The Secret to Better Time Management

The Secret to Better Time Management

Are there things in your life you need to do but never seem to find the time?We all have some form of unfinished business. We look at our to-do list and realize that there are other responsibilities we have to fulfill. We then move that list to the next day. Then next day comes and we realize that we don't have enough time to fulfill everything. So, the same thing happens: we move some of the tasks to the next day still. One day we realize that there are just too many things to do, the 24 hours in one day aren't enough. We created an intricate web for ourselves and gotten impossibly tangled up somehow.

We come up with so many excuses, but when we look back, we could've actually squeezed in most of the activities between schedules. Ironically, it is by doing those activities that will ultimately help us free up time.

If you happen to be a leader, you know you have to be more careful with how you manage your time. Your people will somehow lose their respect for you when they see you as a disorganized person. As a leader, you need to start thinking more proactively about how your time and how your actions can have a ripple effect on your other responsibilities.

So how do you get out of this unproductive cycle? You first need to learn how to backfill your schedule. You can block off chunks of time to doing the crucial tasks in case something comes up. It basically teaches you to prepare for the unexpected. If you become too rigid with your scheduling, you are most likely to ruin your schedule when an emergency arises. You need to find ways to ensure that those important tasks are completed so that you also have time to spare. If nothing comes up, give yourself a pat on the back and use that time to do something relaxing and rewarding.

Before you make any new plans, you must firmly decide what you are willing to sacrifice. You simply cannot do everything you want to in life. You have to learn the value of a trade up. If you want career success, then you have to let go of some of your leisure activities. Think of whether or not it's worth the exchange. Once you've decided, follow through with your decisions. If you can't get your work done at the set schedule, you may need to steal a few hours from something else. That's just the way life works, and you should know what you most value to make you feel comfortable about your decisions.

Ask yourself these questions so that you can find a healthy balance in your life: What is most important to me? What activities do I most enjoy doing? Are my sacrifices worth it? We all want to get the maximum benefit to ourselves from the energy and effort we expend. If we all work harder, you can ensure that the results will reflect the time and effort that we invested.