Poster-Time.

Vivien over at Inspirationbit challenges her fellow bloggers to post their ruminations on time management and the value of time. I have to agree that it is a luxury these days. While modern man prides himself in juggling the many demands of work, social life and family, he is faced with the poverty of allocating time for each. And most often what happens is that one concern can only be fulfilled at the expense of sacrificing the other.

Ordinary people often complain that they need 25 hours a day to complete their long list of to-dos. Yet we know that even the most successful people suffer from the deficiency of time. In fact I have this impression that the wealthier and more successful you become, the less sleep and the more worries you get. It now seems worth figuring out that modern man’s many problems (foremost among them lack of time) stems from fear. We juggle too many responsibilities because we fear going broke, losing control, and running out of, well, time. Sometimes all it takes is to pause and make sense of the situation. Time management, after all, is both an art and a science.

Again, it’s advisable to write everything down: daily schedules and reminders to a planner or mobile phone application, budgets and purchases in an Excel worksheet.. any system which makes it possible for you to access data for later or help you to remember things amid the usual grind. Driving to a wrong appointment or forgetting something just because you only had it mentally mapped out is a waste of time. Like your monthly bills and appointments, time needs to be properly budgeted and allocated according to your priorities.

Realize that there are non-negotiable variables in your Balanced Time Scorecard such as the time spent with your family or helping out a friend in need. Optionals you can dispense with are parties and other social occasions where your presence may not be felt or is necessary.

Don’t wear a watch for a change. Just follow a given schedule and stick with it.

Multi-task creatively and multi-task only what you can manage.

Don’t just work hard, work smart. Avoid office overtimes (unless otherwise called for!) by steering clear of distractions (such as the Internet or talking too long to your seatmate). Clear your mind and set it towards finishing your work early and on time.

Free yourself from the hustle and bustle by declaring “Me” days. By looking forward to something, you can avoid breaking down from too much stress. For example, Thursdays can be “Meet the Girls for Lunch” day while Saturdays can be “Volunteering Day.” Consciously making time for other people in your life can make you feel less guilty about being too busy.

Post positive affirmations about time management on your wall or desk.

Avoid classic time-wasters such as gossiping pointlessly, texting needlessly (they deplete you of your load too), and surfing the net aimlessly. For every time-waster, there’s another way to make your life better. Choose the latter.

Do not ignore Time Overload when it happens. Be sure to make up to the person concerned when you do dirty deeds like forgetting a birthday or standing up somebody.

Make up for lack of time by being thoughtful to the people around you. Sometimes a simple email, text message or e-card will do… just make sure it comes from the heart and is not all the time some forwarded broken record crap.

When the going gets too tough, realize that you’re only human and accept the fact that you may need to slow down. Extreme busy-ness can destroy your aura and make you cranky. Go ahead, take a deep breath and savor that cup of coffee or stay in bed a little longer. Life is more meaningful than we think.

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