Time management is all about developing a focus for different tasks, for different sets of time intervals. Time management is also a key to one’s success. How can you succeed when you have only 24 hours in a day and you have to utilise it better than everyone else to stay ahead on the growth curve? Time management becomes important from the day you have a clear goal in your life. That may be in academics, sports, your profession, your hobby, etc. It will also help you create a work-life balance to remain stress-free.
How Can You Actually Manage Your Time?
1. With the start of the day, make a note of things that you need to do. This can be done on a piece of paper or a smartphone/laptop/tablet etc.
2. Assign the toughest tasks at the beginning of the day (if nothing else is critically time bound) as it will help your fresh mind to make right decisions at a better pace.
3. Fix short goals for the day so that every little achievement keeps you motivated throughout the day. If possible, group similar tasks together for faster completion time.
4. Stick to your assigned breaks. If you have assigned 5-10 minute coffee breaks, then make sure that you don’t overstretch them and don’t take them too often.
5. Keep the phone away. In this age, it has become a habit for people to unnecessarily keep on checking their social media messages and engage in chats. It is very important that you don’t engage yourself in unnecessary conversations unless and until there is something very urgent.
6. Always remember that 20% of work achieves 80% of your goals so prioritise the work that takes you closer to your goals.
7. You will have to say no to people, learn to say no as soon as possible as every request or invitation may put your time table out of sorts.
8. Students and professionals working on projects need to understand that they cannot do everything on their own so roles and responsibilities need to be delegated.
9. Keep a watch on your desk to keep a track of time spent on particular tasks. By doing this it will help you to plan your upcoming tasks accordingly.
Time management is to make sure that you stay productive throughout the day and it should not be assumed that all the tasks will be completed within a time frame. The most important benefit that can be extracted out of it would be your getting organised. It will improve your productivity, both on the academic and professional fronts.
If you may have wondered why your boss is always busy and finicky about time, then the reason is simple – they are practising time management. Time management cannot be adopted in a day but has to be practised over the years to get the desired outcome.
If we look at the top billionaires in the world, they practice time management very seriously. Every single one of them has an early morning routine, along with other pointers mentioned above.