Time management is typically defined as the process of exercising control over the amount of time we spend on specific activities -- more specifically in how we can increase our own efficiency and productivity. There are a number of ways that one can increase their time management skills, a number of tools to help, and certainly a large number of books designed to do just that. It is interesting to note, however, that there are so many materials on time management, yet almost everyone seems to have, at least some time in their life, problems and issues with time management at home or at work, and a constant struggle to "add" more time to their lives. And what is the reason for this? Is it endemic to humans? Were primitive people rushed for time? Or, are the sweeping changes in society and the global marketplace causing us to try to do more things within a smaller amount of time? (Time Management and Personal Productivity, 2011).
Indeed, one of the seminal questions about contemporary life is that life seems far more rushed than ever -- even though the statistics say that we have more leisure time available -- about 45 minutes more per day than our grandparents did in the 1950s and 1960s. However, the real key is how we utilize that free time, whether it is free time or not, and what things we tend to cram into the day that were not available 40-50 years ago. For instance, we now have 24/7 cable channels, hundreds of them; the Internet, computer gaming, friends across the globe, and hours upon hours of television. Programming may not have been as sophisticated 50 years ago, and there were certainly far fewer programs to watch, but most Americans spent far more time outdoors or in some sort of sporting or hobby/self-improvement environment. Instead, say some, one of the reasons we feel that we have so much less time, and are incapable of managing that time, is that we try to do too much per day; we even relish fast food because we do not want to take...
Thus, the science and art of time-management techniques become endemic without our society (Bronson, 2006).
Personal Time Management- Most time management strategies are associated with personal goals. These goals should be broken down into projects, action plans, or even simple task lists; otherwise they become so overwhelming as to be unmanageable. When working with individual tasks or goals, rate those tasks -- as simple as Low to High, or a more sophisticated ranking system. The danger comes when there are too man multiple horizontal priorities and very little can get done. The process of even thinking about a plan and/or task list (calendar of activities) on the daily, weekly, or monthly planning period actually makes one slow down and think about things that need to be done, how to best do them, and at the very least, develop a simple way to organize the priority (Mancini, 2007).
The task list (to-do list, things to do, assignment sheet, etc.) is simply that, it outlines the process of the steps necessary to complete a project and is an inventory tool that is powerful in that it supplements memory. One can use task lists all the time -- from shopping for groceries to complex project management. The key is to write down the task, rank it, and then once it is completed, cross it off the list and move on. Of course, sometimes issues require more complex lists, but the very heart of this technique is that once the task is completed and the item crossed off the list, the mind lets that task go, and moves on to the next task. The individual that tries to hold on to too many tasks alone often fails due to a feeling of impotence in even getting started with individual tasks (Allen, 2001).
Some basic skills necessary to effectively perform task management are:
Map out everything that is important on a list
Create at least some time per day…
