In various walks of life and on various platforms, people have asked me several questions about my success story and my journey to becoming what I am today. They have asked me about my everyday habits, my hobbies, my routine at the office, and my ability to keep both personal and professional life simultaneously upright. Out of all those questions, one of the most striking has been about how I do time management, especially with a 4-year-old.
In a world as competitive as today’s, it is not easy to handle everything at once. Being able to do so requires a lot of effort, support, determination, and above all the right intent. I feel there are always some lessons that life teaches us at every phase in becoming a better version of ourselves. As for me, during these 15 years of the entrepreneurial journey, one of the most important lessons I have learned is time management.
It is rightly said that Time and Tide wait for no one, and we all have plenty of time to make things work for ourselves. It is just that we need to realize making the use of our time in the most productive way possible. Below, I have delineated some of the mantras I follow in my daily routine to make sure that my time is always put to fruition.
1. Document your plan with a Timeline
The very first & important step for effective time management! It all starts with a plan! And, if you have a proper plan in place, you are likely to achieve your goals faster. Write out your plan somewhere before you start. This not only tells you what you need to follow in the subsequent days but also helps you work better. Plan out your timeline and manage your time accordingly. When you have a bigger picture already at hand, it is always easy to go back and access it.
2. Delegate the work, if needed
If you have a team and people working along with you, it is always wiser to delegate, which also helps in developing good leadership skills. Get certain work done by your teammates and have the reporting in place. Ensure that everything takes place most smoothly through planning, guidance, and discussion. Make sure that you detect if there’s any problem in the process and act on it beforehand.
3. Set Reminders
We, as humans, often lose focus on our long-term goals. We tend to get weary or even procrastinate. Sometimes, life situations make us delay in taking action as well. Hence, someone must keep telling you when the task is pending. It can be your gadgets, laptops, mobile phone, calendar, or anything that reminds you that you need to stay consistent and meet your deadlines.
4. Use the First and Last hours of the day diligently
Planning the first and last hour of your day is of extreme importance. This is because doing the same helps you in planning the start of your day and the tasks to do the next day. It also helps you approach your tasks more systematically and be able to achieve the everyday goals you set for yourself. If you get that right, most of it goes right.
5. Have a long-term goal
One must always have a long-term goal in life. This not only helps you in understanding your capabilities and working according to them but also makes you challenge the boundaries and stay concentrated. When you have a long-term vision, you are meant to work in that direction incessantly and stay focused on accomplishing the same.
Summing it all up, one needs to understand how valuable one’s time is. More than that, the need to arrange tasks well and synchronize them in meeting your short and long-term goals is important. After all, time is money!
