Be the master of your time – simple principles of time management

Stress, restlessness, and impetuous actions – does this describe a typical day in your life?  You are not alone. Continual thoughts such as ‘all the things that I have to arrange’ haunt many of us on a regular basis. Devote a few minutes each day in the morning or evening to time management. This small investment will pay dividends in the long run.

Too many activities, too little time…

Just about everyone at some point has complained about having too little time. It cannot be bought and stored for later. Effective time management is important for anybody who is living in today’s fast-paced business world, but it’s particularly important for managers.

Get it out of your head!

For generations, people have transcribed their duty assignments from their head to paper (i.e. to-do list). Think of how handy an ordinary shopping list can be that is on your phone as opposed to a scrap of paper! Initially, the priority was to have a clear summary of ‘WHAT’ (to be done) which has been shown to demonstrably lesson the strain on one’s memory and reduce a person’s overall level of stress.

A second generation of business people who wanted to better prioritize their time posed the question of ‘WHEN;’ it laid the foundation for well-known electronic calendars and diaries that have become a regular part of anyone’s work and private life.

Managers must know and ask HOW

The third generation of managers came to the realization that an ordinary diary in not sufficient for long-term and large-scale projects. Managers must know an activity’s priority level; they also need to know if it is intended for an individual or a group and any other connections. This third generation introduced concepts such as a priority, along with delegation and teamwork. Both paper and electronic planning systems are very logic and thoughtful, however, despite their seeming perfection they forget that people are not robots and it is nearly impossible to take into consideration the context of daily, weekly and monthly plans so thoroughly…

People are more than just time

The fourth generation of business professionals has come to the realization that prosperity begins when a person feels good. This level of success goes beyond time management, it includes what and how to plan and it is no longer a uniquely managerial skill. The current generation of professionals perceives time management as collectively being a part of one’s lifestyle, which is shaped by the strengths of each of us. The actual planning of a day, whether it is done in the morning or evening, should not take more than ten minutes:

• Determine your priorities – the tasks which will bring us the most benefits in the shortest amount of time have the highest priority
• Plan your time – Determine when and how long you will spend on each task that you have planned. Their timely fulfillment will bring you the feeling of satisfaction and motivate you to continue to accomplish more.
• Don’t let yourself be distracted.
• Similar tasks should be done in one block after another – if you have a few small tasks, it is        best to wait for similar ones and then fulfill them collectively. This will give you more time for completing important things.
• Divide large tasks into smaller ones– setting milestones will keep you motivated in the long-term.
• Start your day off right by getting the most important tasks completed first – take advantage of when you have the most energy.
• Take breaks when needed– fatigue will affect your performance
• Find Motivation in all circumstances – motivation can be found even in unpleasant activities if you keep an open mind.

Whether you are one of many employees or an irreplaceable manager, you will need time for yourself. Thus, make the best use of your working hours so you can enjoy free time.