Definition of Time Management
Time management is the process of planning and controlling how much time is spent on certain activities. Good time management allows a person to accomplish more in a shorter period of time, reduce stress, and lead to career success.
One important ability in running a business is good time management. If you can’t manage your time well, there’s no way you will achieve anything that was planned beforehand. Time management will be difficult to implement if you don’t value time at all. When you waste the time you have, it will feel very heavy when trying to achieve business success.
If you want to succeed in business, time management must be considered well. Those who have success also have the same time as you, so you still have a chance to succeed. So, this is not about how much time you have. It’s about how effectively you manage your time.
Benefits of Time Management
The ability to manage your time effectively is important. Good time management leads to increased efficiency and productivity, less stress, eating more success in life as well as your business. Here are some of the benefits of managing time effectively:
1. Relieve stress
Creating and following a task schedule reduces anxiety. When you check the items on the “to do list” list, you can see that you are making real progress. It helps you avoid stress because you are worried about whether you have accomplished something.
2. More time
Good time management gives you extra time to spend in everyday life. People who can manage time effectively enjoy more time spent on hobbies or other personal activities.
3. More opportunities
Managing time well leads to more opportunities and less time wasted on trivial activities. Good time management skills are the main quality sought by employers. The ability to prioritize and schedule work is highly desirable for any organization.
4. The ability to realize goals
Individuals who practice good time management are able to achieve goals and objectives better, and do so in a shorter time.
List of Tips for Effective Time Management
After considering the benefits of time management, let’s look at several ways to manage time effectively:
1. Set goals correctly
Set goals that can be achieved and measured. Use the SMART method when setting goals. Bottom line, make sure you set goals that are Specific (Specific), Measured (Measurable) , Achievable (Attainable) , Relevant (Relevant) , and Timely (Timely) .
For example, every night before going to bed, make a list of activities for the next day. This is indeed a little disturbing your sleep time. But by making a list of activities, you effectively determine what activities will be carried out the next day. That way, you have a reference to being able to work optimally. Indirectly it will prevent you from inefficient time.
2. Prioritize wisely
Prioritize tasks based on importance and urgency. For example, look at your daily assignments and determine which:
- Important and urgent: Perform this task immediately.
- Important but not urgent: Decide when to do these tasks.
- Urgent but not important: Delegate these tasks if possible.
- Non-urgent and unimportant: Set this aside to do later.
3. Set a time limit for completing the task
Setting time limits for completing tasks helps you be more focused and efficient. Making extra effort to decide how much time you need to share for each task can also help you identify potential problems before they arise. That way you can make plans to deal with them.
Not only finance must be audited, the time spent must also be audited. Take a few moments to assess how you spend your time. You can use your daily activity book or cellphone to record all activities carried out.
Is the time spent well spent? Is there time wasted? You can judge when the time you spend is often and make sure no time is wasted.
4. Rest between tasks
When doing multiple tasks without breaks, it is more difficult to stay focused and motivated. Allow some time breaks between tasks to clear your mind and refresh yourself. Consider taking a nap, going for a short walk, or meditating.
You might not think that this will help you manage your time better, but meditating and exercising every morning will make your body fitter. That way, you can do various routine activities that are usually done. So the time available can be used properly. After exercising, your mind will also be fresher and can think clearly to do the task at hand.
5. Manage yourself
Take advantage of your calendar for long-term time management. Write deadlines for projects, or for tasks that are part of the overall project completion. Think about which days are best for dedicating certain tasks. For example, you might need to plan a meeting to discuss cash flow on the day you know the company’s CFO is in the office.
6. Delete the tasks / activities that are not important
It is important to delete excessive activities or tasks. Determine what is important and what is appropriate for your time. Removing unnecessary tasks / activities frees up more of your time to be spent on things that really matter.
One of the biggest time wasters you have is bad habits. Whether it’s watching movies, going to parties, using too much social media, playing games, often going out for drinks with friends, or so on. Bad habits that take up less precious time we have.
Use your time wisely by eliminating your bad habits if you are serious about achieving big goals in life. Think of time as gold that you must guard well
7. Plan ahead
Make sure you start every day with a clear idea of what you need to do – what needs to be done TODAY. Consider getting used to, at the end of each work day, to go ahead and write a “to do” list for the next workday. That way you can touch the ground the next morning.
Finding a mentor who can guide you in managing time is also important. You will easily be lulled into doing other activities that are outside the plan if you do not have a mentor. His experience will make you have an extraordinary time management. Be selective in choosing a mentor, make sure he can help you at any time.
Bad Time Management Consequences
1. Poor workflow
Inability to plan ahead and not holding fast to goals means poor efficiency. For example, if there are some important tasks that must be completed, an effective plan is to complete the related tasks simultaneously or in sequence.
However, if you don’t plan ahead, you end up having to jump back and forth, or back off, in doing your work. That means reduced efficiency and lower productivity.
2. Time wasted
Poor time management results in wasted time. For example, by talking to friends on social media while doing an assignment, you disturb yourself and waste time.
3. Loss of control
By not knowing what to do next, you suffer from losing control of your life. It can contribute to higher levels of stress and anxiety.
4. Poor quality of work
Poor time management usually decreases the quality of your work. For example, having to rush to complete a task at the last minute usually reduces the quality of the results of the work itself.
5. Bad reputation
If your client or boss cannot rely on you to complete tasks in a timely manner, their hopes and perceptions about you will be affected. If clients cannot rely on you to get things done on time, they will likely take their business elsewhere.
Conclusion
Not only in your business, is time management also directly related to your life. If you manage your time well, you can get a good quality of life. In business, another crucial thing besides time is bookkeeping. Without good bookkeeping your business will be very difficult to develop. The solution is to use accounting software to facilitate business bookkeeping. You can use online free and paid bookkeeping software for your business.
Author Bio:
Amy Fisher, has begun to be interested in the world of self-development since he was in college. Her passion for the world of self-development has led him to become a diligent student, continue to practice, and read many books on self-development and psychology. With the motto ‘sharing is the way of learning’, Amy also writes motivational articles, inspirational stories and the science of personal development on her personal blog. Later on she joined one of the most leading company in UK as HR and proved herself to introduce a powerful management system and trained employees to manage their time effectively. This article by Amy sheds her powerful thoughts of effective productivity. We are thankful to Amy for his contribution in our nursing essay writing service to train our writing team and settle other issues and she turned out best. Hope this article of Amy will help you to save time like our team members.