Time: The most important asset of our lives. Organising 24 hours of a day is a difficult task for some people. So I am writing this article in a hope that it would help you to organise your 24 hours effectively.
Some obstacles which stops you from effective organisation of your time:
1. Procrastination: It is most important enemy to you. Delaying your day’s work will lengthen your time in achieving your goals.
Never leave ’till tomorrow which you can do today.- Benjamin Franklin
A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. Both do the same thing; only at different times.- Baltasar Gracian
2. Lack of Self – Discipline: Self – discipline make you aware of the top most priorities. Lack of it may lead you into a state of jeopardy.
3. Unexpected Events: These events include Drop in visitors, Distractions, Phone calls etc. They eat away lot of your time without notice.
4. Ineffective Study: It means has to study number of times again and again to understand a topic.
5. Stress.
6. Losing track of your time.
7. Attempting to do too many things, this ends up in doing nothing.
8. Inadequate planning.
9. Keeping too many things in your head.
You may have some other problems other than these.
TIME MANAGEMENT
First of all, we should know what Time Management is.
Time Management is a type of self management which includes techniques, strategies, skills etc for organising the time with an aim to achieve efficiency in time utilisation.
IMPORTANCE:
Time Management is important for different persons for different reasons. Some of them are:
a. It helps to become aware of your time wasters.
b. It helps to determine your priorities.
c. It ensures that you have time for all the important activities.
d. It helps in setting goals and achieving them.
e. It helps you to structure your 24 hours of a day effectively.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS:
1. Preparing TO – DO – LIST:
Using TO – DO – LIST will help you very much in controlling your tasks and keep yourself organised. Writing on a paper helps you to work on it and will help you in prioritizing your tasks according to you needs.
2. Start Today:
Do not delay your work. You are wasting lot of unnoticed time by this. So never procrastinate. Start your work today.
3. Apply 80/20 rule:
This rule states that 20% of your efforts account for 80% of your TO – DO – LIST. Some things have higher return than other. Invest your time and energy more in those activities.
4. Learn to say NO:
Some people become commit themselves for more and more tasks because of their inability to say NO. They waste time on some of the unimportant things. Learn to say NO to things which have low priority and invest your time to do important activities.
5. Prioritizing:
It is a process of deciding which tasks are more important of the several tasks. Priorities are decided by your goals and values. Determine your priorities by analysing the benefits, demerits of the tasks and how they help you to achieve your goals.
6. Develop Speed Reading:
Try to read with speed effectively. Use a pointer while reading. Learn where to slow and where to speed up. Effective reading will help you to remember the topic you may not require to repeat the study number of times.
7. Divide your Work:
Divide your big tasks into small manageable tasks. Each divided task should be completed with some breaks in between in your study.
8. Always be proactive not reactive
9. Control Interruptions
10. Build in extra time for unexpected events
11. Perform one task at a time
12. Develop procedures for routine matters
13. Complete every assigned task
14. Use spare time intelligently
15. Always be enthusiastic
Remember these Quotes:
1. Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.- Charles Richards
2. Ordinary people think merely of spending time. Great people think of using it.
3. Never let yesterday use up today.- Richard H. Nelson
4. You may delay, but time will not.- Benjamin Franklin
5.The great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in five words: “I did not have time.”- Franklin Field
6. Better three hours too soon, than one minute too late.- William Shakespeare
7.Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.- Rodin
8. To do two things at once is to do neither.- Publius Syrus
9. Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got.- Art Buchwald
There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.
There is a time to be born and a time to die. There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants.
There is a time to kill and a time to heal. There is a time to destroy and a time to build.
There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad and a time to dance.
There is a time to throw away stones and a time to gather them. There is a time to hug and a time not to hug.
There is a time to look for something and a time to stop looking for it. There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away.
There is a time to tear apart and a time to sew together. There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.
There is a time to love and a time to hate. There is a time for war and a time for peace.
Every one has only 24 hours in a day. It’s only in your hands to spend it wisely and your success depends on it. So think about it.
Best Regards
Raghuram
CAclubindia
