Time management

Time management is the process of planning control on time spent on various activities to increase productivity and effectiveness. One has to balance all the aspects of life: work, family, friends, health in order to achieve an adequate system of living your life. And to manage all these aspects, we need to a lot of sufficient time to all of them. Time management is a skill that we acquire over time with the help of continuous application of it. Efficient time management allows people to complete their tasks in a short period of time with less stress. Core skills of time management involve prioritisation, focus and schedule.

Benefits of time management are:

Less stress
Enhanced productivity and efficiency
An impressive professional reputation
More chances of advancements
Better opportunities for achieving career and life goals

Ways for improving time management

Have an early start: I know that we have been subjected to numerous quotes about rising before/at sunrise and its benefits but when something is suggested in such large amounts then there must be some truth in it right. Waking up early simply provides us with more time in hand to spend on our daily activities. Look at the interviews of all prominent personalities, one thing you will find common is waking up at early hours, be it a great sportsman such as Ronaldo or great entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk, all of them recommend rising early in the morning. Also, exercise is a big part of these people’s lives.
Eisenhower Matrix

As the table suggests, this matrix helps us set our priorities and start working on them. This way one doesn’t waste their valuable time and focus on worthwhile projects.

Create a time audit: Humans are bad at estimating how long a task can take. We may feel like a simple task such as writing an email would take merely 5 minutes but end up spending 15 minutes on it. Thus it is really important to create a time audit and note how much of our time are we spending doing what activity. The results of the audit may come surprising to you but they will definitely help you in managing your time in a more efficient manner.

Be aware: This tip will aid in improving your effectiveness more than efficiency, yes both are different. Efficiency is getting a percentage of things and effectiveness is about using as less resources as possible. Being self-aware and aware of your surrounding will help you to do things right. For increasing one’s awareness skills, one must treat their time and money and don’t spend it where it’s unnecessary, one should assess their time realistically and find out about their peak performance time.

Time management apps: With the digital age, today we have so many apps for managing and even micromanaging our lives. Thus a lot of time management apps are also available in the market, and one that has proven to be very effective is the Pomodoro tracker. The Pomodoro technique is basically replacing your clock with a Pomodoro timer to avoid the anxiety build due to the constant ticking of a clock. Pomodoro app provides you with a few breaks in between your work which will give you enough time to relax and get back on your task with full concentration.

Pareto’s rule: Pareto’s principle states that “80% of results will come from 20% of your efforts”. Thus knowing this principle and applying it helps people sort out their priorities and focus on the right one. It allows us to focus on those activities that have a bigger impact on our business as well as our personal life.
Also check out these…

The Bucket List

Ideal Week

Daily Schedule

Time management

Benefits of time management are:

Ways for improving time management

References: