Tag: time management importance

How to make the best use of time. 

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Time is precious, it’s a saying that is reiterated often by everyone! We all are gifted with 24 hours everyday and many more during our whole lives. But often we don’t know how to utilize them. We understand how precious time is only when it passes away, leaving us with only a few hours left to turn in an assignment! This doesn’t have to repeat because here are some ways you can make the best use of time. 

Keep track of your time

When time passes you in a whiff, leaving you with the feeling of having nothing done from your ‘to do list’. The moment has come to identify how you have been utilizing your time. A simple note making activity along the week can do the trick. Keep tabs on the activities you do on a regular basis across different time periods. You can do this the old school way by writing down in a notebook or the modern way by typing in your smartphone. The aim of the activity is to figure out the tasks that waste your time by the end of the week and curb the duration of indulging in such activities. 

For example if using your mobile phone or watching television is eating up your time, leaving you with no time to do what is necessary. Keeping track of your time will help you understand this mishap and rectify your actions. Thus helping you to make the best use of time. 

Make a ‘To do list’, but avoid listing a ton of items. 

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Making a ‘To do list’ is supposed to motivate us to get things done for the day. But listing a ton of tasks kills the motivation to do the same. Listing even 3 important items to do for the day can help you get things done and motivate you to do more. Three tasks might seem very less, but it accounts for a day well spent as you accomplish the 3 most important tasks that need to be done, rather than listing 10 items in your ‘to do list’ and get nothing finished. 

Doing less also helps you focus and spend adequate time over your important tasks, making you less prone to make errors and getting things done efficiently. 

Plan your day before time

We all have heard the famous words of Benjamin Franklin, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Although it sounds daunting and negative, it makes a lot of sense when you try to make the best use of time. When you haven’t given a thought about the day ahead, you end up spending the day doing mundane things that take up the majority of your time. 

It is best to plan the next day before going to bed or during the early hours of the day to make the best use of time. This helps you to remember the important things to be done for the day and keep you occupied. 

Take out the bad habits from your day

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We all develop some habits in our lives that are harmful or keep us from being productive. You might probably take your love for music to the next level by having your earphones plugged in for several hours. This could be harmful to your ears or reduce efficiency as you listen to music in the background while doing something important. Hence, it becomes necessary to fix a duration for plugging in some music rather than doing so all the time.

Similarly, you can curb other time consuming habits by spending less time over them or putting them away during your time of productivity. 

  • Put your phone away to resist the urge for checking messages while you study or work on an assignment. 
  • Turn off the Wifi or mobile data on your phone to prevent notifications from interrupting your work schedule. 

Begin with the most important task for the day

Although it sounds intimidating, waking up after the right duration of sleep leaves you with great energy and potential to complete important tasks that you have planned for the day. Maybe that’s why schools, colleges and offices expect people to arrive in the morning as they are equipped with sufficient energy for conveyance and other important things. 

Finishing the significant tasks in the morning such as studying or attending meetings, equips you with the necessary information and a sense of accomplishment to carry on with the rest of the day. Thus making the best use of time. 

Figure out what is important to you in the long run

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Finally, it’s all in the bigger picture. You need to figure out what carries significance in your life. Some may want to explore while the others may want to settle down. What is important to you would determine your actions. 

Do tasks that provide good returns. 

Taking a break during the day from your studies or work is something you deserve. As you plan your activities and ‘to do lists’, it is also necessary to plan your time of leisure. Playing video games or watching television for 4 hours straight can be tempting, but it prevents you from reading the book you were planning on reading or meeting up with a good friend. 

It is better to limit your time over tasks that provide less returns and focus more on tasks that add value to your life.  So pick an interesting book while you feel the urge to binge watch or initiate a meet-up with friends which you have been putting off for a while. 

Because making the best use of time is to learn new things and add new experiences to your life. 

References

Chris Bailey, https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/7-ways-make-better-use-your-time.html

Arda Ozdemir, August 25 2021, https://www.wikihow.com/Use-Your-Time-Wisely

John Rampton, May 1 2018, 8:00am, https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2018/05/01/manipulate-time-with-these-powerful-20-time-management-tips/?sh=62c777857ab4

3 Most important time management techniques

Everyone gets 24 hours a day but those who have ability to get maximum out of these 24 hours are classified as successful. Time management is the key to convert 24 hours into 25 hours. In simple words time management is process of organizing and dividing your time into various activities.

It’s about simplifying how you work and getting things done better and faster. It’s about working smarter. It is a game of choices. You have to make a choice about how you want to use your precious time. So if you are interested in improving your time management skills, check out these cool techniques.

Eat that frog

Brian Tracy says “You cannot eat every tadpole and frog in the pond. But you can eat the biggest and ugliest one, and that will be enough, at least for the time being.”

Identify your most important task of the day, this is your frog. It is the most impactful task of your day so begin your day by tackling this frog. Start this work and do this without any interruptions. This will bring an early win in your day which will build the momentum and sense of accomplishment.

But what if you have multiple frogs? Eat the biggest frog first. So instead of doing easy tasks first, do the difficult ones.

The Pomodoro technique

It is one of the most simple yet effective time management technique. This technique forces you to do single task so that your brain can focus on only one thing at a time as switching between tasks reduces productivity.

According to this technique turn off all distractions and set a timer for 25 minutes. During that time you will only focus on that work. After 25 minutes take a break of 5 minutes. After repeating this process for 4 times, take a long break.

The reason why it is successful is that it creates a sense of urgency as you have only 25 minutes to make as much progress as you can. Also it forces you to take a break which keeps you fresh throughout the day.

The Eisenhower Matrix

Prioritizing your tasks is a crucial part of time management as you may be spending hours doing useless things. The Eisenhower Matrix( urgent-important matrix) helps you in discovering your important tasks.

This matrix divides all your tasks into 4 quadrants:

  1. Urgent and important: These are the most important tasks of your day. You have to do these tasks at any cost. This quadrant include crisis and deadline driven tasks.
  2. Not urgent and important: These are important tasks but can be delegated like business planning, building relationships. As these tasks are not urgent you can schedule them in near future.
  3. Urgent and not important: These are tasks like interruptions, non important email etc. As these tasks are not important delegate them instead of completing them now.
  4. Non important and non urgent: These tasks are distractions and time wasters like playing video games. Just eliminate these tasks and focus on important ones.

To make this matrix, write down all your task and insert each task in respective quadrant. To be more productive spend more time on Not urgent but important activities as these tasks are meaningful to you but not urgent.

So these are some time management techniques, try to implement them every morning and get the best out of your precious time.

Time Management: Definition and Importance

For busy businesses, time management is critical so that they can prioritize all of their job responsibilities and reach their objectives more quickly. You’ll be able to take on new possibilities and build your business in a sustainable way if you properly manage your time.

In this article, let’s see the definition and importance of Time Management.

What is Time Management?

Time management is the process of planning out your available time and managing the amount of time you spend on various tasks in order to operate more efficiently. Some people find it easier to manage their time than others, but adopting routines can help anyone improve their time management skills. Your work and well-being may suffer as a result of poor time management, which can lead to:

  • Creating low-quality work
  • Failure to meet deadlines
  • Increasing your level of stress
  • Negatively affecting your work-life balance
  • Putting your professional reputation in jeopardy

Importance of Time Management

Time management is vital because it allows you to organize your workday so that you may grow your business while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Here are seven advantages of effective time management:

1. In less time, accomplish more

One of the most significant benefits of time management is that it enables us to be more productive by allowing us to regulate how we spend our time. We can focus more effectively on vital tasks, resulting in enhanced efficiency. Consider a car being driven slowly by someone who is always staring out the window and talking on the phone. Consider another car being driven by someone who is focused on driving at the best possible speed to get to their destination as quickly as possible. That is what effective time management can accomplish.

2. Improve the quality of your job

You are required to offer work of a specific quality and standard as a dedicated employee. One can easily deliver a higher quality of work by properly utilizing time and prioritizing duties. Prioritization aids in focusing on critical tasks by placing them at the top of the priority list, allowing you to devote your whole attention and focus to them. As a result, the work’s quality has improved.

3. Reduce Your Anxiety

When you have a long list of duties to complete both at work and at home, it’s easy to grow nervous. Good time management may help you prioritize your to-do list and set aside the necessary time for your most important tasks, so you know exactly what you need to get done and how much time you have. Prioritizing your chores and allowing adequate time to complete them will help you feel less stressed.

4. A higher standard of living

Effective time management skills can improve your life outside of the office as well as your working life. When you have your business life under control, you have more time to focus on your personal life and relationships. Knowing that your responsibilities and activities are on schedule will help you relax in your personal life. Your quality of life increases instantly as you feel calmer and less worried.

5. Time to ponder

Time management tactics that work provide you extra time to think and plan. Planning your schedule allows you to devote more time to your most important tasks. You’ll have more time to strategize, which means you’ll have more time to focus on reaching your objectives. You won’t be able to make progress on your most important goals if you don’t manage your time well. It’s just as vital to take time to consider how to go forward with your goals as it is to take action.

Conclusion

Effective time management skills can benefit both your business and your personal life. You enhance your capacity to get things done, make better judgments, and, most importantly, obtain total control of your major priorities when you learn to manage your time on a regular basis.