Challenges of Time Management Among Employees in Hungary: A Correlational and Impact-Effort Matrix Approach

This mixed-methods study examines time management challenges and techniques among employees in Hungary, with a particular focus on mid-level managers in multinational corporations. A questionnaire survey of 345 employees identified eight prevalent time management problems—including procrastination, meeting overload, frequent interruptions, email and chat overload, and multitasking—and tested their association with organizational context using chi-square analysis. To identify potential remedies, a systematic content analysis of 49 peer-reviewed and practitioner business publications was conducted, yielding 12 frequently recommended time management techniques. These challenges and techniques were linked in a correlational matrix and prioritized using an Impact–Effort Matrix that combined perceived effectiveness with implementation effort. The findings indicate that techniques such as delegation, the Eisenhower Matrix, task batching, and the Pareto principle offer the most favorable balance between impact and feasibility, yet overall awareness and regular application of structured time management methods remain low among mid-level managers. The study closes an empirical gap by jointly analyzing time management challenges and techniques in a Central and Eastern European setting and provides an evidence-based framework for selecting interventions. The results have practical implications for managers, HR professionals, organizational developers and continuous improvement specialists, including Lean Six Sigma practitioners, who must navigate constant urgent demands while protecting time for high-impact improvement work within the human-centric, Industry 5.0 context.