Sometimes, people think that there is not enough time during the day to get the things done, while everyone has the same 24 hours in order to achieve the set objectives. Thus, the root cause of that problem might be poor time management since there are always people who can manage their time extremely well. Thereafter, the major objective of the paper is to discuss the concept of time management, as well as look at its specific examples, strategies and limitations.
Everyone has many things to do in life; no matter if a person works as a CEO in an international organization, or is a housewife, he or she might face a situation when there is not enough time to do the needed tasks. People now live in the era of a fast-changing environment and globalization, which is why it is important to manage time effectively. Thus, people cannot manage time in the way they manage the resources that are of psychical and human nature. Time belong to the type of the resource that should be used immediately as it cannot be delayed since wasted time is the one that is lost forever. Therefore, time is mainly classified as a finite resource. Even though time cannot be controlled, people can manage themselves and other situational resources related to time, which is known as time management. Time management is closely connected with self-regulation, and it demands a certain set of skills and abilities that allow people to make use of their time effectively (Cannon, 1996).
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Many different aspects can characterize time management that include flexibility, balance, and time control, while it is a habit that can be extremely helpful when dealing with time. It can be developed with the help of determination and constant practice by setting certain goals and prioritizing them. Time management is a process that is used by a person in order to accomplish his or her goals more effectively, and it lets a person have a better control over the situation in order to see what can be accomplished within a certain period. The key aspect in time management is related to the knowledge of how much time would be needed to accomplish a certain task, as it would help the person to set the time frame and become effective in using that time. Self-discipline and realization of importance of ones’ personal objectives that are to be achieved are vital here. Time management is also connected with minimization of the distraction, as well as treating the situations in a way that might display and shift one’s priorities. Researchers prove that time management bases on the necessity to determine what should be done with the help of goal setting techniques and decide what the most important is and what resources it would take to accomplish that. In addition, there has been always debates over the exact behaviors and skills that identify that time management is effective. Thereafter, some common traits needed for proper time management include being self-aware, appropriately structuring time, setting goals and prioritizing them, improving personal efficacy, setting a schedule for activities, and setting time for relaxation. The time management behaviors include list-making approach, setting goals, organizing, keeping and checking the effectiveness of the set schedule, as well as breaking the tasks into smaller parts (with further prioritization). The three broad clusters of behavior common to time management are to be considered, and they include setting targets and prioritizing them, applying time-management mechanisms, and having an organization preference. It is also relevant to mention that time management is important in every sphere of everyday life, especially for students in educational facilities, such as universities and schools, and workers within various organizations. People tend to have time management courses that are to help an individual to get the desired skills (Hellsten, n.d.).
There are different approaches to time management, and this paper shall discus some of them. Also, the paper shall look into such major steps of time management as goal setting, being organized, delegating some tasks to others, relaxing and recharging, and getting rid of the feeling of guilt. The major milestones in effective time management are perfectionism and procrastination. Once the tasks that are important are put aside, one’s anxiety is increased, and this might be the reason for further delays as people do not have the confidence in achieving the objective that they had before. Perfectionism also can be a significant obstacle in time management since by trying to accomplish every task on the perfect level people minimize the chances of doing it in time. Besides, there is nothing bad in not getting the 100% good results as long as the quality is not affected.
The personal success depends on goal setting, and it is related to execution of the set priorities. Every person has short-term and long-term objectives, and sometimes, small distractions take one’s time preventing them from achieving set goals. In order to make sure a person is not affected by these distractions, it is important to write down the list of the long- and short-term objectives and then prioritize them according to the values in life. The example can be the desire to obtain MBA and travel to Mexico. The latter seems to be more exciting, and one might want to achieve it first, while the former might be more challenging and important as it would provide the person with an opportunity to get more money in the future and travel not only to Mexico.
The next step concerns organization that includes two main components: organizing time and actions. Disorganization adds stress and allocates resources the wrong way since time is wasted on realization of what should be done. Organizing also has a stage of prioritizing as people might spend time on unnecessary actions that can be avoided. People must distinguish between important and insignificant tasks. A useful activity when organizing time can be the development of a certain system that can be used in the future and would help to optimize the processes. The examples of organizing can be the calendar management and developing a ‘tick lists’.
Delegation is also very important as if a person does not give a task to other people, he or she can be doing many extra activities that could have been done faster by someone else, while complex tasks are left and the overall objective is not achieved. It is useful to think whether the task can be delegated, but the downside of delegation is that it still should be checked for validity and quality Since others can do tasks improperly.
Relaxation is an important stage of all time-management process as it helps a person to ‘recharge’ and avoid significant stress. The example can be a short vacation or time spent with family and friends. Well-rested individuals tend to be more effective, productive and have better motivation to get the things done in time.
The last component is connected with getting rid of the guilt as it might be a result of the things that were not done, and this can make people lose focus and concentration, as well as experience stress. The moderate amount of stress is useful, but once it is turned into anxiety, it may even have a negative effect on health. Moreover, it can lead to depression, preventing a person from effective time management. People must just learn to let go and try to focus on what they can do in the future instead of being stressed and feeling guilty over the tasks that have not been done and time that have gone. Unfortunately, if people are overstressed and feel guilty all the time, it can result in chronic mental conditions and might require medical treatment (Jackson, 2009).
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In general, despite the fact that time management is a technique that is recognized on the world level, there is no unique definition of that. Researchers cannot agree on common skills and behaviors that are important for effective time management; still, the most common are thought to be the time analysis, effective planning, setting the goals, setting priorities, organizing and scheduling, and developing time-management habits. If a person manages to develop strong time-management skills, he or she has a better performance and has a feeling of the time control, which is a very important aspect. Good time-management skills have proven to help in showing high academic achievement. There is certain critiques of time management, but they require additional research (Hellsten, n.d.).
In conclusion, time that is managed effectively can bring multiple advantages and opportunities. It is a crucial factor that determines success in many fields of global economy and social life. There have been developed many techniques of effective time management that can help people with appropriately using their time. Organization and planning are key priorities within time management, even though people should not forget about such things as relaxation and getting rid of the guilt as well.
