How you can manage your tasks and available time correctly
According to scientists, the dimension of time is a human construct for a better understanding of the phenomena of continuity that events happen in our lives.
Whether we want it or not, we move on time in our lives. Others are doing well enough, others are lagging behind in their management. Very often we all ask ourselves if we are chasing our time or if time chases us.
There are countless references to the phenomenon of time management in popular wisdom and opinions as well as scientific research, the findings of which we cannot yet fully take into account. A rational approach, however, always has only acceptable results to very good.
So what’s the problem with time management? What are the success or failure factors of scheduling? How can I improve the conditions for better management?
First of all, we should mention the historical nature of the time management problem, and at the same time we should mention a definition that states the nature of the problem. There has always been in man, either as a unit or as a social being, the problem of time and, more specifically, the management of the available time, which stems from the need to engage with many objects together. Achieving the most efficient and faster tactics and method is the principle of scheduling. Failure to comply with whatever schedule is the problem faced by man in his everyday life.
There are many approaches to addressing and / or mitigating the problem to some extent, which will be described later in the article.
- The need to find out where and how much time we spend during the day
Write a list of most if not all the things and activities you do every day and mark next to each activity the time it takes. Follow the same logic and extend the horizon of the list to a greater depth (week, month, years). If you have given realistic answers to the time estimate then you have created the basis of a powerful scheduling and decision-making tool.
- The activities that we want or do not want to be on the list and those that we cannot avoid as they are mandatory
By using the previous list, you should now identify what activities you would like to have in your daily life and which ones do not. In addition, you need to recognize which of these activities you already do have a mandatory character, so you cannot clear them from your schedule. At this stage you will have to fill in the list of activities you would like to
add to your daily routine, as well as the time required by each of them. By completing this stage you have constructed the image of all the activities that concern you. Our overall picture opens the way for individual data processing and decision-making on what activities will be your final daily schedule.
- How do I edit the individual items in the list and how can I use it to get the most benefit?
The next step you need to take is to sum up the times from the activities you have included in your list. If the total time required is longer than 16 hours then you have a problematic situation. In this problematic situation, the (list) tool will help you make the critical decision to select the activities that can fit into the schedule and you also want to have it in your everyday life. First we remove activities that we do not want to do and are not mandatory. Then we try to think about ways to save time in compulsory activities. And finally, we choose from the activities we want in our everyday life, those that the sum of the time they require in conjunction with the sum of the mandatory activities you have to do does not exceed the 16-hour limit.
Now, of course, there is a long way of trial and error which is the most common state to fail. This argument is totally true, especially if we mention that mistakes are not made in the effort or implementation but in the wrong estimation of times and qualifications. It should be stressed that the program being built should be fully personalized and structured according to your own criteria and your own capabilities, since only you know better than anyone, yourself.
Let us now look at some factors that spend our time remarkably on a daily basis and contribute to the failure of our scheduling sooner or later.
- Moving to and from our work or traveling in general (mobility criteria).
- Unnecessary and excessive use of Social Media.
- Entertainment to an extent that affects the smooth distribution of our time in the day.
- Unnecessary search on the Internet.
- Check your email and phone constantly (distracting what we do).
- Time to choose the clothes you will wear daily.
- Time spent on serving other people’s needs (friends, relatives, etc.) or pets etc.
- Time to carry out activities such as transactions with government services, payments, purchases, etc.
- Time unnecessarily spent by a high degree of procrastination and rigidity.
- Time of unnecessary and unnecessary communication (phone calls, meetings, chat, etc.).
The above 10 factors are those that occur more often as a cause of failure to meet the limits set by a schedule. Below we will look at some tips that minimize the impact of these factors on the effectiveness of a scheduling and, by extension, on improving everyone’s quality of life.
- Look for more efficient ways of moving and restrict unnecessary and time-consuming movements to the minimum possible (effective mobility).
- Reduce the use of Social Media to the minimum possible by setting a specific day, time and duration that you will be involved in your schedule so that you will not get away wasting precious time.
- Finish first all the pending things so that you can then enjoy unobstructed and stress-free entertainment you have chosen.
- Limit the search and waste of your time on the internet by setting a specific duration in the day for this activity.
- Set a specific time and duration in the day you are dealing with reading the email and minimize the use of unnecessary chatting by phone while you are dealing with your work.
- Make a weekly schedule for the clothes you will wear as well as plan your diet. This will result in a significant time and financial benefit.
- Ask the people around you to limit the possible exaggeration to the things and activities for which they are looking for your participation and time.
- Use electronic means wherever possible for dealing with transactions, purchases, payments and general activities of a similar nature. Always choose the most effective way that is at your disposal even if you need to be trained for it.
- Try to do your business at a time when it should be done to reduce the procrastination to the maximum extent.
- Avoid lengthy meetings and communications that do not provide you any benefit.
The above tips are correct and self-explanatory, but we are people and we cannot work with this strict way always. Sometimes there will be fatigue or discontent, or there may be an unforeseen event or condition that needs the priority of our time. Of course we are not robots nor can we prejudge what the future holds for us. However, we can give ourselves the weapons to make the effort to a greater extent. Every effort is difficult to achieve a critical balance in the result we want to have in relation to the effort we make.
There are some rules that help us to endure during our effort and in general as a lifestyle.
- Sleep at least 8 hours a day in an environment as quiet as possible without interference from screens and mobiles and generally from light and noise sources.
- Build your program and activities in such a way that you are allowed to spend 10 minutes of rest just after each working hour.
- Feeding healthily and properly at certain times in the day according to your needs.
- Take advantage of the short breaks in your work by unlocking your vision from screens, mobiles and enclosures. Prefer to look at the view from a window or a short walk around your workspace.
- Take advantage of active relaxation and short relaxation in the day.
- Follow a more balanced way of life, incorporating sports into your daily routine.
- Avoid any form of abuse.
By making the necessary changes and constantly testing combinations, you will inevitably end up with a list of activities that will always achieve the purpose of scheduling and will consist of activities of your choice. At the same time, adopting a balanced lifestyle ensures long-term and significant benefits in many areas with emphasis on your health (mental and physical). Improvement at all above levels will be a certainty. All that remains is to get the situation in your hands and act in the right way.