By Ritvik Ellendula
Time Management Defined
“The lost time is never found again.” Benjamin Franklin once uttered these words, and their impact sticks with society far after his passing. Time is the one currency people cannot gain back, no matter what. For that reason, time management – the art of planning, prioritizing, and performing – remains essential worldwide. Time management is a very vital soft skill that can increase productivity exponentially. Essentially, time management means planning ways to divide time for different activities. There are countless tasks and objectives to complete in a single day, so time management helps people reduce stress while staying productive and efficient. For parents reading this blog, a single day may include a 9-5 job, dropping kids off, attending an event, and preparing meals. With these multiple activities and tasks, stress can build up, leading to many adverse side effects. However, with time management by your side, stress vanishes in the blink of an eye.
Time Management V. Procrastination
When was the last time you procrastinated on something? We all have before. Maybe you’re procrastinating on an assignment by reading this blog or browsing through social media. Through time management, we learn how to minimize procrastination. Procrastination stems from disdain towards a task, leading to conscious or unconscious avoidance of that task. However, by using time management skills, we can constantly stay focused on the task at hand, reducing distractions.
Do you have any ideas you want to chase? Maybe it’s writing a book or starting a business. Studies show that people waste nearly two hours daily. What if that time could be spent on creating your passion? Time management is the key to saving time and chasing your dreams.
Techniques
- Eisenhower Matrix
The Eisenhower matrix is a 2 x 2 box, which helps prioritize tasks, allowing people to achieve what they are required to do before working on optional activities, thus helping minimize procrastination. If you’d like to learn more about this technique, look up “Eisenhower Matrix.”
- Time Blocking
If you’ve ever used google calendar, this term will be very familiar. A time blocking schedule contains the hours of one day. Next, you can write down the activities for that given hour. For example, 5-6 Sports/Outdoor activities and 6-7 Family activities. This method allows for increased focus and productivity, helping reduce procrastination. Like the Eisenhower matrix, I heavily suggest looking this up to learn more.
- Daily Highlight
One goal. Every day. This is the concept behind the “daily highlight.” A daily highlight is the idea of completing one task every day. All other objectives and goals come after it. This one objective takes priority. The daily highlight exponentially increases productivity, as any free time will be directed towards this one goal. For example, when you wake up, let’s say your daily highlight is to finish a work/school assignment. That day, this one objective must be completed regardless of what else you do. Everything else comes second, assuring you accomplish YOUR daily highlight.
