Being productive is easier said than done for most individuals because there are several factors that serve as constraints. One of them is time. For years, so many people have attempted to race against this invisible, immortal being, but only few won. What could be the reason for this? It is obvious—too much to do, too little time. This is simply how the law of nature works.
Have you ever asked yourself why it seems that there’s never enough time? Well, you are not the only one. Almost all people in the world ask themselves this mind-boggling question. If you would spend some time looking for the answer, you would just tire yourself to death. Why don’t you just try to fix something in yourself instead? Just leave to nature what belongs to nature, and mind yourself.
Time Management
Yes, it is true that time is something that no one can successfully contend with. However, there are some things you can do to at least keep pace with it. This is where proper time management enters the picture. If you want your life to be in balance, it is not proper to race against time; the right thing to do is to keep pace with it.
Time management is defined as the process or act of planning and executing conscious control over the amount of time spent on a particular activity to increase productivity, efficiency or effectiveness.
How to Manage Time
Now, the question is how to manage your time well. This is governed by certain themes such as making an environment that is conducive to efficiency and effectiveness, setting of priority, performing tasks around those priorities and the associated method of time reduction spent on non-priorities.
If you always feel distressed due to lack of time, then maybe it is about time to examine how you use your time. By simply setting priorities, you will no longer ask yourself why it seems that there’s always not enough time. The choice is all yours—making time your friend or your enemy.
Not All Hours Are Made Equal
To better manage the time given to you every day, it is also important to remember that not all hours are created equal. What could be the meaning of this, considering the fact that 1 hour is always equivalent to 60 minutes? Simple, this does not pertain to the unit of time as shown in the clock.
Allocating Your Time Properly
Not all hours are made equal simply means that you have to correctly allocate your time on the activities and tasks for the day. This is the reason why setting priorities is a very important thing to do. By identifying your tasks depending on their level of difficulty, you can in turn decide on the amount of time you will allocate on them.
The trick in making better use of you time is simply through working on the easy tasks first. In doing so, you will have a lot of time left to work on the difficult ones. This is just the same with taking an examination that has a time limit. Of course, what you need to answer first are the easy questions, to have enough time to answer the difficult ones. Understand?
To-Do List (my personal favorite)
In order for you to know what you need to do the first moment you wake up, you need to make a to-do list the night before you go to sleep. In doing so, you no longer have to spend time thinking on what to do next after finishing a certain task or activity. In short, this tool will help you to become organized in everything you do. So, you will always be on the right track and you will accomplish many things at the end of the day.
Now, you already know the meaning of the phrase not all hours are made equal. By simply understanding the concept of proper time allocation, you will always have a win-win situation because you will always be able to achieve productivity and a feeling of self-fulfillment at the end of the day.
