Managing Time for Success
- Right from your college days, people thrust this saying upon you or invariably, you start believing in the phrase ‘Time is Money’. It simply emphasizes on value of time and how it has become the most precious commodity and crucial part of our life in this 21st century! However, it seems that there is never enough time in the day. But, since we all get the same 24 hours, I have always wondered as to why is it that some people achieve so much more with their time than others? The answer lies in ‘good time management’.
- I have seen people complaining that they don’t have time, they are busy, and they don’t get time for family, for hobbies and passion. Thanks to the fast-paced life, ever-demanding job roles where overtime has become a norm, friends and family having more time to connect on social media than meeting in person, more activities and thrust on multi-tasking, it definitely spotlights the necessity that our actions should co-ordinate with time. We really need to be time-committed.One of the most important factors contributing to the success of Nirmiti Academy is effective time management. At Nirmiti, we strongly believe that managing time well means prioritizing your goals, thoughts and actions efficiently which will lead you to success. I have learned, experienced and imbibed the techniques of utilizing these principles of time management quite thoroughly. They have not only benefited our participants but also in my own success journey in life and at work and I am sure that they will work out for you as well.
- Certainly, with dreams and goals, come responsibilities. Hence, it is vital to make minute but significant changes in your mindset. Sitting down to make a To-Do list is the 1st pivotal change. Right from starting with making a list of activities to be performed daily to executing these activities as per the plan is a journey of 3Ps – Plan, Prepare and Practice. For me, this has considerably helped to be committed to my everyday goals. We encourage our students to explore Stephen Covey’s Goals – 4 disciplines of execution and Urgent – Important Matrix to prioritize their routine tasks in urgent and important quadrants. Simultaneously, I have also started maintaining an Almanac wherein I record events, task follow-ups, and meeting reminders, which gives me a direction to schedule and perform my responsibilities in a far more organized manner.
- Upon detailing your tasks, it is important to convert them into SMART goals. Can I really apply these principles to few of my mundane tasks – Can I get ready for my official presentation along with managing my kid’s project work in 2 days? Can I complete my grocery purchase and plan Sunday feast for my in-laws on the same day? Being clear of our priorities and sticking to timelines is the key. This outlook gives a person more clarity to his objectives, drives one forward to success and makes one more accountable as well.
- Being a rather more disciplined and organized person in all these years of my career, ability to say ‘No’ and avoid distractions comes very naturally to me. Once you start scheduling your work and time, saying no becomes much easier. If you have started your corporate career, appearing for your competitive exams, completing your kid’s exams, classes or project work, or fulfilling your interests and passions, saying no is a great virtue to acquire!
- I have also learnt to be flexible and allot buffer time in my scheduled day. This helps to take a breather and put best foot forward for the next job without any hassle. By doing this, I have also learnt to handle unexpected things that emerge with little invitation. It also brings a fine balance in work and life and prepares one to present confidently in all roles. This has made me calmer and more controlled and acts a ‘switch’ in real sense.
- Interestingly, the Gandhian philosophy of completing your tasks now than today can be applied to overcome the snoozing trait. By procrastinating your goals, you only fuel up stress and chaos in your daily routines. People often have shared their reasons behind procrastination of planning overwhelming and longer tasks. Dividing such daunting tasks into sizeable bytes gives you greater judgement, enables you to start and finish a task on scheduled time and makes one more productive at the end of the day!
- One of the most-known time wasters is when people don’t follow the timelines and get you delayed. Be it service providers, meeting members, telecallers, waiting time at the reception, are totally useless in my opinion. In such cases, I started to conduct my meets with fixed start and end time. Also, saying no and excusing you from such tasks, deliveries or meets will be very essential. Just like laughing, being on time is a great infectious quality. Once you start appreciating time, people also start exhibiting good attitude. Patience is indeed a key.
- Managing time has completely changed my life and made me what I am. Suddenly, I have started being more productive at both personal and professional roles. These tips and techniques have certainly helped me to prioritize urgent and important situations. Most importantly, I have started ‘making more time’ to explore my interests, things that I enjoy doing just for myself!
- At the end, it is also important to manage the time the way it works for you. Adapt these principles to your life to get the most out of it. Surely, this change in my lifestyle has brought more respect and credibility in all my areas.
One moment gone cannot be retrieved. So remember, “Time flies but realize that You are the Pilot”. Time is equal for all it’s on us how we utilize it to your advantage so as to achieve transformational results. Our Effective time management module at Nirmiti Academy all together talks about setting your goals, prioritizing activities and saying no, distinguishing between urgent and important, planning and scheduling work, and much more…
By managing time, you are simply taking steps to manage Self. And that itself is a steps towards evolving into a winning personality.