BS ENGLISH: STUDY SKILLS

TIME MANAGEMENT
Let’s begin by defining the term management. Management is a process
of planning, decision-making, organizing, leading, motivating, and controlling
the human resources to achieve your goals efficiently and effectively.
So, time management is about planning and controlling the amount of time you spend on specific
tasks.
The Oxford dictionary defines time management as; “the ability to use one's time
effectively, especially at work.”
Like our energy and money, time is a finite resource and as such, it needs to be effectively
managed.

BENEFITS/IMPORTANCE OF TIME MANAGEMENT:

As we all have zillions of activities to do in a day but only have 24 hours to complete
them. Here comes the role of time management. Time management helps you to arrange
and plan, how you can split your time among various tasks. If you want to manage different
activities without wasting a single second, it is important to improve your time
management. Management training is not only important for career development but also a
necessary step in building and maintaining a productive work environment.
The following points show how beneficial for us to manage our time:
1. IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY:
When you schedule your time throughout the day for different tasks you can
do your tasks faster and with more efficiently. This will definitely improve your
performance and will see yourself getting more productive. You will also avoid time-
consuming distractions.

For example, when I make a proper schedule for my work, I know what I need to do and
how much time it will take to complete it. It really improves my productivity and
performance.

2. MUCH LESS PROCRASTINATION:

“I will do it later” – This is an excuse that we all have made at some time. The
meaning of time management is not just about doing more in less time but also reducing
the urge to delay and procrastinate over important tasks. Applying good time management
tricks enable you to work smarter rather than harder. It instantly eliminates
procrastination by ensuring that you’re familiar with the tasks added to your to-do list and
when it needs to be finished.
3. On-Time Completion of Work:
Allocating a finite time period to tasks helps you complete them on time. It
also helps you to manage your workload in the most effective way. When you have time-
boxed tasks, your brain gets rewired to follow the structure and accomplish those activities
within the desired time frame. Thus, you can easily deliver work on time if you have
managed your time well.
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4. HELPS TO ACHIEVE GOALS:
By managing your time wisely through careful planning of every
second of every day, you can control your schedule so that your time is spent
efficiently and you can ultimately reach your goals.
5. IMPROVE YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL:
When you effectively manage your time and achieve your deadlines, you
will feel a feeling of accomplishment and confidence in your talents. Completion of work on
time helps you get praise from your seniors. That appreciation boosts our confidence level
and drives us to do more and more.
6. REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY:
There are a lot of people who are in stress because of their busy schedules. They
don’t have time for themselves. They only do work and are not able to give specific time to
do activities for relaxation. They also can’t sleep properly because of their busy schedules.
When they don’t give time for themselves, it definitely leads them to stress and anxiety.

If you manage your time properly, then it can reduce your stress level. With proper
time management, you will be able to spend some time doing activities that you like.

HOW CAN WE MANAGE OUR TIME:

There are a lot of different people in the world and all have different ways of
managing their time. But there are some basic ways that will definitely work for everyone.
Here are some simple ways with that you can manage your time:
1. SET GOAL:
The first and foremost step is to set a goal. Having a goal, get you motivated to
utilize your time efficiently. It helps you to focus on one activity at a time for a specified duration,
instead of getting caught up in multitasking. This way, you give it your best to achieve that specified goal.
2. Analyze your time:
Perhaps one of the most important steps in being able to manage your time well
is to know what you are using your time for in the first place. Think of your time-wasting
activities and utilize that time by replacing these activities with some fruitful activities. By
setting goals and identifying time wasters, you can help to keep yourself on a more
efficient track.
3. DAILY SCHEDULING:
Once you had set your goal and analyzed how you spend your time, the next step is to make a
schedule. A daily schedule template helps you to manage and control your time each day. It will
enable you to stay organized and focus on what matters most and even help you overcome
procrastination. The method that most successful people from Elon Musk to Bill Gates use is “time-
blocking”. Time-blocking is creating a template for how you intend to spend every minute of your
day. Students should therefore follow this method to manage their time more fruitfully .
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER WHILE SCHEDULING YOUR DAILY ROUTINE:
I. PRIORITIZE TASKS:

Prioritize tasks based on importance and urgency. For example, look

at your daily tasks and determine which are:

 Important and urgent: Do these tasks right away.

 Important but not urgent: Decide when to do these tasks.
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 Urgent but not important: Delegate these tasks if possible.
 Not urgent and not important: Set these aside to do later.
II. SET A TIME LIMIT FOR TASKS:
Setting time constraints for completing tasks helps you be more focused and
efficient. Making the small extra effort to decide on how much time you need to allot for
each task can also help you recognize potential problems before they arise.
III. TAKE BREAKS:
When doing a lot of tasks without a break, it is harder to stay focused and
motivated. Allow some downtime between tasks to clear your head and refresh yourself.
Consider grabbing a brief nap, going for a short walk, or meditating.
IV. MENTION DEADLINES:
Write down the deadlines for projects, or for tasks that are part of
completing the overall project. This help you to stay focused on time limits and you can put
your best effort to fulfill the task on time.
4. PLAN AHEAD:
Another method of time management is to have a clear idea of everyday
tasks. Make sure you start every day with a definite idea of what you need to do – what
needs to get done that day. Consider making it a habit to, at the end of each workday, go
ahead and write out your “to-do” list for the next workday. That way you can mange your
time in well manner.
5. LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY:
When it comes to time management, technology is your friend! There’s an
array of time management apps you can download to help you get things
done. Additionally, even simple and existing tools like timers and calendars on your
handheld device can be used for time management.
By following all of these methods one can manage time effectively and these
effective time management skills can have a positive impact on your work and life in
general. When you learn to take control of your time on a daily basis, you can improve your
ability to get things done, make better decisions and most importantly, gain ultimate
control of your key priorities.