Time Management

So what does this remind you all?? Pretty Simple isn't it..TIME

And we've all got lots of Time. Just that we don't understand how to plan it well.

So today, let's learn something about Time Management. And here's my agenda 

• What is Time Management?
• Common Time Thief's
• What is Time Matrix?
• How to set Goals
• How to make To-Do List

What is Time Management?

Time management is commonly defined as the various means by which people effectively use their time and other closely related resources in order to make the most out of it.

Common Time Thief's

Above are some good examples of Time Thief's

• Planning to do too many things at once?? Instead try following "One at a Time approach". I agree in today's world, one has to be on his/her toes and should adapt Multi -Tasking. However it's better we start this way and once you gain expertise, you will automatically multi - task. I plan my tasks using a mobile app. Nowadays, you find lot of mobile apps which are highly efficient and they come at no price. Check for apps like Any.Do MobisleNotes etc.,

• Inability to say "NO". How many of you have a trouble saying NO to someone? I often face this situation of not being able to say a NO to someone. And that in return eats some of my time and my pending tasks get piled up. So all we could do is - Practice saying a NO. Do not undertake things that you can't complete and remain consistent to your goals.

• Interruptions - Now this is the tricky part. We spend lot of time on calling, messaging and social networking. Most of us waste 2 hours per day on the above non-critical activities. Hence drawing a line between critical and personal calls would help us to a large extent. Consider your personal prime time and postpone non-critical calls to a leisure time.

• Unclear objectives - Most of us have many ideas in mind, however we do not plan them accordingly, hence the delegation gets delayed. Hence set goals which are " Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time - based".

• Disorganization - Here prioritizing comes to our rescue. First of all, start addressing the urgent and most important tasks. Later, accomplish whatever you can at the earliest. Certainly their must be tasks left, attach deadlines to things that get delayed. Keep practicing the same process and I am sure over a period, you would be one of the most organized persons in the aisle.

• Stress and Fatigue - Let me ask three questions now and if at-least one of the answers is YES, then yes my friend you are stressed out and need to fix it. So here are my questions and answer to them honestly. 1. Do you feel that pressure of work and personal relationships, and lack of time to do what you need to do are too much to handle?? 2. Is stress affecting your work, quality of life, mental/physical health or personal relationships?? 3. Are you unable to decide what to do, what options to choose and feel unsatisfied with life?? Now if you answered yes to any of these questions, here's a small trick to cope with stress. First of all, avoid unnecessary stress - it can be people, topics or environment. Secondly, alter the situation - be more assertive or be willing to compromise. Thirdly, adjust your standards and attitude(works best but tough to adapt - give a try though). And lastly, accept the things you cant change. Other relaxation techniques like Yoga, Meditation, Listening to music and Focusing on a hobby too can help.

Now let's move on to the next segment.

What is a Time Matrix?

The Time Matrix or Urgent/Important Matrix is a powerful way of thinking about your priorities. This is the way you move from "firefighting" into a position where you can grow your career and business. Also this matrix helps you look at your task list, and quickly identify the activities you should focus on.

Now have a look at the quadrants and understand them clearly.

Now follow the steps below to use the empty matrix to prioritize your activities:

1. The first step is to list all the activities and projects that you feel you have to do. Try to include everything that takes up your time at work, however unimportant. (If you manage your time using a To-Do List or Action Program , you should have done this already.)
2. Next, on a scale of 1 to 5, assign importance to each of the activities. Remember, this is a measure of how important the activity is in helping you meet your goals and objectives. Try not to worry about urgency at this stage.
3. Once you've assigned an importance value to each activity, evaluate its urgency. As you do this, plot each item on the matrix according to the values that you've given it.
4. Now study the matrix using the strategies described below to schedule your priorities.

How to set Goals?

I have described briefly in one of the points above as to how one can set a goal. Now lets see how to break goals on multiple levels.

Goal Today ---> Goal for this month ---> Goal for this year ---> Goal for next 5 years ---> Goal for next 10 years ---> Your dreams

Now once you have these in place, the next to do is converting your goals to tasks. Below is the method of converting your goals to tasks:

• Break each goal into manageable tasks
• Set priority to each task
• Reorder your task list

 Now we have come to the last segment of our today's learning.

How to make To - Do Lists?

To-Do List captures all the tasks you need to do in a given day. It can include other stuff that are not your tasks or goals. Set priority to each item on the list. Try using mobile or web apps for planning your tasks. I already gave some names in one of the above points. Let me mention them again. You can try apps like Any.Do MobisleNotes - Android, schedule planner Smart Time Pro - apple users. There must be lot of other apps too, so try using any of these.

Tips for To-Do list:  Only schedule a part of your day and complete first things first. Use block of times and kill small things in a batch.

Great!!! we have completed our learning now, so lets do a quick review. Just try relating to the points.

Review

• Set Goals
• Prioritize
• Organize
• Learn when to say "NO"
• Consider your personal prime time

And lastly, celebrate your success :-)

Thanks a lot for your time. Hope this information was helpful. Let me meet you guys next week with something new. Adios!!!