What is Time Management?

Managing Time

Do you ever feel like there just isn't enough time in your day? Do you spend your days in a frenzy of activity, only to find you've not done as much as you thought you would? And how do some people just seem to get so much done, in the same period of time?

In every aspect of life, the highest achievers almost invariably manage their time particularly well. And while it may seem like many of us are working hard, there's a difference between being busy and being effective ... and good time management is what makes that difference.

Like many modern problems, the pursuit of better time management and efficiency is something that's been around for a very long time. But how did the concept of time management evolve, and what are the broad principles by which we try to define it?

A Quick Definition

Time management can be defined as the process of planning and organizing how you allocate your time to different activities and tasks so you're both effective and efficient.
This means you need to prioritize tasks, set goals, and make conscious decisions about how you spend your time.

And when you manage your time effectively, you'll increase your productivity, lower your stress levels, and likely achieve a better work-life balance into the bargain!
You'll make the most of the time you have available by focusing on tasks that are important and align with your goals, while minimizing or eliminating those that are less important or even time-wasting.

The History of Time Management

The nineteenth century saw the rise of the industrial revolution and the development of modern technologies like the telegraph, railroad, and postal service. These new developments depended on precision clocks and standardised work hours. If time management had always been needed, now it was official!

There was now a dependency on precision, with time being an allocation of alarms, time cards, schedules and standardised rates. As factories grew and productivity became a universal target, there arose a need for quotas.  These often determined weekly pay, and could even standardize methods of production. The principles of business profit and loss now involved the management of time.

As the notion of keeping track of time and using it wisely caught on, it became part of the popular culture of the time. Throughout history, there have been different individuals who have been recognized for their contributions towards today's concept of time management.
A few prominent ones include:

• Catharine Beecher, whose 1847 book "A Treatise on Domestic Economy" deals with creating a more efficient household management by using time more productively.
• Frederick Winslow Taylor, inventor of the Scientific Management movement, proposed in his 1909 paper "The Principles of Scientific Management" that it was more efficient to optimise how work was performed than to force employees to work as hard as they could - an early case of the "work smart" philosophy.
• Stephen R. Covey, whose approach to time management focused on doing what's most important rather than allowing yourself to get buried in smaller tasks.

Time Management Today

Today you'll find hundreds of strategies, electronic and paper tools, and theories about how to better multi-task so you can fit all you want to achieve into your day. In the past few decades, the main approach of time management has been on preparing schedules and setting goals based on a defined time frame. The modern approach still uses these techniques, but now the focus can often be more on prioritising tasks based on their importance and on controlling inputs and distractions to stay on track.
One useful extension of this is for larger companies to set up compliance management systems (CMSs) which are integrated systems of documents, processes, tools and functions which make it easier to comply with the regulatory and legal requirements they face.

A simple Google search for time management tips will blow you away. At last count, if you look it up, you'll find over 5 BILLION pages in the search results!

As you can see, the time management field is packed with tools that claim to help us manage our time better. Everything from apps and timers to websites and social media blockers. There are even patented methods like Covey's Time Management Grid, the Priority Matrix, and the Triage method.

A Better Understanding

What most people fail to realise, however, is that trying to use all of these methods will only lead to you feeling overwhelmed. Like the idea of picking the battles you feel are worthwhile, you need to pick the methods and tools you are going to use.

But first, to get a better grasp of your time, you first have to understand what time management is NOT.

Time management isn't necessarily about getting everything done - it's about creating enough time for what matters most. (The obvious truth is, you can't do everything!)

Time management starts with "personal management", a skill you'll need in order to achieve a better quality of life. By managing your time in a more efficient way, you'll find that you get the right things done, and still have time to relax.

So, before you do anything else, decide what's important to you. For example: is spending more time with your family of higher value to you than spending extra amounts of time on social media? If so, you may have to make some hard decisions about social media. That may mean cutting down the hours you spend on social media, and in order to do that, choose to operate on one or two platforms instead of six!




In today's fast-paced world, understanding time management has never been more important ... or more challenging.

While technology allows us to stay connected and organize our time, it's just as easy for it to become a distraction. If you're happy using Facebook and Twitter, do you really need to use Instagram and SnapChat? Maybe you started using Pinterest initially to get an idea about holiday locations, and now you're using it to get ideas for everything in your life! So think about it ...

In project management, there's a term used called Mission Creep. It is how your initial mission for a particular project slowly grows and becomes larger than it was ever intended to be. Social media (and other things) are often like that, and you have to rein them in.

Conclusion

Good time management is essential in today's hectic working environment. If you know what it is, and how it works, and use this knowledge to follow basic rules, you will get more done with greater ease, improving your performance, and that of your team. And since most of us are at work for a fixed time every day, why not get more done in that time?