| Tied For Time |
| By Kavita Ashok |
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| Many wise men (or women) have said that time is money. Implement time management in your lifestyle and see how efficiently you can juggle your domestic and office life. |
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| So little time, so much to do. How many times have we used that line and sympathised with ourselves? Agreed, today's rat race has us spinning on our toes 24x7 and by the end of each day we thank God it's over only to wake up the next morning and groggily head to work! But let us dig deep and see if we can find some ways to bring solace to our harassed minds and manage our time better. This is more about managing yourself than trying to manage time. |
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| Everyone has the same amount of time, then how is the other utilising it better? Here are some tools that can boost your performance while keeping off the stress. |
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| Time value: Calculate how much your time is worth. For this, add the cost of infrastructure, working days, office rent, etcetera, and evaluate if you are way you are utilising the time you spend at the office worth the salary you are drawing. You will be shocked as to how many hours you are wasting every week. |
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| Prioritising at work: Decide your work priorities. Chart out what you want to focus on. Answer such questions to yourself: What do I want to achieve? What needs my immediate attention? What are the deadlines I have to meet? And so on. Make a list of top priorities at work and stick it right in front of you. |
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| Concentrate on your strengths: You know what you are good at. Excel in what you do. Do not waste valuable office hours dabbling in some colleague's work or trying to step in someone's shoes. What you are passionate about should ideally be your work arena because this maximises your productivity. If you love your job as a teacher and are asked to work in a television channel, your creativity will take an oceanic dip. Stick to your plus points and polish them. |
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| Make a log: An activity log is an eye opener. Chatting for long hours on the phone, reading junk mails and extending your coffee breaks make for good two hours of paid time going down the drain. Show some respect for your employer and utilise each moment. |
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| Morning chores: Immense pressure of your child's tiffin, husband's packed lunch and maid worries must be driving you insane in the morning. Even before you reach office you are stressed out for time. Start managing better at home so that you reach office on time and are peaceful. Soak grains in the night, get vegetables chopped one night before, ask your kids to lay out their school uniforms and pack their school bags in the night. Your child screaming for his misplaced school tie can set your morning schedule on fire. Organise your clothes for the next day. Trust me, it helps. I follow these rules all the time but the day I slip, I end up screaming in the morning. |
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| Human errors: We are all humans. When you have several things to do in a day at the office, it is human that an error may slip gently out of your control. This harmless slip may get you into trouble the next day with the boss who might think you are careless when you are not. You are simply poor at managing your time! So go for effective scheduling. |
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| Over-commitment: Some of us have the habit of taking in more than we can chew. Once you overload yourself and over-commit, you are surely heading to the danger zone. 'I am very efficient, I can handle all' is a stressinviting attitude. Keep it at bay. You are smart only when you meet your deadlines and are efficient at your work. |
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| With the skill of time management, you will multiply your efficiency, divide your errors and add to creativity at work! Peace and calm will rule your mind and the workplace will be your nirvana! |
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| Excel in what you do. Do not waste valuable office hours dabbling in some colleague's work or trying to step in someone's shoes. |