Time Management

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Anupama Nair

www.mediaeyenews.com

“Do you ever feel 24 hours is not enough in a day? All of us get 24 hours a day, then the question is why do some people seem to accomplish more with their time than others? The answer to that question is ‘good or efficient time management’. It is often said, you need efficient time management to succeed in life. You might ask what is time management? “Time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity”. Using time effectively gives you the ‘choice’ on spending or managing activities at their own time and expediency. “Time management in simple terms is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between different activities in the 24 hours you have in a day!” If you learn to get it right, you'll end up working smarter, and not harder, to get more done in less time, even when time is tight and pressures are high. Successful people like Modi ji, Bill Gates, Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata all manage their time well.

When you know how to manage your time effectively, you can unlock many benefits. They include:

  • Greater productivity and efficiency.
  • Less stress.
  • A better professional reputation.
  • Increased chances of advancement.
  • More opportunities to achieve your life and career goals.

Efficient time management includes:

Effective Planning

You should plan your day well in advance. Always prepare a ‘To Do List’ or a ‘TASK PLAN’. You need to jot down the important activities that needs to be done in a single day and the time which should be allocated to each activity. You should place high priority work on the top of the list followed by those which do not need much of your importance at the moment. Try to complete pending tasks one by one. Do not start fresh work unless you have finished all your previous tasks. Tick the ones you have already completed and it is necessary to ensure you finish the tasks within the stipulated time frame.

Setting Goals and Objectives

Would you believe me when I tell you “working without goals and targets in an enterprise would be similar to a situation where the captain of the ship loses his way in the sea”? What would be the result? Yes, you would be lost. So, it is necessary to set goals for yourself and make sure they are realistic and achievable.

Setting Deadlines

You need to set deadlines for yourself and strive hard to complete tasks ahead of the deadlines. Do not wait for your superiors to ask you for the work every time. Learn to take ownership of the work you do. Always remember the person who can best set the deadlines for your work is yourself. Ask yourself the question, how much time needs to be devoted to a particular task and for how many days. Use a planner to mark the important dates against the set deadlines.

Delegation of Responsibilities

You must learn to say ‘NO’ at workplace and  do not attempt to do everything on your own. Always remember there are other members in your team, and you can work better as a team. You should not accept something which you know is difficult for you. The roles and responsibilities must be delegated as per interest and specialization of  your team members for them to finish tasks within deadlines. It is true that if you do not have knowledge about something needs more time than someone who knows the work well.

Prioritizing Tasks

You should prioritize the tasks as per their importance and urgency. You should know the difference between important and urgent work. You need to identify tasks that can be done within a day, and those which can be done within a month and so on. You should do the tasks that are most important should be done earlier.

Spending the right time on right activity

You need to develop the habit of doing the ‘right thing at the right time’. It is said work done at the wrong time is not of much use to anyone. Don’t waste lot of time on something that can be done in an hour or so. You also need to allocate some time for you — your personal calls or checking social media or having some time. The reason is you are after all a human and not a machine.

For effective time management you need to be:

Organized:

You should avoid keeping lots of files and heaps of paper at your workstation. Destroy what you do not need. Always put important documents in folders and keep the files in their respective drawers with labels on top of each file to identify where they are kept so that it saves time if you have to search for an important file.

Don’t misuse time

You should not waste time by loitering or gossiping around. Remember to concentrate on your work and finish assignments on time. Remember your organization is not paying you for playing games on computer or wasting your time. Always complete your work first and then do whatever you feel like doing to help you relax. Do not wait till the last moment to complete your work.

Be Focused

You always need to be focused for effective time management.

So, it is necessary to develop the habit of using planners, organizers, table top calendars for better time management and set reminders on phones or your laptops.

 

 

 

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