Time management
is the process of planning how to segregate your time between specific
activities to accomplish your goals effectively. Time is always limited, so ensure
that you spend right amount of time on the right activity. Skills involved in
managing your time efficiently include planning, setting clear-cut goals, prioritizing
tasks, and monitoring where your time actually goes.
Setting
priorities is a vital tool in the time management toolbox. Put important things
first i.e., complete the most difficult tasks first and then, identify your top
priorities as well as the amount of time you need to invest in them. Good time
management facilitates you to work smarter – not harder – so that you get more
done in less time, even when pressures are high.
Once, a lecturer
walks into a classroom with a bag of sand, pebbles, some big rocks and a bucket.
He calls out one of the student to put all three grades of stone into the
bucket. The student duly comes forward
to carry out the task, starting with the sand, then the pebbles, and then the
rocks, which do not fit in the bucket. This is an analogy of poor time
management. If the student would have put the rocks first, then pebbles and
then the sand, all three would have perfectly fit as the sand slides between
the pebbles and rocks easily. This is much like time management, by completing the
biggest task first, you leave room to complete your medium tasks, then the small
or easy ones. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you
will never have room for the things that are significant to you. Therefore, take
care of the big rocks first i.e., the things that really matter. Set
priorities. The rest is just sand.
Time flows in
the same way for all human beings - be it rich or poor. It seems like there is
never sufficient time in a day. But, since we all get the same 24 hours, why is
it that some achieve so much more with their time than others. Time management
helps you decide on what to prioritize in life.
Rank daily tasks based on its importance and make a priority list. There
is no one busy in this world, it just depends on priorities. One will always
find time for the things that he/she feels important. It’s not about ‘having’ enough
time. It’s all about making time.
People with no
definite goals will find it difficult to prioritize time. Set your goals as
high as possible and strive hard to accomplish it. People often miss time
unknowingly. For example, most people
listen with the intent to reply, not with the intent to understand. You must probably seek first to be understood.
The whole purpose of time management is to enable you to have enough time to
spend with your loved ones, doing the things you enjoy. Pay attention to the stuffs
that are critical to your happiness. In fact, if your mind is cool, you will
start enjoying life.
There are many
principles of time management that would make a great difference to the way you
manage each day. Mastering the
principles of time management is important to achieving your goals.
Now let’s have a
look at the principles of time management:
Planning
The key
principle to effective time management is planning. Planning involves thinking
in advance how to manage your time to achieve the desired goals or results.
With an effective plan, you will never sit around and wonder as you will have a
schedule with priorities that need to be achieved. This will enable you to
finish one task completely and then move on to the next quickly.
Creating deadlines
Self-imposed
deadlines are one of the most effectual techniques of assuring productive
effort by monitoring progress. Having unrealistic deadlines that are not going
to work will definitely affect your effectiveness and causes stress. Therefore,
get rid of the backlog and set goals for yourself.
Do one thing at a time
Multi-tasking is
a myth. In reality, you are actually
switching back and forth between tasks. While switching, you tend to lose the depth of
your engagement, absorption thus
makes you less efficient. Therefore, concentrate
on doing and finishing one task at a time as far as possible.
Eliminate or Minimize Distractions
Distractions
like phone calls, internet, emails, etc., may lead to compromise of performance
and incompletion of tasks promptly. Therefore, make the necessary arrangements
to keep these distractions to a minimum. Also, you should be an expert in
avoiding distractions and maintaining focus on your task.
Give yourself a break
Never forget to
include time to relax in your schedule. Use your free time to do things you
really enjoy! Spend time with your family, do exercise, go shopping or hang out
with friends. And definitely you will start enjoying life!!
Thanks for
reading.