Time management
Time management is one of those concepts that everyone wants to master, but many people struggle with in a variety of settings. People literally spend millions of dollars a year on time management training and tools. Whether these opportunities actually make people more efficient is debatable, but for now they are continuing to be a trend. The reason people want to improve on their time management is that they want to have a sense that they can accomplish more tasks in less time. Of course, the challenge is also in finding balance between work, play, and other priorities, because the danger of increased efficiency is that some people will fill the saved time with something else. This can re-create the stress of feeling overwhelmed, and put people in the same predicament as before. Therefore, here are a few techniques and strategies for increasing time management.
Knowing is half the battle
The first thing people have to do is admit that they have a problem. If people are unaware that they struggle with time management or they attempt to minimize the problem, then they are only going to improve themselves so much. Therefore, a good first step is admitting that improvements have to be made. This can be a bit humbling for people, particularly if they feel that they should have mastered time management by now. However, a bit of humility may go a long way towards personal improvement.
Experiment
There is no one technique that will solve everyone’s time management problems. To be sure, there are some interesting technological tools on the market, but they won’t guarantee success. PDA’s, “smart” phones, laptops, and computer-based calendars can certainly help and people should experiment with these tools. However, a notepad or paper calendar can also do the trick as long as people are diligent about using them. People should give themselves some time to settle into a routine, but if something isn’t working, it is fine to try something else.
Scheduling time
One technique that is helpful is to give every task a time slot. Rather than having a list of things to do, people should put things on a calendar, and give them a specific time slot for completion. Granted, things do come up and people have to shift their tasks around, but at least if it is on the calendar, people will dedicate a time to work on something. This prevents the undesired activity from remaining on the bottom of the task list for more time than it should be there.
Transporting
Finally, time management is about being diligent. It means that people have to stay “on task” by being willing to stop one activity and move on to the next if the new task is a higher priority. In addition, it means that whatever time management task is used, it should be carried almost everywhere so that people can make notes, schedule appointments, and put tasks on the calendar. Unfortunately, the human memory can be a bit suspect, so it is important to make time management a lifestyle. Then, people will be more likely to stay on task and free up that time that they so desire to manage more effectively.