There is certainly no shortage of advice, including books, blogs, tips, and apps designed to improve time management. However, the most discouraging fact is that no matter how effectively designed these tools might be, they are unlikely to work if you do not have the necessary time management abilities.
Additionally, everybody has distinct goals and aspirations. The productivity and time management specialists discuss their priorities, which may not be suitable for everyone.
For instance, will buying a fine set of knives, expensive kitchen appliances, and fresh ingredients would instantaneously turn someone into a five-star chef? The answer is NO.
Similarly, a scheduling app won't help you manage your time effectively if you don't have the skills to manage your time effectively. That’s why you will have to develop your own strategies, that work for you.
I am pretty sure you have stumbled across suggestions such as ‘wake up at five o'clock, leave your mobile phones and uninstall all the apps or turn off all the notifications.’ How is that working for you? Let me guess, not very well, right?
It is not possible to completely cut yourself off from technology. I mean, everything now incorporates digital technology. It has become impossible to stay away from them. The point is you need to understand that modern problems need modern solutions. So, why not master them instead of making them your master?
So let me share a few tips which can actually help you in modern-day time management.
1. Time cannot be managed.
You must realize that you cannot manage time. There are 24 hours each day and you can't change that. Time doesn't need you or me; it keeps on going, so there's no reason to hold onto it. As long as you focus on managing time - searching for systems, lists, and tools - you are ignoring the real issue: how to manage yourself. What you actually need is priority management instead of time management.
2. ‘I have too much work to do" and "I don't have enough time" are victim phrases.
By repeatedly saying those words, you are absolving yourself of responsibility for self-management. You are victimizing yourself by placing the blame on external factors. There is obviously too much to do. Naturally, there isn't enough time for all of them. The only solution is to adjust to it!
3. You will accomplish less the more priorities you have.
I saw this on a Franklin-Covey video and I agree. With more items on your list, you will spend more time fumbling with it, switching between tasks, and ultimately feeling paralyzed by indecision.
So, make a time budget that outlines your usage of time for one week. You will finish 2-3 tasks if you have two to three priorities. With 4–10, you will finish only 1 or 2 tasks. And if there are more than ten, none will be finished.
4. Decide how much time you want to invest in social media.
You cannot avoid social media; I have tried many times but always failed. Who wants to stop watching fun TikTok and Instagram reels, right? If you can't prevent it, you must learn to control it. The key is that you only absorb information that is useful to you. Follow those that motivate you to put in more effort and refrain from being lazy. Through social media, you can find numerous experts in your field and learn from them. Make social media more informative than just simply having fun.
5. Reward yourself.
Make your rewards feasible and realistic. For example, after 50 minutes of deep work, I will check Instagram for 15 minutes.
So, to summarize we can say that these 3 A’s will help you in time management.
1. Awareness - Recognizing the fact that your time is a finite resource and acting accordingly.
2. Arrangement - Designing and organizing your chores, schedules, objectives, and goals to efficiently manage your time.
and,
3. Adaptation - Monitoring how much time you spend on each task, including how you respond to interruptions and shifting priorities.