The concept of time management has been beaten to death by countless books on productivity and increased performance. Although most of these offer some valuable advice, the real problem is that they rarely talk about the practicalities of managing your time when everything seems to be coming down on top of you. Modern life can be a real challenge and if you are juggling a busy job with a busy career, proper time management can make all the difference.
The firts and most important thing you need to realize is that the real goal of time management is not to “get more done”. Its all about establishing greater balance in your life. Its about fitting in everything that you value most in life and getting that sense of fulfillment that will make you happy. Working more will not necessarily give you more money. Spending more time with your family might leave you feeling like you should be at work. Balance is the real issue here and once you understand this, managing your time becomes much easier.
As a start you need to identify your priorities in life. What’s most important to you in life? Does the time you spend on each of these reflect that priority? Chances are that its not, which is a reflection of your life being out of balance. Its important that you allocate an appropriate amount of time to each one of these priorities. If family is your most important priority, then you cannot spend all your time at work. Your priorities need to reflect where and how you spend your time.
Your time is your most valuable asset in life. Treating it with respect is really important. Remember that managing your time and managing the balance in your life will do something very special. Many books talk about it as synergy and what it refers to is how all the smaller pieces work together produce a result where the sum is greater than the total. Keep this in mind as you start prioritizing your life and arranging your time accordingly.
