What Is Time Management In Simple Words?

 What Is Time Management In Simple Words?

Hearty Welcome. This is an important question that requires seeking an answer. Having clarity on time management is essential. This will help you assess and come up with ideas and processes for time management.

Many individuals hold various misconceptions about time management. Some even have assumptions about what it is. Some people even start hating time management. These simply make time management difficult. So you must know what time management is. Clarity is the first requirement for a person to achieve better results.

This question can be answered by understanding two essential pieces of knowledge.

1. Understand what time management is.
2. Understand what time management is NOT.

Here is the blog post titled "Why to Manage Time," which explains the reasons for effective time management. This blog post covers the concepts of time management.

Understand what time management is

At its core, time management is the conscious process of planning and exercising control over time. This allows you to allocate your time to specific activities. The goal is to work smarter, not harder. This way you can increase your effectiveness. It also increases efficiency and productivity, all while reducing stress.

Think of it as the art and science of creating a life. You can create a life where you are in control of your time. Additionally, instead of letting your time control you, you are in control of your time. It’s about being intentional.

Time management revolves around five pillars. Let's see it one by one.

Gaining Awareness

This first step is gaining awareness. What awareness should you possess? You should know where your time is going. What are the activities you are spending time on? Which activities bring value to your life? Which activities bring value to your health?


While accessing, you need to be true to yourself. You should be honest at least with yourself. If you are spending time on TV, Netflix, or mindless social media scrolling, you are not doing anything productive. Please add it. It is acceptable. Many people do spend a hell of a lot of time on these.


One more thing to access is to choose a time range. Track based on your comfort. It can be 1 hour, 2 hours, or 3 hours. Tracking too much is injurious to time management. Be approximate. Avoid being influenced by online tools. Write them down in a journal. This will give more clarity. Hand-to-head (pen-to-book-to-head) connection is important.

Setting Clear Goals (The "Why")

The most essential question is: Have clarity on your goals. If there is no goal, then there is no direction. If you haven't established direction and goals, how might time management be beneficial? Right?

While setting goals, think of short-term and long-term goals. Goals can and will change. But log it. Also, don't think about just a career or business you are interested in. Diversify goals in career, health, hobbies, and family. I am simply providing some ideas. You can choose.

Task Prioritization

Time management, or prioritization, is a must-have skill. If you set 1 or 2 goals, let’s be honest, you will not be able to do it all in a single day. If you have a day job or family responsibilities, then your circumstances may be more challenging. Given the limited time available, you need to be strategic. You need to think about and judge which task is important. You need to decide what will do good to you.

Keep in mind that deciding on task priority can be daunting. It's worth all the effort. We need to determine which tasks are high-value and which are low-value. Which tasks are important, and which tasks are urgent? Which tasks are not negotiable, and which can be delegated?

Some tasks that you might want to take on may not be urgent or important at any given time. But this exercise is there to help you prioritize the tasks.

 

Planning and Structuring (The "How")

Time management is about planning and structuring your tasks. It may sound simple, but it needs some time to plan and structure your tasks. But a good exercise is totally worth it.

What will you do today, this week, and this month? That vision is what will make you an effective time manager. You might say, "I have done this." I never complete tasks I plan to complete. Well, trust me, this is so normal. The goal is to complete. However, if you achieve any percentage of your goal, it is still time to celebrate. However, by completing part of the tasks, you have made progress and moved forward. The goal is to progress, NOT to be perfect.

Sometimes, people can afford to allocate time for their tasks. But sometimes it's not possible. So what to do? That's your judgment. If you believe that completing the task is more important than the time it takes, then proceed without scheduling a specific time for it. Just do it.

 

Creating systems and tools

Effective management involves creating systems and tools that enhance productivity.  Additionally, I can help you complete the tasks you wanted to do.  Some examples are turning off phones. Here's another example using the Pomodoro technique. Keep in mind that it may NOT work for you. However, it is worth giving it a try.

Is it better to write in a physical book or to use digital tools? Well, it is just my opinion. Science suggests that connecting the hand to the head is more beneficial. effective. Digital tools disconnect your hand and head. Also, too much screen time will numb you out. But again, this is my personal opinion. I may be an old-school guy. But you can decide which one to go to.

 

Ultimate Freedom and Fulfillment

Time management should give you complete freedom and fulfillment in the long run. For the short term, you will need to swallow some unhappiness. Say you have a day job. But you need to start that million-dollar business. A day job will bring bread to your table so that you can work on that million-dollar business. So in the short term, you need to swallow some discomfort.

Essentially, time management will help you achieve your goals or come closer. This will give a sense of fulfillment. With time management, you'll be able to accomplish tasks faster and better.

If you manage your time well, you will be in charge. You have freedom to choose the tasks. Identify those tasks that are important to you both in the short and long term.

What time management is NOT

Filling your day with tasks

A common myth is that effective time management is about filling your day with tasks. This is partially correct. You will need to fill tasks that really matter to you and your life.

Just using timeboxing to fill every hour will make you a robot. This will not make you any wiser. Also, you need some rest days and hours. Rest days and hours will help you rejuvenate.

Simply completing your tasks may lead to stress and burnout. This is not a positive sign. You are pushing your limits too hard. This is not at all good. Push your limits, but don’t push so hard that you get burned out.

 

Being Busy for sake of it

Being busy may not be productive. You may be busy but not productive. You may be too busy with a task but may not be resourceful. So keep in mind that task management is not there to keep you busy. But help you be smart, resourceful, and productive.

Multitasking

If you are multitasking and thinking you are managing time well, I have bad news for you. Science says switching tasks will impact the quality of time and work. It simply drains your energy. Multitasking is so tempting to do. But seldom helps. So refrain from multitasking. Focus on one and just one thing at any given point of time.

One-Size-Fits-All System

Time management differs from person to person. Each person is unique and has different goals in life. Things that work for one person will not work for another person.


In my experience, I tried time blocking. But right at that time, my juniors would interrupt, and I had to switch the context. So I started with the Pomodoro technique. When Pomodoro was interrupted, I could restart the Pomodoro timer.

 

Perfection

Don't strive for perfect execution in time management. You cannot meet all the goals. Meeting all-time goals is not possible for any sane person.

You miss deadlines, and you feel down about tasks. This shows you are a normal person. Remember, progress should take priority over perfection. People succeed because they progress, not because they are perfect. Perfection is injurious to your life and goals. So be aware of it and avoid it at all costs.

Just work and a career.

Time management is not just about work and career. It can be applied to family and your hobbies. Time management can be applied when you learn a new skill, say, practice swimming.

Time management encompasses every aspect of life. One who knows how to manage time will manage every other thing.

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Please download the PDF of infographics here.

Additional Resources:

1. 8-time-management-tips-for-students [Harvard]
2. Time-Management Articles [Coursera]