
  
  

You’re not being unresponsive—you’re being intentional.

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If your days feel like they’re getting away from you, it’s not because you’re bad at your job—it’s because you haven’t built a system that works for your role.

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Account management is a high-pressure job. The account managers who succeed long-term are the ones who know how to protect their time, stay focused, and work smarter—not just harder.

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If follow-ups are one of the tasks that keep slipping through the cracks, this next blog will help: The Science of Follow-Ups: When and How to Check In Without Annoying Clients