Time Management

Time management is the process of planning and exercising

conscious control of time spent on specific activities,
especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and
productivity. It involves of various demands upon a person
relating to work, social life, family, hobbies, personal
interests, and commitments with the finite nature of time.
Using time effectively gives the person "choice" on
spending or managing activities at their own time and
expediency.
Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools,
and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing
specific tasks, projects, and goals complying with a due
date. Initially, time management referred to just business or
work activities, but eventually, the term broadened to
include personal activities as well. A time management
system is a designed combination of processes, tools,
techniques, and methods. Time management is usually a
necessity in any project management as it determines the
project completion time and scope.
The major themes arising from the literature on time
management include creating an environment conducive to
effectiveness (in terms of cost-benefit, quality of results,
and time to complete tasks or project), setting of priorities,
the related process of reduction of time spent on non-
priorities, and implementation of goals.
 Importance of Time Management
Time is a precious asset, and we have to use it efficiently in
real life. If you live a lifestyle where your all day is
consumed by work, and there is no free time or vice versa,
you need to learn time management. Several factors can
describe the importance of time management activities and
skills-
 Work-Life Balance:
Proper time management ensure that all your work is
done on time and you get enough free time to enjoy
your personal life. The whole idea of time
management is to optimally use the time we have in a
day that all the work is fulfilled and we have sufficient
time to rest or enjoy leisure. Whether you are a school
kid, or college student, or a working professional, time
management is necessary to maintain a work-life
balance.

 High Productivity:
If you aim to have a productive day but are consumed
by your mobile screen, then time management
techniques can help you. It enables you to prioritize
the critical tasks, and you can create a schedule or
timetable for them. Time management helps clarify
your goals, and you have more time to achieve better
outcomes. Time management improves the efficiency
 of your work. It gives a structure to your entire day,
and you end up with a satisfyingly productive day.

 Reduces Stress:
When you have multiple tasks in hand, you can feel
overwhelming as you get confused about what to
begin with and how to do it. As a result, you become
stressed and anxious about the work. To avoid such a
situation, indulge in the practice of time management.
You can quickly reduce stress when you feel
everything is sorted on the work front.

 Make Things Simple and Easy:

The last three points clearly signify how time
management can make your work simple and easy.
There is no chaos or confusion, your work timeline is
sorted, and you do not feel stressed about work. Time
management allows you to take control over time, and
you do not feel frustrated.

 Time Freedom:
Work is something that everyone has to do in order to
make a living or get a good score if they are a student.
But one should always make sure that they do not get
succumbed to their work. There should be sufficient
leisure time in everyone’s life to take a rest or do the
things they genuinely enjoy.
 Time Management Strategies
 Write Things Down:
You should always start your day by writing down
everything you need to do in a day. Make a list of all
the tasks that need to be done. Do not miss even the
smallest or easiest job you need to do. If you are
working on an assignment on time management, you
can replace this point with creating an outline which
basically means writing all the important thing and
ideas for your assignments in one place.

 Prioritize Your Tasks:

Once you have listed all the tasks completed in a day
or week, arrange them all as per priority. It would be
helpful if you prioritized your work as per the urgency
or deadline of your work. Work on the essential things
first and move ahead to the less important or easy
tasks. By prioritizing your to-do list, there will be no
wasting of time on unnecessary stuff.

 Plan in Advance:
Time management is not always a daily practice, but
you can do that for future tasks. For better time
management, you can plan your work. Enlist what you
need to do and make a timetable. Divide your time or
the days for specific work. Planning keeps your head
 clear, and everything feels sorted. Moreover, it also
gives you a window to make changes in the plan or
any update regarding the task. It will not create any
last-minute chaos, and you will be able to manage it
efficiently.

 Learn to Say No:

You must drive away any distraction when you know
what you need to pay more attention to. Let’s say you
have planned your entire day and managed time
accordingly, but your friends call to go out for a party.
It will help if you learned to say no, specifically when
you know there is no scope to make changes in your
schedule. If the assignment is not that important, you
may think about saying yes; otherwise, you must
decline their offer to hang out and finish your work.

 Think About that you’ll Miss by Procrastinating:

Even after making a schedule or timetable, you may
still fail to follow it. The bad habit of procrastination
and laziness are not easy to kill. We often make a plan
about completing our work in an hour or so but
quickly get distracted either by our phones or some
other work we would never have paid heed to
otherwise. In the end, when it’s time to relax, you get
chaotic about all the pending work.
 Developing Time Management Skills
As stated earlier, life has become an assignment on time
management, where people are struggling to give proper
time to their work, health, and families alike. But, to win
this life assignment on time management, you must
develop time management skills. Apart from all the
techniques mentioned above, here are some tips that can
help everyone to build time management skills:
 Set Up your Own Deadlines:
It has to consider an official or formal deadline while
working on your task. But that deadline is for the
result or the entire finished project. But you can help
yourself manage time properly by setting up your own
deadlines. We established in the previous sections that
you should divide and prioritize your work
accordingly; creating a time management worksheet
can be a great idea.
Once you have set the schedule, you should set up
your own deadlines. If you aim to finish a task within
an hour, finish it in an hour. Do not procrastinate, and
do not get up until you are done with your work. The
aim is to complete the work in the time allotted.

 Kill Distractions:
The primary thing that hampers you from completing
your work on time are the distractions. One of the
 biggest distractions that exist in the world is the
mobile phone and social media app. People have
developed this urge to check their phones to see any
activity on their social media platforms. Hence, they
are unable to pay heed to the more critical work.
Besides, we all know if you once open an app thinking
you will have enough time, you will not realize when
an hour went by. Therefore, it is essential to kill all the
distractions.

 Work in a Distraction-Free Environment:

Distractions are all around you. Besides, everything
becomes an easy distraction when you have work to
do. One of the best ways to kill distraction is to change
your working environment. Work in a distraction-free
environment. Change the room if needed. Work in an
outside environment such as your garden, a library, or
a coffee shop.

 Do SMART Work:
Save time by doing smart work and not hard work.
Hard work is necessary, but you should know where to
invest how much time and effort. The to-do lists and
prioritizing your work will help you manage your
time, and you will get extra time to give to more
substantial or personal commitments.
 Make SMART work your mantra. Work on Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely
(SMART) tasks. Keep a small notebook or pad with
you at all times, note down your to-do lists and all the
little things that you may forget otherwise. Determine
what and how you want to achieve, or whether it is
achievable.

 Avoid Multitasking:
We understand that people have multiple works to
complete. Be it a university student or a team leader in
an office. But, to ensure efficient time management,
you should avoid multitasking. Please do not indulge
in working on multiple things at the same time, as it
increases your chances of making errors. You might
think multitasking will save you time. But the
mistakes made in haste will take even longer to be
rectified.

 Delegate the Work with Team: If you have a lot on

your plate and time management by yourself can only
do so much, you can share the work with others. This
is an effective method for a person who is in a senior
position in an office. It will help you manage time and
work effectively, and the subordinates will also feel
involved and essential in the team. Moreover, you also
get the advantage of employing different skills and
 talents of other people, and you can reduce some of
that workload.
Improving Time Management Skills and Focus
Time management skill is one thing you need to excel in,
but improving focus is essential to be efficient in your
regular work.
Therefore, you should work not only on improving your
time management skills but also on enhancing your focus.
Here are a few methods that can lead to excellent time
management skills and improved focus:
 Set Your Phone Aside:
As we discussed above, it is essential to work in a
distraction-free environment to follow your timetable
strictly. Your mobile phone being the biggest
distraction, make sure you stay away from your phone
while working, studying, or doing your assignment on
time management.
However, everything is done on mobile phones and
digital devices. Whether it is studying or working, a
smartphone has become an essential tool. In such a
case, you cannot stay away from your devices, but
what can be done is shutting off social media. Social
media has eaten half of the time of people’s lives. So,
if you cannot set your phone aside, set aside the
distracting elements in it.
 Meditate:
Apart from all the practical ways to enhance time
management skills and focus, there are many other
mental exercises that you can do. Meditation is an age-
old practice that has proven to improve focus and
many other mental issues such as depression, anxiety,
stress, etc. Once your focus is improved, your working
capability improves, and you can manage your time
well. Make sure you add time for meditation while
making your day-to-day timetable.

 Eat Healthily:
Keeping your mind and body active is important to
work and meet deadlines properly. You can strictly
follow your time management schedule only if your
body functions correctly, for which you need a healthy
diet. Of course, nobody wants to work when they feel
sick or physically tired. Good health led by a healthy
diet can help you fulfil the assignment on time
management.

 Maintain Physical Fitness:

Give some time to physical activities to stay
physically fit. Just like a healthy stomach, you need to
keep your whole body healthy, fit and active. If you
 are not physically fit, no matter how strict and
efficient the time management schedule you have
created, you will start feeling lethargic as soon as you
sit down to work. Therefore, your time management
and physical fitness need to go hand in hand. In other
words, ensure your physical fitness follows and time
schedule and add physical fitness to your timetable.

 Avoid Sleep Deprivation:

Sleep is another factor that determines your body’s
activeness. Before abiding by your time management
worksheet or the to-do list, make sure you have had
enough hours of sleep. Otherwise, you will not be able
to concentrate, your focus will be compromised, and
you will get more sleepy and tired. Overall, your
productivity will be hampered.
Also, do not let the working compromise your sleep.
Even if you have a lot of work left to do, take proper
rest and continue the next day. You will always be
able to work better with a fresh mind and goodnight’s
sleep.

 Keep a Reward System:

An efficient method to be able to follow a timetable
and improve your time management skill and focus is
giving yourself rewards. While diving into the
timeline and work, also assign some rewards that you
 will get upon timely completion of the work. You do
not need to keep some grand rewards or prizes; simple
and small rewards would work. For example, if you
are complete your job as per the schedule you created,
you will get an hour of your favourite show.
Use such rewards to drive you to complete work on
time. This technique is beneficial if you do not get
excited by the completion of work as the prize will
make you work harder for it. In fact, to gain the
reward, you will not lose your focus either. Practicing
this regularly will eventually turn into good habits,
and you will be able to finish your work on time and
maintain and work-life cycle.

 Keep a Consequence System:

Just like a reward system, you can drive your mind to
work with a consequence system. In contrast to the
reward system, you can assign consequences or
punishments if you fail to fulfil the tasks on time.
Again, the penalties do not need to be harsh. For
example, you can prohibit yourself from watching
your favourite show or going out with your friends. It
will allow you to work more efficiently from the next
day and abide by your time management practices.
 Making Time Management Plan for Studies
Time management is an essential skill that everyone must
develop. However, time management for academics is
exceptionally crucial for students or those still at an
academic level. High school and college students have a lot
going on apart from their school and studies. They are
indulged in extra-curricular activities, internships, and part-
time jobs, along with classes and homework. Therefore, the
skill of time management is extremely necessary to study
while enjoying life too.
Students do not get time to do extra studies and prepare for
their exams with so much going on. But the time
management techniques and tips that we have discussed so
far will be grateful.
 Give Time to Extra Studies:
Give time to all the activities but make sure you give
time for extra studies, other than the class time. Even
if it is for one hour, ensure an hour or so is provided
for extra study time on a regular basis. Use the allotted
time to study only, do not do any other work during
that hour. Even if you have another pending work, you
should not give them the time you took out for
additional studies. However, if it is essential to work,
 assignment or project, you can make an exception.
But, make sure you give double the time to your
studies the next day.
 Add Proper Breaks in your Time Management
Plan:
Your time management plan should not be all about
work. There should be proper breaks in your schedule.
You must take time to breathe and, in that period,
indulge in activities to fresh your mind. Give yourself
thirty minutes and go out for a walk, talk to your
friend, eat your favourite meal or other activities. If
you think that working non-stop will improve your
productivity, then you are mistaken. Your productivity
will be enhanced only if your mind is fresh and active,
which can be achieved by taking proper breaks in
between works.

 Make a Time Management Chart:

Another step that you can add to make an efficient
management plan is by making a time management
chart. It is an effective way to finish your work on
time. You can either use a handmade chart or set your
calendar. You can also record or track the time spent
on work on your first day and make a proper schedule
for another day.

 Set Time and Goals for Each Study Session:

 Schedule your study sessions and divide time for all
the essential subjects you plan to study in a day. Apart
from setting time for each subject, you should also set
goals for each study session. For example, set a goal
of completing two topics or one chapter of a subject.
When the time for one subject is over, move on to the
next one as per the plan, even though you might have
some portion left to study. You can cover it later. It is
good not to give more hours than allotted to a subject
even if you do not achieve the set goals.

 Break your Large Work in Smaller Projects:

If you have an intensive workload or a more
significant project, it would be better to break it into
smaller tasks. Whether studying a subject or writing a
paper, break it into smaller slots and allot time to the
smaller projects. Finish one job at a time, and all your
work will be done without you feeling the burden.

 Talk about your Work with your Family:

If you are a student who lives with a family, you and
your planner can be disturbed by them as they might
ask you to get some household chores done.
Therefore, you should share your time management
plan with them and talk about your work. They will
also understand your schedule and can help you out
with your work. Besides, talking with your family
 about work helps you relieve some stress, and you get
a sense of assurance and support from your loved
ones.

Time Management Matrix

A time management matrix is a methodology of planning
your tasks according to their importance and deadline so
that you can do them at the right time. Four quadrants will
help you to categorize the tasks and develop planning skills
for a happy and satisfying professional and personal life.

Quadrant-1 Important and urgent

First is the Quadrant of Urgency, where you cover
unforeseen events, drop your responsibilities, and focus on
resolving urgent matters. Even though it’s super stressful,
many people can spend their whole life in this Quadrant,
letting life problems take control. Spending too much time
in this quadrant will not allow you to grow much.
Quadrant-2 Not urgent yet important
This is not as urgent as the first one, but the tasks as just as
important. Essentially, they’re important but not urgent.
They don’t require immediate action and don’t mess with
your deadlines and other tasks. In this Quadrant, you have
the freedom to breathe a little, take your time and perform
your work more effectively and productively.
Quadrant-3 Urgent but not important
In this Quadrant, you’ll find the less critical tasks. All those
urgent little matters that come to you only to take off your
quality work time. It can be meetings, phone calls, e-mails,
or interruptions that don’t allow you to be productive.
Ultimately, you want to spend as little time as possible on
this Quadrant. It’s full of counterproductive tasks that don’t
contribute much to your work, goals, and productivity.
Quadrant-4 Not urgent and not important
The Quadrant four is not urgent, not important, which
means it’s just pure waste. As you spend more and more
time here, all your energy gets sucked, and you can end up
in procrastination activities such as checking social media
and scrolling randomly online.
It’s easy for our brains to spend more time here because it
doesn’t require any mental capacity and will just make you
avoid more important tasks during the day.
Effective Time Management
1. UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE
The first thing you need to establish is how much time you
have in a day to spend. Be honest with yourself: how long
do you spend checking and replying to emails? How much
of your 9-5 schedule is devoted to meetings? Was that 15-
minute cuddle on the floor with the office dog necessary?
(The answer to this one is yes, absolutely.)
Once you have worked out your limits, you can then start to
allocate the time you need to spend on different aspects of
your business. It sounds simple but many of us overlook
this simple step. Fore-planning will save you a lot of
heartache. And think about your route to work. Our brand-
new Aldgate East site is 2 minutes from the tube station
and easy to get to on the Elizabeth Line —talk about a time
saver.
2. PUT A VALUE ON YOUR TIME
“Time is money” as the old saying goes and it's time to put
a price on yours. Not only will this help in the overall
costings of your startup but it will also allow you to
manage your workload. Price correctly and your business
will reap the rewards; under-price and you may end up
working too long on the low value jobs. Time is a limited
resource and expensive: managing your time is one of the
hardest aspects of running your own business. You can find
out more information for new businesses.
3. PRIORITISE
We’ve all been there: that annoying, niggly job that’s a
high priority you can’t face starting. Guess what? It won’t
go away! You must be courageous now: put on your
wellies and get stuck in. Why not tackle it head-on and get
it filed?
While most small businesses are pretty good at multi-
tasking by nature, research shows that prioritising for better
time management will help you stay in control. Finding it
hard to motivate yourself to prioritise? Try using a personal
reward system.
Every time you do a good job or accomplish a significant
task, reward yourself in small proportions. A good place to
start is rewarding yourself for meeting goals that are of
reasonable size.
That’s right, we give you permission to purchase that bottle
of wine.
4. MAKE REASONABLE TO-DO LISTS
Let’s face it, there’s nothing worse than busying yourself
with a hundred jobs to do and never reaching the end. Make
reasonable to-do lists, with your time limitations in mind,
and feel the positivity that ticking off each completed task
brings.
Don’t worry if your list isn’t a mile long – shorter lists are
actually better. Breaking large projects into smaller
iterations shows clear progress and will motivate you as
you move toward the final product.
If you continually set yourself unreasonable goals, you will
only slow yourself down, and the negative vibes of having
an unfinished list can do serious damage to your self-
confidence. Here are some more top tips on creating to-do
lists.
5. BE DECISIVE
Decide each day what the goals are by order of importance
(deadline, the volume of work, etc.) and stick to them. If
you work in a shared office, avoid unnecessary
conversations until you’ve done your task. Don’t get stuck
on long telephone calls when you have a deadline looming
and write short, polite responses to emails to keep lines of
communication open.
Once you have made up your mind about which tasks are to
be completed, stop deliberating! Second-guessing is just
another name for procrastination.