Time waits for none! And many don’t understand the value of time until they lose it. But if you have an effective time management skills in your life, you are surely on the verge of achieving your goals. Time management is basically developing skills, techniques & tools to reduce time wastage in order to finish the assigned task.
Have you experienced too many non productive days in your routine and you don’t find any time to access the cause of the same? Occasionally this happens with all of us; but if it is happening with you more often then you should find time to access and note down the changes you need to do in your daily routine. Time management failures can be traced to four root causes:
- Procrastination – If you have adopted the mantra, “Never do today what you can postpone until tomorrow,” or if you view tomorrow as an acceptable labor-saving device, you have a procrastination problem. Unfulfilled tasks are a distraction that interfere with our ability to be productive individuals. They turn our focus from the task at hand to those not done.
- Poor Organisational Skills – Organizing work is a prerequisite for productivity. If you are unable to organise your tasks depending upon the priorities you will end up doing nothing.
- All work and no play – A well-rested person is a more productive person, but beyond rest, make time for recreation.
- Work with your body clock – Everybody has a different set of working nature, where they are the most active during a certain time period. For better productivity we should follow our internal clock.
Simple and Basic Tips For Efficient Time Management
Set Target and Path
Time management is Impossible without a clear vision and goal. Be clear with the goals or target, then list out the ways you find to reach it and select the best way of doing it. Commit the right amount of time on a specific day to each task and you’ll actually be able to check them off. Just make sure you’re not making lists instead of tackling other responsibilities.
Prioritize steps
Prioritization is the most effective tool. Churn each and every step minutely at once and then prioritize the steps as per time consumption, importance and relativity with each other. Make sure no work should hold due in any step and if any bottlenecks are present, list them out. Organising your work is the first key to make yourself productive. Make a daily to-do-list and complete your task. This will keep your tasks sorted and you will be at peace of mind to make better decisions.
Take a proactive approach to your work
Be a planner, not a cop. Planners shape the future and cops react to crisis. Proactive habits will minimize the development of crises and maximize your productivity.
Clear the Hurdles
With a clear vision, you can find bottlenecks in human resources, tools or money. These need to be planned in such a way that the process runs smoothly. If this doesn’t work, you must have a plan B to be implemented immediately. Hurdles may be unnecessary, unwanted elements which eat-up a lot of time and push you back to irrelevant meetings, chats, phone calls, unwanted mails, redoing things, disorganised data, etc.
Avoid Deviation
Try to stick to your plan and avoid unnecessary interruptions. Follow your path strictly with targeted timeline unless there is a mandatory change required. Avoiding deviations saves a lot of time of planning, implementing and execution.
Keep check points
You must keep a checklist to make sure process moving in the right direction at the right time. Making check points is indispensable tool for time management.
Learn to say no
It is not necessary to say yes every time, you need to learn to say no to save your time many times; but gently and purposefully.
Focus on one task at one time
Multitasking is a figment of the imagination. No one can truly focus on multiple tasks at one time! Doing something well demands focus and single-tasking is the only way to achieve that focus.
Communicate with yourself
Get in the habit of asking yourself if whatever you’re doing is the best use of your time. If not – shift to something else. Start recording your thoughts, conversations and activities so you can get an idea of exactly how much of your day do you spend on each. Schedule time to communicate with others on high-priority tasks and projects.
Plan For – and Take – Breaks
It’s important to relax throughout your day. You’ll actually return recharged and more productive. Save up several routine, non-deadline-driven items to tackle all at once and you’ll have more time to accomplish the big things.
Each of us have been granted twenty-four hours a day. How we manage those twenty-four hours will be the most important factor in determining our success or failure. You may be following other tips as per your convenience or personality, you can also share them with us.
Benefits of time management :
The ability of managing time effectively is very important. Good time management will lead to improved efficiency and productivity, less stress and more success in life. Here are some of the benefits of managing the time effectively :
- More opportunities – Managing the time well will lead to more opportunities and very little time is wasted on insignificant activities. Good time management skills are the key qualities that employees are looking for. The ability to prioritize and schedule the work is extremely desirable for all types of the organization.
- Stress relief – Making and working according to the task schedule will reduce the anxiety. As you check the items on your to-do lists, you can see that you are making a substantial process. This will help you to avoid the feeling of the stress out with the worry about whether you are getting the things done.
- Ability to realize goals – Some individuals who practice good time management will be able to achieve the goals and the objectives and do so in a shorter period of time.
- More time – Managing the time efficiently will give you extra time to spend in your daily life. People who can manage the time effectively can enjoy having more time on their hobbies or also other personal suits.
