By Shazia
Time is a priceless asset that every one of us has been gifted with in our lives. Although each one of us has the same amount of time in a given day, month, or year, the productivity of everyone differs drastically. Some may use their time optimally while others might have a chaotic day with nothing accomplished by the end of it. The way in which an individual manages his or her time to best utilize it is referred to as ‘Time Management’. Poor skills in managing one’s time can lead to dissatisfied outcomes no matter how many hours are put at work. The impact of time management can be seen in all aspects of our lives. By managing time effectively, one can observe the following positive changes in their day-to-day life:
Benefits of Time Management
1- Productivity
It helps increase your productivity. The time has been smartly utilized to generate successful results.
2- Decrease in Stress Levels
Due to proper management of time, the anxiousness or stress of an individual is reduced which in turn helps in maintaining complete focus on the task at hand.
3- Important tasks are handled with Priority
The assignments or activities that are very critical or crucial are addressed on priority enabling them to be completed successfully before spending time on the lesser important tasks.
4- Personal Time – off Work
When Time is managed smartly, there is always room for some hobby to be practiced.
5-Boosts Confidence
As the time is managed effectively, the individual feels more confident about his work because he/she has total control of his schedule.
When Time Management is not given due consideration, we miss out on the above-listed benefits. Being busy with too many tasks at hand can be overwhelming. If we don’t take out the time to schedule our time, we are definitely going about the day without any guidance. The following 8 essential tips will enable us to use time in an effective manner.
8 Essential Tips for Effective Time Management
- Make a list of activities that need to be executed.
- Having clear goals can help us decide the sequence of actions required. This further helps in prioritizing the most important tasks from the less relevant ones.
- Break down every task into sub-activities and schedule a time for each.
- Be realistic while making the To-Do list as not everything can be accomplished in one day.
- Ensure that there is no overlapping of tasks in the schedule as it can be very unproductive.
- Utilize one of the Time Management Strategies that best suits the needs. My preferred strategy would be the Eisenhower Matrix.
- Identify and avoid possible distractions.
- Ensure to allocate time for quick breaks in between so as to energize oneself.
By implementing Time Management, we can accomplish the tasks in the stipulated time frame without panicking and while having enough breaks throughout the day. This gives us joy in taking up new challenges as it gets sorted with time as planned.