Planning new ideas: Does time management tendency benefit daily creativity?

We studied the relation between time management tendency and daily creativity in a diary study among 68 R&D engineers reporting on 412 workdays. The direct effect of time management tendency on daily creativity was positive, and the effect on its dispersion was negative. Theorizing that time management frees up cognitive and affective resources, we tested the mediating effect of concentration and positive affect in the relation between time management tendency and daily creativity at work. Multilevel analyses showed some support for an indirect effect of concentration, but not for an indirect effect of positive affect. In our analyses, we controlled for innovative cognitive style. Overall, we conclude that time management tendency provides benefits for daily creativity at work