Dr. Jyoti Sharma
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours as were given to Helen Keller, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vince, Pasteur Michadangelo and Albert Einstein” A Famous Quote from Life’s Little Instruction Book
Late in Meeting ….Late in Class ….. Late in Lunch …Late in Dining Table…Late! Late! Late!
It is the daily story of all of us. The reason behind it is Poor Time Management. When we can’t accomplish what we truly want to do, we may feel confused and frustrated. Effective time management is the process or sum total of techniques which include prioritizing. In other words it is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals complying with a due date. Before exploring specific time-management techniques, consider several common beliefs which contribute to poor time management, especially undermining the efforts and fixation of priorities-
Belief: My life is completely controlled by external events.
Reality: You can have some control over few aspects of your life, but you and you alone are responsible for initiating that control. Learn to recognize what you can and can’t control before making your choices. Anticipate the future and clarify the external demands that must be faced. From there, it is easier to determine what can be done, and within what time frame, despite the demands.
Belief: I should meet everyone’s expectations.
Reality: It is the fact that the single person can’t fulfill the expectations of all. The needs and demands of others may be inappropriate for you and your lifestyle. They may be poorly timed, highly questionable, or simply unattainable. They may be of a different priority than your own. By trying to meet the expectations of others, you may be shortchanging yourself and your needs. First become clear about what your needs are and then you consider what others expect of you.
Belief: I should have no limits.
Reality: We all have limitations… failure to acknowledge this may raise expectations which leads to frustration. Perfectionists are especially prone to procrastination because the perfection they demand is impossible. For example, no paper will ever be perfect in all ways. The immediate consequence of turning in an imperfect paper may be brief, acute anxiety, but the long-term consequences of procrastination-e.g., inconveniences, academic or career losses and lingering self doubts-are usually more devastating.
Belief: I will do everything.
Reality: Having firm belief in own capability is a good thing. But in the practice of doing everything by self with the cooperation of others, we became very late in meeting our very important comrmitment.
Here comes the role of time management. No doubt with the help of proper time management we can convert all the above mentioned belief into realities. Then the question arises that how can we manage our twenty four hours so efficiently so that we are able to fulfill all commitments on time at both personal as well as official front. As it is important to develop your own style for managing the time and work, consider how the following techniques might be helpful and useful:-
*Use your biological rhythms to your advantage. Identify the times of day when your energy levels are at their highest and do your most important work at those times. For example, if you work best in the morning, finish all the difficult and crucial works in the morning like preparing for the weekly class test or making power point presentation for important official meeting. Set your body watch accordingly and don’t overlook its signals. It means that when your body is tired and demands rest don’t forgo it.
*Optimize your work environment. Keep things you need in your work area and make sure the physical environment is conducive to concentration. Keep distance from the distracting things. You may need to experiment to determine the right work environment. For example, I can perform well with background music while some work best in a quiet some work best at a place reserved only for study while others work best at the bed etc. Try to find the place which provides you the comfort. Try to find what works best for you.
*Safeguard blocks of work time. Protect your time by saying “no” to various interruptions, activities, requests, or persons. Interruptions are a two-fold problem: the interruption itself, and the expectation of further interruptions. Both reduce your effectiveness considerably.
*Prioritize the things: One must prioritize the work according to their urgency. It will save the time, reduce the stress level, fulfill the commitments on time.
Role of Planning in Time Management:
Planning may be defined as the process of thinking in advance about what to do, when to do, how to do and by whom it is to be done. Same is the case with Time Management. In the process of time management first of all we have to think about overview of everything that we want to accomplish. Start by determining the time frame in which we would like to work with (a semester, a month, a week, a day?). Planning helps an individual to know what all he needs to do urgently and what all can be done a little later.
To plan things better, employees should prepare a Task Plan where they can jot down tasks against the time slots assigned to each activity. High priority activities must come on top followed by the ones which do not require immediate attention. Planning helps you accomplish urgent and critical tasks way ahead of deadline. You can also use a table top calendar for the same as I do.
In the next step remember your day to day personal maintenance. There are certain activities-if neglected-will throw the life out of balance and undermine the high priority efforts (i.e., activities such as sleeping, eating, socializing, exercising, doing the laundry, etc.), Include them in the planning schedule.
Plan each day and week as you go through the timetable: Consider each week as a subcategory to be planned, and similarly each day within a given week. Each day and each week, review your time table. New, unexpected items will come up; adjust your plans accordingly. In order to avoid frustration, expect some unexpected things to happen-e.g., things like problems with your computer. Plan in extra time and/or be ready to adjust your plan, still keeping your high priority goals in mind. Consistency is the master key of achievement. But at the same time balance on work is required. Work on small portions every day of work that will be due by the end of the week, starting with the most important tasks first. In time Management, Weekly reviews and updates are also an important strategy. Each week, like a Sunday night, review your assignments, your notes, your calendar. Be mindful that as deadlines and exams approach, your weekly routine must adapt to them
Last but not least try to avoid over planning. Sometime we do plan in bulk, which also leads to frustration. It is essential for everyone to value time, as time once lost never comes back, no matter how much money we spend. An individual who fails to deliver results on time is appreciated by none and is never taken seriously in any field.
(The author is Assistant Director NRHM (P&S)
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