Time Management: Definition, Techniques and Learning

It is not at all necessary to own a time machine in order to correctly manage your time, but it is worth getting to know the rules for the distribution of forces by seconds. Especially for those for whom the words "time is money" are not an empty phrase, but a life motto. If you are one of them, then it is vital for you to master at least basic time management skills.

Time management literally translated from English is "time management". This does not mean that, having mastered such an art, you will be able to move into the past or the future. The main function of time management is to make every minute of your life effective. And it’s not only about work, it’s a whole system that adds up the many elements of our life. In simple terms, time management determines our schedule for the day, week, month or even year.

Do not think that this definition and concept is used only in business. Housewives also often do not have enough time to complete all the household chores. And often this happens not at all because they do not have enough strength, they simply do not properly allocate time and effort.

First of all, time management is used to increase the personal efficiency of each individual employee in his workplace and, as a result, to increase the productivity of the entire organization, be it a high-tech machine tool plant or a beauty salon. In order to choose the right type of time management that will be used by this or that individual, you must first study not only his personal goals and objectives, but also personal qualities, the square of goals and even biorhythms.

If you correctly calculate all human resources, then any, even the busiest and most in-demand specialist, will always have enough time both for work and for rest.

The basic principles of time management work are to properly distribute the load on yourself and time. It is necessary to highlight the main tasks and get rid of the "time eaters". Among its absorbers are communication on the Internet or in the office that does not mean anything to you, watching unnecessary news or advertising mailings that come to your mail or in the form of SMS, numerous smoke breaks or tea breaks, and so on.

Before you get your schedule right, you need to prioritize. The author of one of the most famous and effective methods for this is the 34th President of the United States of America, Dwight D. Eisenhower. The bottom line is as follows. Divide all planned activities into 4 parts:

• urgent and important;
• urgent but not important;
• important but not urgent;
• not urgent and unimportant.

First, let's separate the wheat from the chaff and select what we really need. Do you really need to go to the store tomorrow with a friend to help her choose a birthday present for her mom? Maybe she will calmly cope with this mission on her own? You will spend this time on something that is really worth your efforts. A remember how many hours you spent on meaningless conversations with the same friend on the phone, and now imagine how much you could have done during this time.

How many hours a day do you spend looking at photos of people you know on social networks? But this is not only your precious time, but also emotions that can be used much more effectively. The same applies to "sitting out" playing solitaire games and other "exciting" entertainment.

It is impossible to grasp the immensity and in order not to get depressed about the fact that you are always not doing anything, do not raise the bar initially. Include in the plan exactly as much as it is realistic to implement and always leave a little time in reserve, so that when faced with unexpected obstacles or urgent problems, to have time to cope with both.

Before embarking on a particular task, decide on the goal that you are pursuing. Why do you need to wipe your desktop for the fifth time in a week? Are you a supporter of perfect cleanliness? Is this true or do you just want to distract yourself from business with a damp cloth? Why did you go to pour tea for the tenth time in a day, did you really want to drink it, or was this distracted from your main tasks?

Another nuance that needs to be taken into account in order to achieve the goal on time is not to overestimate it. Understand why you are taking on a large project. What do you want to achieve - money, fame, honor from colleagues, or promotion. Only by understanding what is the true goal, you can completely motivate yourself and get busy with work without being distracted by extraneous things.

Use each victory as fuel for your further journey. Give yourself "grades" or hang "medals". If you closed a project on time or did it ahead of time, don't take on the next one right away, enjoy the “finishing” moment, remember these feelings, and only then move on. Remember to reward yourself for a job well done.

Don't grab onto everything. You don't have ten hands, and you only have one head. Tackling several things at the same time, you run the risk of not completing any of them, at least you won't be able to do it qualitatively. It's like learning a poem and solving a physics problem at the same time. That, you see, is unrealistic. It's the same at work.

And here in the household, to save time and effort, some things can be combined. After all, while potatoes are boiling or eggs for salad are cooling, it is quite possible to wipe the dust from the windowsill or vacuum the floor in the kitchen, for example.

Do not let your business take its course. Make a daily work plan. Ideally, this should be done the night before. When scheduling the next day, do not forget that a force majeure situation may arise at any time. You will need to take your mom to the hospital or pick your child up from school early. Always allow yourself time for these "contingencies". If you do not need it for these needs, spend it on additional activities.

Another important point. Make sure to take some time to rest. Breaks are essential. Pauses for easy exercises, lunch break and even a call to the child should also be included in your schedule.

In addition, you need to compose it, taking into account their own biorhythms... If you are a morning person, then set the most difficult tasks at the beginning of the day, and leave the second half for activities that require the least physical, mental and moral effort. If you are an "owl", and your head starts to work only closer to lunchtime, then in the morning do the simplest tasks, make important decisions when your body is filled with vital energy.

The word "investment" most often means financial investments. Will you invest in something that will never bring you income? No one will give a ruble to the plant, which was destroyed yesterday, because this is a dead investment. It's the same with time. Stop putting it where it flies out like a pipe. Another talk show with an intriguing topic has begun on TV, turn off the screen urgently. Ask yourself why do you need this information? Just? So why waste your precious time on this?

A friend called and once again started talking about her idiot husband? End the conversation quickly, and advise your friend to contact a psychologist or register on a dating site.

If you follow all of the above rules, and still do not have enough time, try one of the techniques that have been developed at various times by both time management specialists and "random" people. One of the most widespread methods all over the world is the “Tomato” technique. It was invented by an ordinary Italian student who never had time to prepare for exams.

One day he decided to take control of himself and his time. To do this, I used the most common kitchen tool - a timer in the form of a tomato (hence the name of a simple technology). He started the timer for 25 minutes and during this time he was engaged only in his studies. Imagine his surprise, because literally immediately he had enough time to prepare. Try to do the same.

Start a timer (alarm clock) for a specific time, during which only perform one specific task. Neither a phone call, nor a notification of a new letter by e-mail, nor anything else should distract you from this task. Very soon you will feel that you are moving towards your goal much faster than before.

Feel like a cheese maker using another popular time management method called Swiss Cheese. It is used in the event that they cannot begin to implement a large project in any way. In this case, it is proposed to present this very project in the form of a square piece of cheese and start making a Swiss one from it with many large holes. Each hole is a specific task that must be completed in order to get the final result.

If you don't know which end to start from, try the first "hole" that comes across at random. Make minimal effort and then everything will go like clockwork. The only condition is that you do not quit what you started. Let what was done seem to be a very small part of what was conceived, but proceed to any stage, only having precisely determined that you will cope with it "in one sitting." Otherwise, instead of many holes in your cheese, you will end up with one big hole, similar to an abyss, into which both time and energy will fall.

Strictly follow the deadline rule. The term came to us from America. Literally translated, it means "dead line". It is believed that initially this was the name of the line in the prison, crossing which the prisoner was immediately killed. In places not so remote, such methods have not been used for a long time, but in the business environment it has become very widespread. In the modern world, a deadline is a line in time space that cannot be crossed in any way.

This technology is especially popular among those who work remotely. There is no one to "fit" them, so you need to set a framework for yourself. It is also often used for people in creative professions - journalists or advertising creators. However, the deadline also has an intermediate stage - the redline (translated as "red line"). This is the period when you need to hand over the rough work - the remaining time is needed to correct errors, revisions, and amendments that the customer can make.

Sometimes we just can't get down to the task just because it seems overwhelming to us, like an elephant. To make it easier for yourself, divide the large volume into small pieces. Start small.

For example, you need to do a general cleaning of a country house or renovate it. Both sound threatening. And if you break the process into small steps? Make a table where the repair will be at the top (general cleaning), and then the sub-items: windows, doors, floors, furniture, and so on. Agree, this way the work no longer seems too difficult. Therefore, do not make an elephant out of a fly.

Divine method "Kairos". The ancient Greeks considered Kairos to be the god of a happy moment. Experts in the field of time management have decided that a modern person is on his way with him. The essence of the method comes down to not wasting a separate time on what can be combined with other things. For example, you need to buy a present for your mom on March 8th. Decide where you want to do it and see if you have other business in this area of ​​the city any time soon.

You may be able to combine 3 or 4 goals at once in one place (go to the bank to replenish your account, buy a novelty, and so on). The same goes for business meetings. Before going to negotiations, formulate all the questions and suggestions that you have accumulated for the interlocutor. It is possible that a phone call or lunchtime meeting is enough to solve them. And don't forget to see if you have other things to do where you go.

You can try all of the tips we have given in this article, but the simplest exercises should be followed first. For example, make it a rule not to rearrange the alarm once it rings. In 5 or even 10 minutes you will not be able to sleep, but you may well be late for work, after which you will experience a lack of time throughout the day, and you will hardly be able to do everything.

By and large, there are no special secrets in how to save time. Here are just a few more recommendations.

• Use the skills of your colleagues or family members. Share your work with them - delegate authority. The junior researcher will certainly be happy to help you, and the husband (son, daughter) will quite cope with basic household chores, such as taking out the trash or buying bread.
• If you decide to make time management a lifestyle, it is better to undergo training at a special seminar or invite a specialist in this field to the company to optimize the workflow.

As a bonus for reading this article, here's another life hack for you. At least once a month, and preferably weekly, arrange for yourself a "clean day", which you must spend without a phone, communication by e-mail or in instant messengers. This is a labor feat with short breaks for a break, during which you have to "clean up" all the cases, if suddenly you did not have enough time for something within a week (month).