It is extremely common for almost all of us to be heard complaining that we do not have sufficient time, and 24 hours, though mathematically is a lot of time, almost never seems enough! While this is not uncommon amongst all of us regardless of our ages or our occupations, it is definitely significant for the student population. Especially in the upcoming season of examinations, many of us end up with our schedules restricted to be on the paper or in our heads, but almost never are we able to follow through on it completely!
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Therefore, the following are some of the points which we could keep in mind to help us manage our time effectively:
1. Prioritize effectively. Regardless of the amount of workload we have, it is necessary to prioritize the list, and restrict our present plan based on the reasonable amount of time, energy and resources available to us at the moment. Striving to do more than is reasonable is only going to be counter-productive.
2. Structuring is essential. Often, we associate routines only with tasks which need to be accomplished at our school, or profession. However, if we are to manage the 24 hours of the day effectively, we need to have a structure for the entire time, including for our fun and leisure as well!
3. Set specific and smart goals. The efficacy of any time Management plan depends to a large extent on the nature of the goals which you are working towards. It is essential to keep these goals as specific and measurable, and within a reasonable and realistic time limit, not based on an ideal time-limit.
4. Avoid multi-tasking. Contrary to popular belief, multi-tasking is actually counterproductive, because you are actually switching between tasks, which would increase the mistakes, your stress levels, and would end up wasting more time and reducing your efficiency in the long run. In addition, if you are multitasking between work and your relationships, you are likely to lead to dilution in the quality of both!
5. Don’t forget the influence of extraneous factors. One of the most common mistakes people make when managing time is to neglect the role of factors which may not be within our control, which are more than likely to interfere with our plan. So, it is a must for us to be prepared in advance. Think of the times when one is going to board a flight, it would definitely be more sensible to consider the traffic involved and keep an extra margin rather than relying solely on the distance to the airport!
6. Review your time management. In case you keep making plans but are unable to follow through on them (as with a lot of us), it could be helpful to step back and re-look at your day. Make a note of where your time is actually being spent, in order to enable you to review your plan accordingly. You can also review the expected time as well as the actual time taken to complete the task as a review of your plan.
