If you dread opening your inbox or feel overwhelmed by your to-do list, you’re not alone. Slack Workforce Lab research found that about a third of desk workers regularly feel work-related stress, and the majority experience burnout at least once a month.
The best AI tools for time management help you and your team regain control by prioritizing tasks, reducing tedious or time-consuming work, and surfacing insights so you can make faster, data-backed decisions. More than 80% of AI users surveyed in Slack’s research said it improved their productivity. AI users also experienced greater excitement, fulfillment, and pride in their work.
With the right tools in place, you can reclaim your time and stay on top of your to-do list. Let’s explore the potential benefits of AI tools for time management.
How AI improves time management
Tools powered by artificial intelligence can organize and automate the parts of your professional life that slow you down, cause decision fatigue, or otherwise prevent effective time management. With AI features and tools, you can:
- Save time. Automate repetitive tasks that slow you down, like data analysis or meeting coordination. For example, AI can optimize your schedule by analyzing calendars, identifying potential conflicts, and suggesting alternative meeting times.
- Make smarter decisions. AI can analyze and summarize structured and unstructured data instantly to help teams share knowledge and make informed decisions faster.
- Boost productivity. Let AI handle time-consuming administrative work and schedule high-priority tasks during times when you’re most focused.
- Streamline communication and collaboration. Automate reminders, assign tasks, and integrate AI with your other business tools to reduce the need for disruptive check-ins and ensure that everyone stays aligned.
Key features of AI time management tools
AI tools can speed up processes — like knowing which task to start first or collecting and organizing data — that often slow professionals down. Some tools can also provide data-driven time management tips and pull insights from integrated third-party tools so teams can continually improve. Here are the most important features to look for when choosing an AI tool for time management:
- Smart task prioritization. Analyze factors like due dates, task dependencies, and workloads to recommend the order of your task list. With AI prioritizing tasks, teams can focus immediately on high-impact or urgent activities like an approaching deadline or a customer complaint.
- Automated scheduling tools. Organize your tasks and schedule meetings based on upcoming deadlines, company policies — like required breaks or holidays — and other preferences. AI can automatically adjust your calendar to prevent activities from overlapping or suggest alternatives.
- Dashboards and reports. Turn data into insights with an analytics dashboard that highlights daily stats, including tasks completed and productivity scores. Use AI-generated reports to identify trends like time spent on high-impact versus low-value activities. These tools can help you pinpoint which tasks to automate and provide suggestions on how to better prioritize your time.
- Integration with your tech stack. The best AI tools for time management will easily integrate with the other tools and applications your teams already use. For example, syncing your calendar app with an AI-powered scheduling assistant lets you easily book meetings that fit into your schedule, while AI learns your preferences for focused work, meeting times, and no-meeting days.
Top 10 AI tools for time management
To help teams reclaim their time, we curated a list of the top 10 AI time management tools based on reviews from G2 and Capterra. These platforms collect feedback from verified customers and have transparent scoring methodologies.
We considered user-friendly, customizable solutions for project management, meeting scheduling, task prioritization, and more. Only AI-powered time management tools with a minimum rating of 4 out of 5 made this list.
1. Slack
Slack is an AI-powered work operating system that unifies people, knowledge, projects, and culture in one place. It integrates with more than 2,600 apps for everything from productivity to collaboration, allowing teams to build custom workflows, implement AI tools, and reduce app switching for increased time savings. Based on user feedback, the following Slack features had the biggest impact on productivity and time management:
- Workflow Builder. Slack’s Workflow Builder tool allows teams to build custom, time-saving automations for routine tasks, from deadline reminders to task assignments and scheduling.
- Slack AI. Slack AI’s conversational search and summarization tools help teams quickly surface information from company resources, external apps, personal inboxes, and Slack conversations, making it simpler to find and share knowledge across your organization.
- Agentforce. Teams can now delegate tasks like drafting emails or summarizing deal statuses to digital teammates called AI agents with Agentforce in Slack. Agents can take lower-value tasks off human employees’ plates while providing them with insights and next-step recommendations to accelerate work.
2. Notion
Notion is a customizable note-taking, task management, and productivity tool with a built-in calendar and time-saving AI features. Teams can use Notion to plan, organize, and manage their schedules with its time management functions.
Key features:
- AI templates. Users can quickly structure their workspace to meet specific time management goals, such as improving habits or processes.
- Schedule management. Track project timelines, events, and upcoming deadlines alongside personal commitments using color-coded calendar tools.
- Third-party tool integration. Teams can see the status of all their Jira tasks, create a Notion page from Slack, or review their Asana projects by integrating Notion with their other tools.
3. Asana
Asana is a task-driven tool that helps teams streamline time management and team collaboration. This project management software enables users to organize tasks, boost productivity, and improve their project and time management skills.
Key features:
- Real-time notifications. By integrating Asana with the other apps you rely on most, you can stay on top of relevant information that may affect your workload. For example, get instant notifications about task additions or updates, calendar events, open Jira tickets, or upcoming deadlines.
- Custom automations. Reduce bottlenecks that slow down teams by automating approval workflows, due date reminders, and task assignments. Users can even configure rules to sort a task list automatically.
- AI-powered dashboards. Time-related insights can help managers make data-driven decisions to balance workloads and manage schedules.
4. Reclaim.ai
The AI scheduling app Reclaim.ai can sync unlimited calendars and display them in a single window, making it a great choice for professionals juggling multiple job roles, responsibilities, or clients. If you need help prioritizing tasks on only one calendar, Reclaim.ai’s free version allows unlimited time tracking and tasks. The free time management app also integrates with Slack and Zoom.
Key features:
- AI scheduling. Users can plan their week around their priorities with smart scheduling. Assign priority levels to tasks, habits, and meetings, including activities created outside of the app, like Slack huddles. The AI scheduling assistant creates or adjusts your calendar accordingly.
- Flexible time blocking. This feature helps users maximize meeting availability without sacrificing the work or habits that help them stay productive. Reclaim.ai will flip a time block from “free” to “busy” to ensure that workers meet upcoming deadlines.
- Task management. Add new activities in Reclaim.ai or schedule tasks directly to multiple calendars. Alternatively, you can sync tasks from your preferred project management software. Slack users can even create tasks within Slack using slash commands, messages, or the ReclaimBot in channels.
5. Timely
Timely is an automatic time-tracking app that helps agencies and software companies capture accurate time data without relying on distracting or manual logging methods. AI-powered features and an intuitive user interface help teams stay focused, while smart algorithms generate insights required for time management decisions.
Key features:
- Automatic time tracking. Log time spent on activities, from email and meetings to web research and team collaboration, without manual input.
- AI timesheets. Automatically match recorded activities to clients and projects. Timely learns from your projects, and users can train it to review and correct their timelines.
- Time planning. Timely’s built-in time tracker lets users analyze key factors like project complexity and team capabilities to provide realistic time estimates for projects.
6. Clockwise
If you spend more time managing schedules and coordinating meetings than interacting with your team or getting work done, you might consider Clockwise, an AI time management calendar assistant. It can handle complex agendas and resolve schedule conflicts, keeping each team member on track.
Key features:
- Smart scheduling. Clockwise can analyze up to a million different schedule options per team daily to find the best meeting times for everyone.
- Custom time blocking. This lets team members reserve time for breaks, commuting, meals, focus work, or personal reasons. Assigning flexible time blocks for tasks on your to-do lists ensures that one-off or recurring activities fit your schedule, even if they change throughout the week.
7. TimeHero
If you struggle with which tasks on your to-do list to tackle first, the task-management and planning app TimeHero can help. It analyzes your activities and builds an action plan. It can also automatically adjust your priority list when your calendar changes.
Key features:
- Smart recurring tasks. Schedule repetitive activities once and let AI take it from there. TimeHero can automatically add weekly, monthly, or day-specific tasks at optimal times.
- AI risk levels. TimeHero can display risk levels on tasks tracked for projects, helping users understand activities at risk of not being accomplished.
- Smart workflow builder. Launch projects quicker and track task dependencies using workflow templates in your task management software.
8. Todoist
Todoist is a task management tool known for its to-do list view and drag-and-drop functionality. Teams can use Todoist to manage personal and work-related tasks, set goals, and manage their time. This task manager app offers time-saving features on free and paid plans.
Key features:
- Recurring tasks and reminders. Set up activities and add due dates or recurring time frames. Stay on top of important projects, tasks, and deadlines with reminders.
- AI assistant. Get actionable advice when you need help reaching a goal or completing a task. The digital assistant generates task and sub-task suggestions.
- Integrations. Add tasks from your favorite apps by connecting Todoist to personal email and calendar programs or productivity workflow management tools.
9. Wrike
The project management software Wrike helps users coordinate large teams and diverse types of projects. It comes with vast customization options, time-tracking and approval functions, and self-learning AI and automation tools.
Key features:
- AI risk prediction. Wrike can identify patterns and issues from past projects, assess progress, flag risk factors, and highlight projects that could miss deadlines.
- Custom workflow tools. Users can customize and automate business processes to ensure that key tasks stay on track. Wrike can also automatically record decision details and update statuses, reducing administrative work.
- Automated time tracking. Combined with reporting features, Wrike supports cross-functional teams with customizable options for creating timesheets, tracking billable hours, and generating detailed time reports.
10. RescueTime
RescueTime helps teams break down what’s holding back their productivity. This personal time tracker and productivity tool monitors digital activities, provides insights, and assists with focus and goal tracking. Its features can help users become more aware of how they spend time and build more effective time management skills.
Key features:
- RescueTime Assistant. This tool acts like a productivity coach that guides users through their day. It provides a view of your schedule with modes for focus, meetings, and more.
- Dashboard and reports. Get displays for daily activity, goal progress, and productivity data. RescueTime will also send a weekly email summary, with premium plans offering detailed activity reports.
- Custom goals and alerts. RescueTime lets users set goals, like spending less time on emails, or receive alerts when they reach milestones or veer off track.
Reclaim your time and increase productivity with AI and automation tools
Managing your time, from prioritizing tasks to planning your week, is a balancing act. It often requires adjustments for last-minute schedule conflicts, urgent customer requests, and shifting deadlines. But the best AI tools for time management help teams expend less effort on task planning and schedule organization. Teams can optimize their calendars and prioritize daily activities using data-based insights and AI-powered features. With the right solution, workers can get more time back in their day for the meaningful work that drives businesses forward.