Time Management Strategies : How to beat Time ?

We all get the same 24 hours per day – So why do some people seem to achieve more with their time than others? The answer is: good time management.

Time management is the process of planning how to divide your time between different activities to get more done in less time. A habit we train ourselves to be more productive throughout the day, avoid distractions and work effectively even under high pressure. But Being busy isn't the same as being effective. In fact, for many people, the busier they are, the less they achieve.

The highest achievers manage their time exceptionally well. There is no actual secret, but to adopt a time management strategy that works best for you depending on your personality, ability to self-motivate, and level of self-discipline.  How you use that time depends on skills learned through self-analysis, planning, evaluation, and self-control. Much like money, time is both valuable and limited. It must be protected and used wisely.

Good time  management	Poor Time Management
Greater productivity and efficiency. Stress relief. More free time to practice other activities Increased chances of advancement. More opportunities to achieve your life and career goals.	Poor workflow  Wasted time and energy  Loss of control Poor quality of work Bad mood and lack of confidence

Here are some of the strategies you can incorporate in your daily routine to help better manage your time.

1. How well do you manage your time ?

How good are you at organizing your time? What time wasters should you deal with? When do you feel the most productive? An activity record is a helpful way to determine whether you have good or poor time management Review what you are doing daily for a week, and Evaluate the results to determine a plan of action. Set priorities and goals correctly. The SMART method is the most commonly used method when it comes to setting goals. Make sure they're:  Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. You can achieve more when you start dedicating time to the right things.

Covey, Merrill, and Merrill (1994) categorize activities into four quadrants in their Time Management Matrix: urgent, not urgent, important, and not important. Activities, that are both urgent and important must be done and require more effort and discipline. However, we tend to escape to quadrant 4 when things become challenging, even though it represents non-important and non-urgent things, which means"time wasters".

 Covey suggests spending less time on activities that are not important (regardless of their urgency) to gain time for activities that are not urgent but important. Focusing on these important activities allows you to gain greater control over your time and may reduce the number of important tasks that become urgent.

	Urgent	Not Urgent
Important	Do these tasks as soon as possible.	Defer these tasks until all urgent and important tasks have been completed.
Not Important	Delegate these tasks to the appropriate people who can manage them.	Avoid them , they are often time wasters.

2. Plan ahead:

Make sure you start every day with a clear vision of what you need to do. Consider making it a habit.  Time management experts recommend using planning tools such as notebooks and phone apps. This is a great way to have your day or week sorted so you know in advance what you woke up for, and avoid non-important activities that provide you a temporary sense of accomplishment. 

Rank your tasks on your planner depending on their priority (both important and urgent). You can use categories such as high, medium, or low priority and make it more fun by using a color-coding system and stickers depending on your taste.  

3. Set a time limit for each task:

To prevent wasting time, set a time limit for each task. Not only does it help you be maintain focus on what you do, but it also helps you stay organized and productive by knowing exactly how much time each task requires to be done.

4. No more Procrastination:

To help stop procrastination, consider “eating the big frog first.” A quote commonly attributed to Mark Twain says, “If it’s your job to eat a frog today, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the big frog first.” Unpleasant tasks we procrastinate completing are “big frogs.” Complete these tasks as your first action of the day to get them out of the way. Another option is to “snowball” your tasks by breaking them down into smaller segments, completing preparatory tasks, and eventually completing the larger task at hand. 

5. Take breaks between tasks:

It is harder to stay focused and motivated when doing many tasks all at once. Consider taking short breaks from time to time to refresh yourself. Going for walks and meditation will keep your mind and body connected and help you feel relaxed.

6.Take care of yourself:

Unfortunately, poor time management leads to health issues like fatigue, moodiness, and more frequent illness. To reduce stress, give yourself some time to relax and reward yourself for time management successes. Take time to appreciate your small achievements to stay motivated and committed to them. 

CONCLUSION: 

Whether you use these strategies or create your time management plan, what matters is choosing the one that works better for you. You can still review it from time to time and adjust it depending on your situation, and it's okay if it doesn't always go as planned because unexpected things happen. Successful time management leads to greater personal happiness, more accomplishments at home and work, and a more satisfying future. 

Source: Time Management: 10 Strategies for Better Time Management | UGA Cooperative Extension

Source: What Is Time Management? - Time Management Skills From MindTools.com

Source : Time Management - List of Top Tips for Managing Time Effectively (corporatefinanceinstitute.com)

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