Time Management

It is not easy task. But we can do it!

Managing our time is getting challenging day by day with increasing responsibilities, commitments and expectations.

Managing our time successfully is the secret to accomplishing not only “what we must”…..but also “what we want.”

When we don’t accomplish our set goals, we start doubting ourselves and this starts a negativism build up in our fragile subconscious mind.

To avoid or stop this from happening , we need to stop sending “Why” messages to our brain, instead try asking yourself “How?”

e.g.

“Why can’t I ever meet deadlines?” –> “How can I meet the deadlines?”

“Why do I always fail in this?” –> “How can I succeed in this?”

It is ultimately a mind game! You have to play trick on your own mind.

The reason I say this as over the years we have been programmed in such ways “David ,do this!, Do that!”. We find ourselves caught in a web of set expectations and success goals in respect to finances,career and “happiness”.

We fail to realize that this “happiness” thing is not the authentic happiness. As long it does not come from within, we do not experience long lasting happiness.

Sometimes we are so tired in our race, that we just tell ourselves that we do not care as long as we get through the day OK .

But one tiny voice in back of our mind whispers  now and then – “hey I wish I could just find time to watch that game tonight”, “I wish I could attend that party”, I wish I could take a vacation”.

Why not? You can do things that “you want to do” while still doing things that “you must do”.

Effective time management is your key to maintain that balance.

First let’s dismiss some myths:

MYTH: I should meet everyone’s expectations.

FACT : It is humanly not possible to please everyone you know. You have to realize that the needs and demands of others maybe inappropriate for you and your lifestyle. You may have different priorities than theirs. And it is absolutely OK. You need to be clear what your needs and priorities are first …… BEFORE you consider what others expect of you. This is the only way you can make yourself and remain happy. If you are happy, you can make others happy.

MYTH: My life is completely controlled by external events.

FACT: You and only you are responsible for initiating control in your own life. You should not wait for someone else to tell you what to do. Self motivation leads to success. Procrastination makes you fail. Try not to depend on deadlines to guide you. Make your own deadlines. Take control of your life. Make your business, YOUR business. Anticipate the future, make some calculations to develop a  base to start.There will always a “lot” to do in a given amount of time. Key is again setting priorities. Evaluate and decide what needs to be done at this moment and what can be done later. 

MYTH: I should have no limits.

FACT: We all have limits….failure to acknowledge this fact will cause unnecessary anxiety and stress in our life. If we are never happy with ourselves, we will never achieve the feeling of self accomplishment and self content. This will impact our self-confidence and day to day life in a negative way .Having reasonable expectations will free you from unnecessary constant decision  making fatigue, worries and now will provide you with “extra” time  to do the things “you want to do.” You will find that you have “gained ” time by just rearranging your expectations and priorities to reasonable ones instead of impossible ones.

MYTH: I should wait for a sign. 

FACT: There is nothing like someone giving you a sign in this world. This is not a race that you are running at the drop of a signal . Life should not be a race; lot of times it does end up becoming one which is sad. Life should be a journey, a pleasant one. When we close our eyes to reach to our “happy” place, we should be able to recollect happy moments and not have any disappointment and tears that we “could have done this and that ,wish we had just some more time to do the things we wanted to”… Life is the string of moments that we build. If you wait for someone else to give us the yes to “live”, it will not be “your” life. Be yourself to lead a happy life. The only person who can give you a signal for a happy life is YOU YOURSELF.

Some techniques for time management that have worked for me over these past years.

–Make a note of everything you want to accomplish. Write down the list of tasks you want to finish over a course of time. This way you get the “lay of the land” first.

–Define your goals clearly.Out of the list of tasks above you created,you need to know what really you need to and want to pursue. 

–Set your priorities. Label each goal activity in the order of decreasing importance and as either A (of most importance), B ( of moderate importance) and C (of least importance).

–Set your own deadlines. Allow some wiggle space, don’t be cruel to yourself.

–Make a reasonable schedule, assign certain targets to achieve each day in order to meet the deadline.

–Do not procrastinate. Stay ahead but not too ahead. Its OK to slow down sometimes. Make a fair judgement to strike the right balance.

–Allow some time for unexpected delays, have a “cushion”.

–Know that change is the one thing which is a constant. Doing above steps is not all in all. You need to review your timetable schedule and your As, Bs and Cs and update and rearrange your activities as priorities change in order to be most productive and efficient. Avoid getting bogged down too much in “C” tasks. You may consider skipping these or deleting these from your schedule depending on your time availability and deadlines.

–Remember the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) 80 percent of the value of your results obtained by doing 20 percent of your activities. So you should concentrate on doing high value tasks first. 

–Multitasking but without losing your focus on important things is the key. 

–Avoid time-wasters and interruptions. You may need to say “NO” to various interruptions, activities, requests and persons. Interruptions are two fold problem; the interruption itself and the expectation of further interruptions. You can minimize or avoid interruptions by- arranging your work area in less traffic zone or your back is towards it, close your door and open it selectively, return phone calls and messages at a convenient time to you, use a quiet place if possible, decrease use of your electronics.

There are certain limits to which actual “organisation” is helpful. Spending too much time on organizing is also a waste of time.

One tool that has helped me keep track of my work and time management is one of these.

Good luck with effective management of your time!

Please comment if any further suggestions..

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