Time management sounds very adult. But in today's society, being busy is a badge of honour. Too many of us put the word “just one more thing” in our already hectic schedules. Even though the world is not busy, we are too busy.
Again, there are only 24 hours in a day. What you do every day has a direct impact on your personal life and career. Everything impacts, from organising the house, shopping, working, meetings, and drinking coffee. Then how to squeeze it all out every day without missing it? Time management.
How often do you say, “not today, today I'm busy, and I don't have time.” in a day?
That sentence should tell you something.
Although sometimes taken for granted, we too often fail to balance the stressful parts of our lives with the simple things. For many of us, those things can wait until later. But before we start to notice, the sun is setting, it's 10 p.m., and the busy cycle continues.
How you organise your day, prioritise your priorities, organise your meetings and even spend your weekends is important. Like it or not, how you manage your time will help you make the most of each day. This is why time management is a leader, while success will grow as your personality and career improve.
How Time Management impacts your personal life
According to Caitlin Nevins, PhD, director of psychological services at McLean's College Mental Health Program, too much work can be emotionally exhausting. Yet there is a widespread belief that staying busy keeps difficult emotions at bay or at least dampens them. In fact, the opposite happened.
When we cover our sadness, anger, or loss with a layer of productivity, we can't process those feelings as effectively as we face them head-on. And time management is essential to ensure that we take care of ourselves physically and mentally. This follows research from SAGE Journals that good time management skills have been identified to have a buffering effect on stress.
1. Less stress time
It is common knowledge that stress and burnout affect poor time management. Many cases show that stress negatively impacts health, from respiratory symptoms to heart disease. By better managing your time, you can avoid stress or at least lower the volume. The mind and body will thank you for this.
2. Positive mood
We all feel satisfied when we complete all homework, study targets and work deadlines. Applying time management principles allows you to experience this feeling of pleasure every day. In the end, you will have more time to develop yourself, do hobbies and family.
3. Avoiding burnout
The presence of burnout does not appear overnight. Burnout arises due to stress that has accumulated over a long time. If you feel that your creativity is decreasing and you are often tired even though you are relaxing, it is a sign of burnout. Through time management, you can better balance your daily stress load.
4. Better prioritisation
Some activities are more important than others. Planning will help you set priorities in carrying it out. You can use the Eisenhower Matrix to set priorities. Priority will also facilitate decision-making so that it is clearer which activities you should and should not do.
5. Improving your level of self-discipline
Building a foundation for self-discipline is not instant. It takes consistency. Self-discipline allows you to act according to long-term goals. You don't care whether you're motivated or demotivated.
Discipline instils consistency and commitment. You can quickly improve self-discipline by forming good habits.
How Time Management impacts your career
The question that often crosses our minds is: Does time management affect careers at work?
And the answer is more than we think! How we allocate our time directly relates to our overall quality and success. The main effect of poor time management is sloppy work and declining quality. When time is in your hand, you'll constantly be on the move, trying to win over important tasks.
1. No more missed or shoddy work
First things first, good time management affects the timeline and quality of work. You can complete projects more focused through sufficient time, and the results are also high quality.
2. Improve decision-making abilities
You may have to make tough last-minute decisions when you have too many tasks crammed into a short time. However, that will not happen when you have time management skills.
Allocate sufficient time to work, ensuring that decisions are made based on merit, not how much time you have left in your day until the deadline.
3. Fewer missed opportunities
How much difference do five meetings a week make to your career advancement? What if there are more than five meetings in a week? You can use the time wasted on meetings to develop your skills and business. Take control of your time so that you can work more effectively.
4. Work-life balance
Data shows that 88% of workers feel stressed at work and one thing that has become clear is work-life balance is the key to living a quality life.
How to achieve work-life balance? Time management is vital. How you use your time determines the success of achieving a work-life balance. Set priorities and change your work environment so that distractions are minimal.
5. Enhances reputation among clients
Good time management can help improve the reputation of your business. Clients will appreciate it when the company completes their work within the agreed time.
When there is a slight problem, you must communicate with the client for negotiations. This can lead to additional work or win over new clients through recommendations.
To sum up
Success is the result, but achieving it requires much effort. The definition of success will be different for everyone. That's why success will grow according to your position and circumstances.
Time management is the key leading to success. Whether successful in oneself or a career, a significant pioneer is good time management. When you don't manage your time well, you won't have time to learn new things, develop hobbies or meet new people. So again, time management is the key and success is about growing.
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