Time management

Pocket watch

Time management is the process of planning and exercising control over the amount of time spent on specific activities - especially to increase the areas of effectiveness, efficiency or productivity.

Key processes of time management

Below are key processes of time management:^[1]^[2]

- Set goals correctly

- Prioritize wisely. Carrying out activities centered around those priorities. Focusing on behaviors which will achieve the highest results towards achieving your goal.

- Set time limits via scheduling. Block out time chunks via scheduling.

- Delegate

- Take periodic breaks

- Organize yourself

- Remove non-essential tasks elimination/reduction of time spent on non-priorities

- Plan ahead (Schedule out the day/week/month)

- Incentives/rewards to help modify behavior to ensure compliance with time sensitive deadlines.

- Concentration and focus. Minimize distractions in your environment.

Time management skills

"I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Prioritization - To effectively manage your time, you will need to decide in which order you should complete your tasks. Create a priority list rather than a to-do list

Goal setting. Set short term and long term goals. Goals give a measurable way to determine progress toward the end product

Organizational skills

Planning skills

Scheduling and managing appointments

Delegation

Focusing/concentration, minimizing distractions

Communication skills

Setting boundaries and saying "no"

Problem solving skills

Note taking and record keeping

Stress management skills

In psychology, concentration as a cognitive process means focusing selectively on a single aspect of one's environment or thoughts while ignoring other things.