“What is this life if full of care/ We have no time to stand and stare” wrote the Welsh poet William Henry Davies in a poem titled Leisure. The poem was written over a century ago but it is very well applicable even today. Ironic as it may seem, our conquest of the world using technology has not provided us the one thing that is always in short supply – time to relax, to breathe easy.
There are several reasons why we are always on the run. Our inability to prioritize, delegate, pushback or focus are some of them. Managing time is often all about making the split-second decision about what to do at the moment. Do we do it ourselves or delegate to someone else? What to defer for the future? What to simply drop from our to-do lists? These decisions, crucial as they are, are not easy to make. It is often said that the four Ds are important in time management, viz., Do, Defer, Delegate and Drop.
Some good practices of time management
- Always have a to-do checklist. It is the first step to being organized.
- Prioritize your tasks
- Focus and keep off distractions
- Set aside fixed time for accomplishing each of your pending tasks.
- Keep track of time. If you are not able to execute a certain task in time as planned, do a reprioritization and do the essential tasks only.
At any given time, there will be several tasks needing our attention. For people in managerial positions in organizations, there will be plenty of stakeholders to be accountable to. Divide your time judiciously between the various tasks. Smart work pays better than mindless hard work or slogging. The need is to get more work done in less time. Successful people have one thing in common and that is better time management. It is a known fact that the quality of our work will increase when we are not rushing to complete it ahead of an aggressive deadline. If we take the case of students, they are often under severe stress from preparing for examinations and competitive tests for getting jobs. It is essential that they manage time optimally to achieve what they are aspiring for.
Benefits of time management
- Achieving goals faster
- Prioritizing work
- Do more in less time
- Boosts confidence
- Huge tasks broken down into manageable bits
- Live stress-free
- Enables you to carve leisure time for yourself
The Pareto Principle
Pareto Principle says that 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes. This indicates an unequal relationship between inputs and outputs. In the matter of work, it means that 20% of our efforts produce 80% of the results. This is an important point to bear in mind while we plan time management at work.
National Time Management Month
Every year the United States of America celebrates National Time Management Month in February. It is the most appropriate time to observe this event as February follows the month of resolutions, January. We all start our New Years with a set of decisions about anything from weight loss to quitting addictions to running the extra mile at work. But by the end of the first month, a good majority give up on the resolutions and the reason is invariably bad time management. So, February is indeed the time to take stronger steps to make sure you persevere with what you set out to do and accomplish goals.
Let us look at what all things should be done for better time management.
Categorize and Prioritize Tasks
Make a list of the tasks to be done and categorize them as work commitments, family commitments, social responsibilities, pastimes, etc. Next thing to do is prioritize them based in their criticality, impact and importance. Then you will know what has to be done now, what later and what much later. Some tasks can even be dropped altogether.
Create schedules and follow those
Schedule tasks using a diary, calendar, annual planner, or mobile application so that you have a handle on when each task needs to be completed. Treat the scheduled tasks as your to-do list and stick to your plan. Avoid procrastination.
Taking breaks are important
It is important to take breaks to refresh and relax yourself from work.
Stay off distractions
Do not allow your phone, social media, and anything that easily distracts you. Focus only on the task at hand to manage your time effectively.
