Time is considered to be more valuable than money. Part of the reason is that if you lose money you can earn it back but if you lose time you can never get it back. People today are working harder than before and as a result, they are richer than before. This newfound success, however, has come at a big price and the price is “Time”. Everyone is busy these days and the one thing people don’t have is Time. People talk fast and are always in a rush.
So what is the answer to this chaos?
Well, the answer is simple- its ‘Effective Time Management’ skill. By managing our time better, we can not only perform our everyday tasks well but we will also have spare time to relax and spend with our families.
Here are the three tips for managing our time better :
1. Prioritize your day.
Let’s accept it, we can only do so much in a day. We only have 24 hours in a day of which we spend 7-8 hours sleeping. In order for us to use the rest of the time efficiently, we must prioritize our daily tasks in the order of importance. Making a to do list starting from the most important tasks on the top to the least important on the bottom is a good start. However, we must be tasks on the top to the least important on the bottom is a good start. However, we must be careful that the list is realistic and achievable. Putting more tasks than we are capable of doing will defeat the purpose.
In the first few days of this exercise, we may not be able to fulfill all our tasks. The good news is even if we are able to accomplish half of our daily duties, it is still a progress. Developing the habit of writing our to do list and then following it every day will eliminate a lot of our stress.
2. Learn to say no.
We can’t keep everyone happy and be an effective time manager at the same time. Sometimes it’s important to say no without feeling guilty about it. When someone asks us to do something that we don’t have the time to do, saying a polite but firm no is the best way to deal with the situation. That’s the only way we are going to be able to focus on our daily goals.
Switching off our cell phones while we are engaged in an important work is a good practice. Blocking out social media during that time is another great idea. This would ensure no one disturbs us while we are busy.
3. Don’t get distracted.
It is natural to get distracted sometimes and engage in unproductive things. We are all humans. The key is to get our focus back on the key tasks we have to fulfill each day. Taking a look at our to do list on regular intervals is advisable. This would ensure that we are focussed on our goals and are making progress to achieve them.
Practicing meditation for 10 minutes daily has been found to be very beneficial in increasing our concentration.
Time management is a lot like learning to drive a car. We only get good at it with practice. The key, however, is to be persistent at it. We might make mistakes and fail from time to time but with practice, we can master this important skill and very soon our life as well.