Time is limited. Once it’s gone, you will never get it back. To be productive, we have to use it wisely. Failure to plan is planning to fail. When we are more efficient, productive, and organized, we have more time to do and enjoy the things that we truly love. Time management is the act of taking conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities. Time management helps to practice skills and use tools, techniques to aid you when accomplishing tasks, projects, or working towards achieving goals and deadlines.
Some of the time management skills are:
Goal Setting
The most fundamental of time management skills is the ability to use your time in a manner that serves your goals. All goals that are set should be well-timed, which means that there should be a set deadline attached to the goal. This gives an individual motivation to meet the goal within a certain time frame. Each action performed should make us closer to our goals.
Prioritization
Prioritizing should not start with a focus on getting maximum work done. It should begin with avoiding or eliminating the tasks which are not necessary. For doing this, making a to-do-list, scheduling time for the to-do-list makes deadlines realistic. Check off all work as soon as you finish it, saying "no" is sometimes justified.
Planning
Tasks will overlap and be dependent on each other. There will often be times when one task cannot be started until another task is finished. The plan will also be impacted by the schedules of others. These factors need to be considered at the beginning of each project and monitored throughout. Failure leads to delays and missed deadlines. Planning in advance all the tasks will be required to complete a project and how they will best fit together. A well-made plan will save you a great deal of time.
Communication Skills
Strong communication skills will enable us to build supportive connections with those whom we work with. When we require someone else to do some work for us; we have to communicate in a manner that will enable them to perform the work at the desired standard, in the minimum time. If any mistake is there, we will want to raise the issue quickly and explain clearly about the adjustments that need to be made for which communication is required.
Delegation
Delegate work to others. One of the greatest time management skills is knowing the right person to perform the task. When delegating, it is important that you provide all of the necessary information. Also, ensure that the person who will perform the task is clear about what is expected of them.
Record Keeping
Record-keeping helps in further references. It helps us in finding the necessary information at the moment we need it. One must determine what information needs to be put at what place to ensure that it is collected and stored in an appropriate manner.