Make Time Management Effective

Managing time for college students is such a tough thing to do. College life is full of challenges and burdens that should be dealt with properly and systematically. There are many things college students must accomplish for them to reach their dreams.

Every college student should balance all the aspects of his or her life. It is important to give attention to these aspects of living for if not, the equilibrium of living will change.

Every college student should balance his or her academic and social life. Proper time management is necessary in order to perform all the responsibilities and tasks that are in their shoulders.

Practicing proper time management is difficult and it entails a lot of adjustments and preparations. It is along process.

However, with advices and tips on how to make it effective, surely, it would be easy to realize. The following are some advices and tips on how to make time management effective and proper.

• One of the most important aspects of time management is goal setting. Goal setting is one of the keys to success. In here, you should determine the things that you really want to accomplish.

These are the things that you want to accomplish for short period and long period of time like things you want to be done in a day, a week, a month or months, semester or even for years.

In setting goal, it should be remembered that set only those that are realistic and achievable. Do not set goals that are impossible to realize. This will only make you frustrated.

• Organization is equal to the importance of setting goal in making time management effective. When you are organized, it ensures and helps you achieve the goals you have set in a timely manner.

Through proper organization of tasks, you are informed constantly about the things, which need to be accomplished, and when they should be done. One way of organization is by making calendar. Make calendars that maybe of daily, weekly or monthly basis.

This calendar should include classes, study time, club meetings, social events, and many other things and activities that should be accomplished and should be done to make the calendar more effective, you should include assignment due dates so missing a deadline will be impossible.

You should always follow the calendar you have with you. This will help you develop a routine in regular basis and you are learning how to manage time properly.

• Prioritization is also an important thing in time management. It is important to prioritize the tasks and the things that you need to accomplish.

Prioritization entails figuring it out if what among the tasks are the most important and the least important and what tasks should be done first and what should be done later. It necessary to stay focused on the tasks and things that are most important.

It is also important to accomplish one fist before moving to the next ones. Doing things and tasks together at one point in time might be more of a burden for you. This kind of tasking will frustrate and make you feel tired and lazy.

• Avoid procrastination. The main downfall in trying to achieve effective time management is procrastination. Procrastination is putting off the things that you should be doing or accomplishing now.

The reasons for procrastination is the lack of clear goals, underestimating the difficulty of the tasks, underestimating the time required to complete the tasks, unclear standards for the task outcomes, feeling as the tasks are imposed on you from outside, and having indefinite tasks.

This should be avoided in order for you to mange time properly. You can avoid procrastination by setting predetermined goals and by prioritizing them.

• Utilization of spare minutes is a big thing in effective time management. Spare minutes should be utilized in things that are worthy and useful.

Do not waste even single minute. For example if you are waiting for your professor for not arriving at time, instead of waiting and doing nothing, consider reading assignments from other classes and begin thinking about the topic for other subjects.

When you accomplish small tasks with your spare time, you will notice that you have extra time to complete the large tasks when you actually start on them.

Following advices and tips on how to make time management effective and proper is quite tough, but dedication is present, nothing is impossible.

Top 10 Time Management Tips That Will Change Your Life

If you want to make real changes in your life, you must first start by learning how to efficiently manage your time. Anyone who knows how to manage time will also know how to manage life. Good time management is on the right priorities, just after it is created to the proper management of your life. The quality of your life depends on intelligent management of your time and not by the amount of energy you consume on what you are doing.

Do you always feel out of time and you can not do what is scheduled?

Do you always feel that you do not have enough time for yourself?

Do you feel that you are living and working in stressful environment without any positive results?

If the answer to either of the above questions is yes, then it is time to change your life and start spending your time wisely and efficiently. You have to promise yourself that you will be more organized and focused on your goals and that you will use for your own good time.

1. Mastering the list of things you have to do (to-do lists)
To-do lists are a good and efficient should include the tasks and activities you today and tasks that must be completed in the near future. For each item in the list, you have to determine when and how much time you need to complete. Repetitive tasks can be scheduled for specific days where you have a great time to complete.

You should not underestimate the importance of planning your duties. A good plan and can accurately give you greater control of your time. You have to realize what is important to you and place it in the top order in your list.

2. Create a plan of SMART (Specific-Measurable-Achievable-Reasonable-Timeline)
Plan the most difficult task at the beginning of each week so that you will be more relaxed towards the end of the week and before the weekend. A difficult task better scheduled at the beginning of the week (Monday or Tuesday), while the tasks that are more mechanical or routine around mid-week, and the approaching end of the week (Thursday and Friday) when you could be a little more free and relaxed because on both days this has piled up fatigue and stress as a result of work in the previous days.

3. Learn to set your priorities
You must learn how to efficiently organize your priorities. The most important task should be ranked higher in the list. Try to apply the Pareto principle in which 80% of your achievement produced by 20% of your business. In other words, try to work smart and simple. Do not overlook your important tasks to achieve significant results.

4. The key to successful time management is delegation
The key to successful time management is delegation. Do not try to complete all the tasks alone. Know which tasks can be completed by others and delegate the work to them. This is the only way in which you can have the time needed to handle the tasks that are really important to you. At the same time, what you choose to do, do it right the first time to save time because doing repetitive work. Experience has shown that the time you need to redo your work will be spent more time than you need to do the job right from the start. Delegation is an art that can provide many benefits for people who have to do a lot of activities.

5. Do not be afraid to say 'NO'
You must learn to occasionally say NO and refuse tasks that you can not do. If you run out of time and feel stressed, then it is better to decline the invitation to go lunch or a family dinner. You must realize that you are not under obligation to shorten everything in an instant. You must learn to choose the tasks that you really want to do or that need to be resolved.

6. Divide a long stint in smaller events
Another technique that will help you in time management is to break up long tasks that you normally do not want to do or are too difficult to be some activities that are smaller and more manageable. It will manage both stress and your time. You, for example, can spend 10 minutes each day to work on a task that is not pleasant or long. By using this approach, gradually you will have some progress, you will feel better and eventually you will be able to complete activities quickly rather than continuously postpone it.

7. Perfectionism takes time
You should try to avoid perfection. Struggling without end in seeking perfection for trivial things is a waste of time and will not give you enough time to handle the tasks that are more useful and perhaps more fun.

8. Know where your time more productively
It is normal that your performance is not the same all the time. There are times when you are more productive while at other times your productivity declined for various reasons. This phase can occur on the same day. Assuming that you work 8 hours a day, it gives you about 1,800 hours per year. Discover the period of time that you are more productive and at that time try to handle the most difficult tasks.

9. Try not to delay matters for later
You need to learn to cope with any task and problem when it needs to be addressed. Try not to delay action for another time, because under time pressure you are more likely to make a mistake and make the wrong decision.

10. Avoid things that can distract you
During business hours, try to find moments where no one can interfere with your activities. If you have an open door policy, you may have to shut it down occasionally. If someone comes into your office when you have a task that must be completed, gently resist his request and schedule another time to meet with them.

Time management is a skill that takes time to master so start working with it! In the end, time management will give you the extra time you need to be able to enjoy what is most important to you and change your life for the better. 

How To Teach Students On Time Management

When you were a child, you never give importance to time. You were idle most of the time, reclining in bed, watch TV programs for so many hours, and sometimes amuse yourself with video games. As you become older, you will be remembering the things that you have accomplished. And you realized that you have not really achieved anything worthwhile.

One of our most priceless resources is Time. It is something that you can no longer reclaim, once you lost it. You should make use of your time intelligently. The reason is for your growth and improvement as a person. You always take a look for the wonderful memories and actions, which you have fulfilled. Remember that a well spent time is more precious than gold. Hence, the need for time management.

Do you consider time management a basic concern for your students? What are some of the obstacles which them to finish their assignments from school? Time management is indeed a problem for students.

Usually, it is due to their hectic schedules and social obligations from their peers. There are still very few people who could master this skill of time management. However, it a general need for everyone especially if you are aspiring to achieve something in school, work and other personal endeavors.

Students are supposed to manage their schedule properly. They are expected to attend their classes, perform their homework at home. Students should not postpone and entertain some distractions and interruptions. Otherwise, they will not be able to accomplish their academic obligations. Most of the time, these are difficult to fulfill them.

However, do not feel bad about it. It is not the end of everything. You are not alone in this situation. Don’t you know that majority of adults have the same problems on how to manage their time? There is still room for improvement. What is necessary now is to reevaluate how you have been coming up with your daily activities and to modify them.

The students cannot do it alone. There is a need for somebody to teach and guide them. Based from the regular class schedule, there are some activities for time management, which are integrated to the subject itself. One example is the “beat the clock lessons.” We have the lesson called “time monsters”
The students will work in teams for two minutes so as to see in their lives the time monsters (time wasters) in a sheet of paper. Aside from that, they will learn the acronym “CHOICE”.

· Compare all your activities you would like to achieve
· How you will be affected by your choice later on.
· Order all your priorities in life.
· Inscribe in your planner your desired schedule.
· Carry out whatever desired plan you have formulated.
· Enjoy every moment of your life as you manage your time.

There are some questions for discussion, like for example, the meaning of the word “procrastination” Some tips for time management are also provided according to whatever category you belong.

We have several essential principles of Time Management wherein students can use.

· List down all the things you are supposed to do everyday.
· You should know what is the most conducive time for you to study.
· The difficult subjects must be studied first.
· Make use of your spare time.
· There should be proper distribution of learning and practice.
· The surroundings must be favorable for studying.
· Do not be afraid to say no to somebody if it affects your schedule.
· You should combine some activities so as to save time.
· Allot some time for relaxation and entertainment.
· You should have the required number of hours for sleeping and eat your food properly.
· You should know your body clock so as to identify the best time for you to work.
· Make it a habit to review your notes daily.
· You should inform your friends about your schedule in order to avoid distractions.
· Always be a taskmaster as you schedule your activities properly.
· Do not waste your time by worrying about something that you are expected to be doing, just do it.
· You should always keep things in their proper perspective.
· You can entrust a responsibility when it is proper.
· Relax and be calm always
· Avoid being a perfectionist.
· You are supposed to question everything that is included in your schedule.
· Be a fast reader and be selective with what you read.
· Make use of a calendar.

Important Things to Remember with Time Management for College Students

To all college students, one of the main differences of high school students from them is the eagerness to successfully handle their own time. If you start educating yourself with time management, you have a great advantage over other college students.

Parents are not always there to discipline you about being on time and the responsibilities of keeping a schedule. They are not at all times available to scold when you are about to go to school late.

Remember, college students are not locked up in a room (detention, remember?) when they are late in class. Actually, there are professors who do not even notice if you are present on their class or not.

There are many social events that are happening in college that students do to fill up their calendar making them sometimes forget their academic responsibilities. This is a period in our lives that we can live as adults but sometimes forget to remember that adults have responsibilities to think about.

Obviously, your fresh liberty can be very costly, with failing marks and running expensive college costs keeping you from achieving your ambitions.

Time management for college students is what you need. It is one of the most important moves in a successful preparation to lead a better existence after college. It is necessary to organize one’s time properly and the only plan is not to be an incompetent and a perplexed person while in college.

Time management is not only necessary just to create a good name at a future job, but it is as well a requirement for a disciplined and orderly future.

The answer to successful time management is by being able to become your self’s supervisor. Instead of being dependent on your professors and parents, you have to become independent from now on.

One of the main obstructions to time management is deciding to delay or postpone important things for trivial matters. But, the simplest means to prevent delay is to being able to determine what you want and what you want to accomplish each day.

• Keep your lasting objectives within your reach.

Make a plan to reach your objectives. You know where you are. You think of the possible ways that you can use to take you to your destination.

• List all the things that you know

Use a timetable to record your class schedules, social activities, and pastimes. When a future event is postponed or is reset for the next month, put it in a blank space in your timetable.

• Decide the things you want to do tomorrow before the day ends.

You can use a to-do record for your everyday activities. Set the planned activities into their proper time and consider the rest of record.

• Make your plan work

Sometimes, it is simpler to finish a work and directly deal with what we believe is a disruption. Still, there are times disruption progresses into rich clients. Follow your plan. If some things require your consideration, put it into your timetable or if you think it is an emergency and needs urgent attention, ensure you reschedule your present task.

• Do the things that seems to be difficult for you

Once the difficult task is done, the rest of your task will seem easier for you. But, if the difficult task is the one that stops you from starting, then begin with something simpler to encourage yourself that you can do it afterwards.

• Break things down to the unreasonable

Separating big homework into tiny parts will make it simpler to include them into your timetable. Also, you can pick your achievements as you complete each stage. It is more pleasing to think about what you have finished successfully than it is to worry over the things left for you to finish.

• Rules were made to be changed

Give yourself time to become flexible. Allow yourself to deal with disruptions in your timetable. Also, designate time to do the task, make some time to enjoy yourself as well. Plan for leisure activities and think of them as essential ingredients of your day it can provide you with something to work on and study seriously and with priorities.

• Keep in mind, tomorrow is always there to welcome you

Like other skills and abilities, it takes time to know how to correctly handle your time. Even the most proficient in time management has days when they do not properly meet their scheduled plans.

If you have failed once, it is not a reason for you to give up on time management. What you can do is to collect the pieces and begin a new schedule the following day.

Check your timetable at the end of the week to know the things that work for you and did not work.

Just make sure to follow your timetable always to have a great time management in each day of your college life.

Seven Important Time Management Activities for High School Students

Creating a time management is kind of like just the same as setting a budget. Just as the aim of a budget is to place an organization on your money, your aim in time management is to recover the management of your time.


In schools, you are requested to do more tasks, frequently by different teachers or supervisors who do not care about the other tasks that you are doing. It only depends to you on how you will manage all your works in order for you to finish them on the time provided to you.

Perhaps, you would also want to some time to enjoy your being youth and lead a fulfilling and complete life.

Here are some tips in which you can use in order for you to beat all of your deadlines and have a systematized and well managed time table.

1. For the next week, have a printed record of all your activities. Put in your record the time you will appropriate for each activity, what are the types of activity that you should do and how long you usually take to get them done. Arrange all these data in any manner you desire, but ensure you put all of your available time to be budgeted. You should also make sure to put in your record the time when you are not busy or doing anything.

2. Study how you will organize your time. Then, try to think of the following:

• What have you observed it?
• Have you completed all the task given to you before or on the deadlines. For instance, have you already finished your homework?
• Were you able to attend other things that you like aside from your obligations at school?
• Were you able to do all your duties at home?
• Do you still have time for your friends?
• What are the things that you like to do but have no time at all to do it?

Once, you have answered the above questions, try to think of the ways on how you can make your time management more effective.

3. Try to look for more information on the internet. There are many search engines that can help you improve your time organization.

4. Select or plan your own table to utilize to put a schedule for yourself for the whole week. Be sure that you spare some time for leisure and work. Be sensible in your anticipations. Try your schedule for one whole week, have a precise documentation of each activity.

5. Let your classmates know about your timetable. If they too have a timetable, evaluate the differences of your table if possible. Try to know the good sides of each table and know how the schedules work.

6. Change is the only thing in a person’s life that is permanent. What you used to do during your spare time may not be the same thing that you will do in six months or a year from now. If you have a winter game that you are joining in, you know that when the winter ends, your schedule will definitely change.

If you are engaged in a school activity or any theatrical presentation, it is expected that you will be busier before the performance date than you are at the start of the rehearsals.

Take a look at the big picture before doing anything else. What do you think will your schedule for the following year look like? Choose the dates on that schedule and conjure a calendar that you can follow.

7. Make a timetable for the next five weeks. Make sure to put any alterations you expect due to your leisure activities and other events that have seasons and peak times. Utilize the schedule and be ready to do remarks on it when the five weeks is over.

How was it? Do not be negative in going back and ensure that the resources are scheduled or look beyond for other resources.

For high school students, it is always expected that they will have a busy time for studies and for playtime. However, no matter how hectic the schedule may be, it is still important that one have an appropriate time management in order to have a direction.

Time Management: Tips to Reduce Stress and Improve Productivity

Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the number and complexity of projects that need to be completed at work each day? As the day flies by, do you often feel as if you haven't paid enough attention to each task because other tasks keep landing on your desk, co-workers interrupt you with questions or you can't get it all organized?

You probably know that managing your time effectively will help you get more done each day. But it has important health benefits, too. By managing your time more wisely, you can minimize stress and improve your quality of life.

But how do you get back on track when organizational skills don't come naturally? To get started, choose one of these strategies, try it for two to four weeks and see if it helps. If it does, consider adding another one. If not, try a different one.

• Plan each day. Planning your day can help you accomplish more and feel more in control of your life. Write a to-do list, putting the most important tasks at the top. Keep a schedule of your daily activities to minimize conflicts and last-minute rushes.
• Prioritize your tasks. Time-consuming but relatively unimportant tasks can consume a lot of your day. Prioritizing tasks will ensure that you spend your time and energy on those that are truly important to you.
• Say no to nonessential tasks. Consider your goals and schedule before agreeing to take on additional work.
• Delegate. Take a look at your to-do list and consider what you can pass on to someone else.
• Take the time you need to do a quality job. Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in time spent making corrections, which takes more time overall.
• Break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. Work on them a few minutes at a time until you get them all done.
• Practice the 10-minute rule. Work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day. Once you get started, you may find you can finish it.
• Evaluate how you're spending your time. Keep a diary of everything you do for three days to determine how you're spending your time. Look for time that can be used more wisely. For example, could you take a bus or train to work and use the commute to catch up on reading? If so, you could free up some time to exercise or spend with family or friends.
• Limit distractions. Block out time on your calendar for big projects. During that time, close your door and turn off your phone, pager and email.
• Get plenty of sleep, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. A healthy lifestyle can improve your focus and concentration, which will help improve your efficiency so that you can complete your work in less time.
• Take a time management course. If your employer offers continuing education, take a time management class. If your workplace doesn't have one, find out if a local community college, university or community education program does.
• Take a break when needed. Too much stress can derail your attempts at getting organized. When you need a break, take one. Take a walk. Do some quick stretches at your workstation. Take a day of vacation to rest and re-energize.

• Ask for professional help

  If you're too frazzled to think about trying any of these tips, it's time to ask for help. Does your life feel totally out of control? If so, contact your employee assistance program (EAP) at your workplace for assistance, or discuss your situation with your doctor.
  Source

Seven Suggestions for Effectively Managing Your Time

1. Be Organized

• Use time saving tools: appointment calendars, "to do" lists, e-mail, answering machines, file folders, etc.
• Have an organized workplace (don't waste time constantly looking for your work).
• Use your appointment calendar for everything, including listing study time.
• Use "to do" lists for both long-term and for each day/week.

2. Plan Ahead (Schedule it and it will happen!)

• Determine how long your tasks will take (do this before agreeing to take on a task!)
• Consider whether any activities can be combined.
• Determine if big tasks can be broken down into smaller tasks that may be easier to schedule (such as studying for exams and visiting the library as part of an assignment to write a term paper).

3. Prioritize Your Tasks

• Use an A-B-C rating system for items on your "to do" lists with A items being highest priority.
• Set goals for both the short term and long term as to what you want to accomplish.
• Look at all of your "to do"s to gauge the time requirement and whether additional resources will be needed to accomplish them (if yes, schedule time to obtain those resources). Don't postpone the small tasks (a sense of accomplishment is good and overlooked small tasks can become larger tasks.)

4. Avoid Overload

• Include time for rest, relaxation, sleep, eating, exercise, and socializing in your schedule.
• Take short breaks during study and work periods.
• Don't put everything off until the last minute (for example, don't cram for exams).
• Learn to say "no" when appropriate and to negotiate better deadlines when appropriate.

5. Practice Effective Study Techniques

• Have an appropriate study environment.
• Split large tasks into more manageable tasks.
• Read for comprehension, rather than just to get to the end of the chapter.
• Be prepared to ask questions as they come up during study, rather than waiting until just before an exam.
• Do the most difficult work first, perhaps breaking it up with some easier tasks.
• Don't wait until the last minute to complete your projects.
• Read the syllabus as soon as you get it and note all due dates (and "milestone" times) on your calendar.
• Be a model student! (be attentive and participative in class, and punctual, prepared, and eager to learn)

6. Be Able to be Flexible

• The unexpected happens (sickness, car troubles, etc.); you need to be able to fit it into your schedule.
• Know how to rearrange your schedule when necessary (so it doesn't manage you - you manage it).
• Know who to ask for help when needed.

7. Have a Vision (why are you doing all of this?)

• Don't forget the "big picture" - why are you doing the task - is it important to your long-term personal goals?
• Have and follow a personal mission statement (personal and career). (Are your activities ultimately helping you achieve your goals?)
• Know what is important to you. (What do you value most?)

Have a positive attitude!

Source

The Three Top Timely Tips to Improve Your Energy

It's fascinating to explore what captures people's imagination each year. These 3 topics received an overwhelmingly positive response:

3 Top Timely Tips

1. Mastering All 6 Essential Stages of Change Helps Maintain Effective Time Choices.

Understanding Prochaska's model about 6 stages of change can help prepare you to undergo profound changes in tumultuous times. Here are a few tips:

· Pay close attention to dissatisfaction - it may be your first signal that important changes need to be made.

· Let your understanding of what's needed evolve over time. Weighing pros and cons thoroughly helps you foresee long-term consequences and prepare accordingly.

· Never confuse initiating with maintaining change. And allocate enough time and energy to turn fresh choices into healthy habits.

2. Revitalize Your Productivity and Enthusiasm by Using "The 3 Gratitudes" Exercise.

"The 3 Gratitudes Exercise" demonstrates your profound power to transform your energy immediately. Each night, right before sleep, list at least 3 things you feel grateful for. These blessings can be anything you notice and appreciate. Review and learn from your lists. Your actual power in the here and now evolves in significant ways:

· You become more alive to the miracle of the moment.

· You discover what you appreciate, and what you routinely overlook.

· You build your capacity to express gratitude, which enriches relationships.

3. Establish Boundaries to Safeguard Your Time and Energy.

Boundaries are absolutely essential to enact effective time management skills. They hold your priorities and protect them from others' demands and distractions. And, you can learn to set and maintain effective boundaries through practice and repetition. Here are 3 reasons that this discipline is worth all the assertiveness and social skills it requires!

· Strong boundaries build confidence and focus. Saying no to distractions is saying yes to your priorities. Once you have firmly committed to your plans, you gain essential traction to move through your day.

· You shape your life through your boundaries. Assuming this level of responsibility for your time choices multiplies your chances for success! And you won't feel overextended.

· Setting boundaries can be a risk that clarifies important relationships. Clearly stating what you will and will not do can inspire others to be more straightforward, too. Notice how freeing it is to stop second-guessing what people really mean!

Understanding the dynamics of change, intensifying your awareness of what inspires your gratitude and learning how to say no are phenomenal energy boosters. Use them to build trust in yourself and in the world around you, as you become more congruent, more aware and more focused.

Now, what can you do today to transform your relationship with time?

Article Source: EzineArticles

Five Time Wasters That Your Boss Never Tell You When Started Work

By minimize these time wasters, you can at least save some your daily working time and enjoy your working life too. Below are the 5 time wasters.

1. Temptation to React to Interruptions

Every day in your work, you receive all kinds of interruptions ie. phone calls, walk-in customers, e-mails, urgent meetings and extra. Herbet Bayard Swope, first recipient of the Pulitzer Prize once said "I can't give you a surefire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time".

2. Always Say Yes

If are new to your job or like to please your boss, you tend to accept whatever requests from your boss without checking on your limit that you can handle. Another possible reason is you may be scare to decline the request. This is will increase your workload, working long hours and stress to yourself. The quality of your work may drop as you are overworked and tired. Therefore, learn to say "NO".

3. Unorganized Workspace and Uncomfortable Working Environment

Highly productive workers work from clean and organized desk. Research shows thirty percent of the time is been wasted looking for something that is been misplaced at somewhere. Uncomfortable chair, obstruction and glare from your computer monitor will increase stress to your work. Working long hour using non-ergonometric chair can cause stress and back pain to you. You always have the right to ask for more comfortable furniture and equipment to improve your working productivity.

4. Meeting

You may just attend meeting when you are requested to. However, have you checked what the agenda of the meeting are? Do you think there is something that you can contribute to the meeting? Otherwise, just politely excuse yourself from attending the meeting.

5. Indecision and Poor Decision Making.

One of the greatest time wasters in workplace is in making decision. Indecision and poor decision making will not just waste your time but others as well. Generally, 80% of decisions should be made the first time they come up. Decision Making requires courage as every decision has certain amount of risk of failure. The reward for mastering decision making skill is great as all successful corporate leaders today are firm decision makers.

"You don't get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour." - Jim Rohn

Article Source: EzineArticles

Time Management For The Hurried And The Harried Professional

PAPER + TIME = MONEY:

Are you doing more and enjoying it less? Are you missing a performance bonus opportunity? Are you risking a professional development or advancement opportunity? Do you work an extra 150-240 hours per year risking your health and quality of life? What is the REAL cost to YOU of wasted time?

Studies indicate that the average executive wastes thousands of dollars in productivity each year searching for lost information: Forbes Magazine: 150 hours/year = $3,750*, Wall Street Journal: 225 hours/year = $5,625*, National Association of Professional Organizers: 240 hours/year = $6,000*. (*based on 37.5 hour work week @ $50,000 annual salary)

Let's face it - in the workplace and in life in general, we often seem to be on a treadmill called hurry, worry and bury. Sound familiar? The one constant in our life is change: changing roles, new demands, multiple projects, more responsibility and constantly juggling priorities in the workplace. We are time-starved and work-hurried.

It all boils down to making the most effective use of our abilities and maximizing our time management skills. Key factors to consider in making the best use of our time are: 

·  understanding the concepts around time and its management, including time as a conservable (and costly) resource

·  identifying the habits and practices that result in wasted time

·  learning practical techniques that can be used to improve productivity and satisfaction

·  identifying specific skill areas and methods to make better use of time

·  making informed decisions about how you can manage your time and juggle priorities to your best advantage.

Just think, if you can show management how time is consumed, the value of your time and the cost of wasted time, do you think they would pay closer attention to providing you with tools that will make you even more effective? You will grab and hold their attention if you can find ways to show them how their time management practices (or lack thereof) impact the bottom line.

Learning how to get organized and prioritize the priorities, how to handle interruptions and distractions, and how to say "no" will make sure there's time left in the day for you. Proven techniques to help you control time and make it work for you will make you more efficient....and a lot less stressed!

"It Is Not The Number Of Hours We Have That Counts, 
But Rather, The Use We Make Of Them." (unknown)

Article Source: EzineArticles

Time Management May Well Create Or Crack Your Career

Time is an odd thing -- intangible, but inflexible. Time just isn't something you can make more of. You cannot save minutes or hours either for later use. This is precisely why many wonder why bother managing time to start with? Nevertheless, it is your most important resource, for that very reason. You cannot make 24 hours go to 27 hours so you can finish off those things you need done, but you can increase your productivity so that you get more tasks completed on those hours that you do have. You can not recoup time you've lost if you fail to be productive. The number of tasks you accomplish isn't the only way of measuring your productivity. Your productivity is measured by how much time you spent finishing a task.

There are many vital components which can make or break the success of your career. Oddly, one of the easiest can be one of the toughest to grasp -- time management. It's natural to pay attention to what you do, and how well you do it; you may not give as much thought to when you do it. With good time management, you can have a schedule that's more manageable and a life that's way less stressful.

For many individuals, working more quickly is the answer to getting more done quicker. Definitely that will raise output, but it will also decrease quality of work, not to mention wear you out. If you become good in managing your time, you'll not need to work double time just so you can make up for the time you've lost. Time management isn't really about dashing to get things done faster. Instead, it's doing things better so there wouldn't be any need for you to hurry in the first place.

It's not possible to separate time management and efficiency. There are numerous time wasters in the workplace, but inefficient time scheduling and disorganized work spaces are two top time wasters. Your professional reputation and credibility are considerably affected by these two. Don't expect your colleagues to be impressed if you keep fumbling for your pen or ruffling through your notes while you're doing a business presentation. On the other hand, if you always appear to be unruffled, that you have things together, you'll impress people.

You may have a crazy schedule, and it may seem like a huge task to try to make sense of it. Nonetheless, your career will benefit from getting it organized. If you plan your schedule effectively, it will not be long until you see the benefits, including saving time. In addition, you can expect to hone your planning skills. Many of us are very good at making a plan, but not always so good at following through on it. To efficiently manage your time involves setting realistic goals, giving yourself work deadlines, and meeting them. When you have to learn and accept your own boundaries, as well as learn how to stretch them, you'll find these skills quite easily applied in other places. You are going to form the habit of correctly assessing a situation, and making reasonable decisions based on achievable solutions.

All successful businesses practice good resource management. And in business, you should be able to manage your time effectively since it is one of your most precious resources. Learning to manage your time effectively might seem difficult initially to implement, but think of the long term gains you're certain to have. Wasting time is something the successful individuals don't do. You will need to perfect your time management abilities if you wish to succeed.

Article sources: GoArticles

Time Management is the Answer to Success

Time management is basically about being focused. The Pareto Principle also known as the '80:20 Rule' states that 80% of efforts that are not time managed or unfocused generates only 20% of the desired output. However, 80% of the desired output can be generated using only 20% of a well time managed effort. Although the ratio '80:20' is only arbitrary, it is used to put emphasis on how much is lost or how much can be gained with time management.

Some people view time management as a list of rules that involves scheduling of appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating things to do lists and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

But there is more skills involved in time management than the core basics. Skills such as decision making, inherent abilities such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking are also essential to your personal growth.

Personal time management involves everything you do. No matter how big and no matter how small, everything counts. Each new knowledge you acquire, each new advice you consider, each new skill you develop should be taken into consideration.

Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in having personal time management. This is the main aspect that many practitioners of personal time management fail to grasp.

Time management is about getting results, not about being busy.

The six areas that personal time management seeks to improve in anyone's life are physical, intellectual, social, career, emotional and spiritual.

The physical aspect involves having a healthy body, less stress and fatigue.

The intellectual aspect involves learning and other mental growth activities.

The social aspect involves developing personal or intimate relations and being an active contributor to society.

The career aspect involves school and work.

The emotional aspect involves appropriate feelings and desires and manifesting them.

The spiritual aspect involves a personal quest for meaning.

Thoroughly planning and having a set of things to do list for each of the key areas may not be very practical, but determining which area in your life is not being giving enough attention is part of time management. Each area creates the whole you, if you are ignoring one area then you are ignoring an important part of yourself.

Personal time management should not be so daunting a task. It is a very sensible and reasonable approach in solving problems big or small.

A great way of learning time management and improving your personal life is to follow several basic activities.

One of them is to review your goals whether it be immediate or long-term goals often.

A way to do this is to keep a list that is always accessible to you.

Always determine which task is necessary or not necessary in achieving your goals and which activities are helping you maintain a balanced life style.

Each and every one of us has a peek time and a time when we slow down, these are our natural cycles. We should be able to tell when to do the difficult tasks when we are the sharpest.

Learning to say "No". You actually see this advice often. Heed it even if it involves saying the word to family or friends.

Pat yourself at the back or just reward yourself in any manner for an effective time management result.

Try and get the cooperation from people around you who are actually benefiting from your efforts of time management.

Don't procrastinate. Attend to necessary things immediately.

Have a positive attitude and set yourself up for success. But be realistic in your approach in achieving your goals.

Have a record or journal of all your activities. This will help you get things in their proper perspective.

These are the few steps you initially take in becoming a well rounded individual.

As the say personal time management is the art and science of building a better life.

From the moment you integrate into your life time management skills, you have opened several options that can provide a broad spectrum of solutions to your personal growth. It also creates more doors for opportunities to knock on.

Article Source: GoArticles