Why is Time Management Important?
By Stephanie Marston
The purpose of time management is to get more done well in less time. This will enable you to spend more face time with the people you care about, doing things that give you the greatest amount of joy and satisfaction in life.
The majority of your happiness comes from satisfying relationships, especially with the people closest to you. The essential determinant of the quality of your relationships is the amount of time that you spend face to face with people you love and who love you.
You can get control of your time by stop doing the low value things and spending more time on the few activities that can genuinely make a difference in your life.
If you're like most people, you are overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time. As you struggle to stay current, new tasks and responsibilities keep pouring in. The reality is that you will never be able to do everything you have to do. There will never be a time when you are completely caught up. There will always be more to do than you can do in the course of a day.
Be Selective
It is essential that you are able to select your most important task at each moment, get it done efficiently and well. Being selective will have more impact on your success than any other skill or quality you can develop.
People who develop this skill of setting clear priorities and getting important tasks completed excel beyond those people who talk a lot, make great plans, but who get little done.
The rule of thumb is that if you have two important tasks in front of you start with the one that is most challenging first. Discipline yourself to focus until you complete this task before you go onto something else.
Consider this a challenge. Resist the temptation to start with the easier task. Regularly remind yourself that one of the most important decisions you make each day is what you will do immediately and what you will do later, if at all.
The key to reaching a high level of performance and productivity is to develop the habit of tackling your major task first thing in the day.
Act Immediately
Successful people are those who focus directly on their major tasks and then discipline themselves to work steadily and single-mindedly until those tasks are complete.
In the business world, you are paid and promoted for getting specific, measurable results. You are paid for making a valuable contribution and especially for making the most important contribution that is expected of you.
Failure to take effective action is one of the biggest problems in organizations. Many employees confuse activity with achievement. They continually talk, hold endless meetings, and make fantastic plans, but in the final analysis, no one does the job and gets the required outcomes.
Do It Now!
One of the simplest and most effective ways to be more productive is to repeat, "Do it now! Do it now! Do it now!" over and over to yourself.
If you find yourself becoming distracted by socializing or low value activities say to yourself, "Get back to work!" In other words, work when you work. Don't waste time. Every minute you spend surfing the web or in idle talk with a coworker is time taken away from the work you have to accomplish and consequently, time away from your family and important relationships.
Nothing will help you more in your career than for you to get a reputation for being the kind of person who gets important work done quickly and effectively. This reputation will make you one of the most valuable and respected people in your field.