Time Management

Time Management

ABSTRACT

Time management is about taking control of one of the most valuable resources we have, our time.It is an essential tool for stress reduction, success, and perhaps even survival, especially in today’s society of increasing demands on a much leaner workforce. This increasing workload is not hypothetical, but, is in fact, a reality. Time management also proves to be beneficial to individuals outside of the workplace, given the fact that most employees have just as many or more demands on their time away from work. Developing and utilizing good time management skills is key to managing personal stress levels. Mastering time management skills results in less stress by allowing individuals to regain a sense of control over their environment. There have been numerous time management techniques developed over the years. It is really up to each individual to determine which one best suits his or her needs and expectations. The key to being successful with any time management technique is that it must be used on a daily basis.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The idea of time management has been in existence since long back. Unfortunately the term "Time management" creates a false impression of what a person is able to do. Time can't be managed, time is uncontrollable we can only manage ourselves and our use of time.

Time management is actually self management. It’s interesting that the skills we need to manage others are the same skills we need to manage ourselves: the ability to plan, delegate, organise, direct and control.

Time management has been a bigger challenge in today’s world where life seems to be a speeding train that stops for no one. Keeping up with that train becomes ever harder each day and is up to us to plan properly to catch and board that train. One author states that "the absence of proper time management skills and the accompanying mental and physical clutter can be, at best, frustrating and, at worst, debilitating, it is as curable as a toothache" (Dlaboha, 2002:28). The importance of time management is a key goal in the success of our life today and gives us the opportunity for improvement .

CHAPTER 2

TIME MANAGEMENT

For some managing their time is a way of life. For others time management is an afterthought.There are many factors that need to be considered when incorporating effective time management into our lives. Some of these factors include evaluating how effectively we use our time. Other factors include being able to recognize obstacles, identifying and managing stress, and employ specific time management tools to help in successful time management.

There are several specific time management tools such as journaling that includes, time tables, action plans, activity logs, time estimates, and prioritised to do lists. To start we want to list all the things we need to get done for the upcoming day or week, keeping in mind that any appointments that we may already have scheduled. Obviously all tasks are not created equal, some tasks are going to be a higher priority than others so we should make sure to prioritize the tasks. A to do list doesn’t do any good if we don’t refer back to it,