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/Article 1 : Mastering time is all we need at workplace

We’ve all expected to learn time management at certain point of time due to workload we have. We wake up with enthusiasm the very next day and feel that we will be achieve our task at hand today, get to rest enough and also hit the gym thereafter. 

Then suddenly something stranger happens, you start leaving late for work, you get traffic on your way which makes your mood frustrating which led you to reach your office desk already frustrated.  The good news is that there are many ways in which you can make sure your time is used effectively.  Personal time management is the only key here. In order to get you started we got you some of tips which you can use for effective time management. 

You should know exactly your capacity of doing a particular task, how much can be done in a day, week, month.

Identify the time frames you are spending your time doing a particular task and whether it is enough for that task or are you taking extra time then needed.

Make sure you do those task which are more important and urgent rather then those which are less urgent and less important. 

This step is a must for every work you do, irrespective of how big or small the work is. This step will let you get started immediately as soon as you reach the office and boost your productivity. Noting everything down will not only help you prevent from forgetting things but will also let you focus on things which needed your attention. 

3. Focus on the outcome 

Time management at work should be good enough such that the quality is given high priority over quantity. You should always focus on the outcome rather than focusing on how much work you did. 

Spending extra time will always give great results. Having staying for long will also not be a good idea to manage your time. 

4. Have a break 

Make sure you take breaks specially your lunch breaks as if not taken on time it could also led to hampering your productivity. 

Go take a round around,  take a task at hand like filling your water bottle before getting back etc . What you will get after doing this is that you  will feel  energized but also be more productive as well. 

Planning your breaks will help you break your task and manage them effectively. 

 For effective time management at work prioritizing is the key. Firstly you should eliminate all the task which needs not to be done at all. Then list down 2-3 tasks which needs to be done and do them the way you will do to arrange essentials. Make sure they are listed based on how important they are rather than focusing on the urgency.  When you figure it out you will definitely feel on other world. You will then be able to focus on more things than before. 

To avoid an mistakes you could use one of great time management tips for work which you will be find in book First Things First. 

Here’s a closer look of what the book exactly says:

Importance and urgency: These tasks are not only important but are also urgent and hence make sure those are completed on time. 

Urgent and not important: These tasks require less work and only should be delegated in a better way as they are less important. 

Neither urgent nor important: These tasks are those which require little or no attention at all. 

6. Practise the “4 D’s”

Delete: Eliminate or delete all those mails which are not at all important the moment you get them

Do: Mark all the mails which require urgent action and which needs to be completed quickly. 

Delegate: If a email is felt to be for someone else, make sure the same is delegated to the concerned person on time so that the work doesn’t get hampered. 

Defer: Separate all the mails which would take longer time to work on or reply on. 

Save yourself from doing tasks one at a time, instead try and group tasks and make sure you complete all of them together before moving to other set of tasks. For example, create time for checking mails, time for meetings, answering calls etc.

This is one of the simplest steps to follow time management. Avoid any kind of distraction and focus on task at hand.  Multitasking could be fun, but if you plan to do so it will slowly and gradually start hampering your productivity and ultimately your work.  

If you have a call arranged, make sure you are prepared for the same and ready with what you would do if a certain task or question is been asked.  Otherwise, you’ll end up not be a add on to the discussion which would led you to think about it the whole day. 

After few minutes of completing a meeting make sure you make a note of all the things done and if needed rearrange a meeting to discuss the pending thing.  This way you will be ready enough to answer your boss if any problem related to this particular work comes forward. 

Set certain time limits for every task you do. To-do lists are one of the best but at times you forget to check all the things which are done. You can set time for taking breaks lets say after completing 2 tasks you will take break of 5 min. This will reduce mental strain and boost productivity.

You will not be able to management your time if you do not learn to say a no. Complete fewer tasks but complete those which will yield higher returns. If you cannot say a no, learn to delegate them to others.  Delegating will help with your personal time management.

For better time management this step is a must. If you have many papers at your desk , finding an important paper would take you wonders to find. 

Little things would definitely make some difference. Make a folder for all the papers, scrap all the unwanted papers, delete unimportant mails etc. 

Social media, games, websites etc can be distractions for you. A key point in personal time management is to stay away from them. Make sure to turn them off when you are having food. 

Take small steps in eliminating your distraction and in no time you will be out of them. And remember that getting proper sleep, hydrating yourself and spending your time with yourself should be your only focus. 

There are certain benefits which we get when we decide to manage time effectively they are:

1. It reliefs stress

Scheduling a task can reduce stress. You will get to see progress as you keep doing your task at hand. This helps  to get the work done but also helps to reduce stress to get the things done.

2. More time for yourself 

Great time management can give you extra time for yourself which you can decide to spend on yourself in any way possible, be it following your passion once again and doing which you always wanted to do. 

3. Many more opportunities

Having time at your disposal will give you many more opportunities to explore. Good time management is the skills which a project manager or an employer looks at before hiring a person. 

4.  Realize goals

Better time management can help achieve all the goals and objectives and do them in a very short period of time. 

Now lets discuss some of the consequences which we might face during time management:

1. Poor efficiency

Not having a plan ahead of the deadline will led to poor efficiency. For example if you have  a  plan of how you will achieve a task you will be able to do them easily. However if you don’t pan you will end up losing the project and also not finishing your task on time. 

2. Waste your time

Poorly managing your time will led you to waste your precious time. For example talking with your friends on social media during working hours could hamper your work and hence waste your time. 

3. No control 

By not knowing what the next task is and having no plan you suffer from loss of control which in turn led you to have stress and anxiety issues. 

I hope this steps on time management was a great help for all of you out there .