Effective Time Management Skills - Can We Really Manage Time?

Contrary to many beliefs, time management is NOT about managing your time but rather effective use of time. No one can manage time; we all have 86,400 seconds per day; we can't manage to get more or less. Effective time management skills are about teaching you how to use your time effectively.

If you have been in some busy cities in the world like Hong Kong, New York, Tokyo, you would likely see that there are many people always running around in hurry as though they are being chased by police or FBI. Why are these people in such a hurry? Well, the answer is TIME. They are chasing for time; I'm sure you've heard people say "I wish I could have more time"; "I'm late for a meeting"; "I'm going to miss my train"; "I'm late for dinner"; etc.

When you think about it, it's ironic that why people always wish to have more time even though they know that there are 24 hours a day; no more no less. Everyone has the same amount of time. So why most people seem to be running out of time? Well, the answer to this question is "effective use of time"; also known as Time Management.

Ironically, time management actually is NOT about managing our time because no one can manage time. We always have 86,400 seconds per day; no one could manage to have more or less; those seconds will tick away and no one can stop it. Therefore, time management is actually about teaching us the skills on how to plan and use our time EFFECTIVELY. Those who know how to use their time effectively will never feel run out of time; those who always feel like they're running out of time simply don't know how use time effectively.

Here are some effective time management skills that can help you use your time more effectively.

List Your Tasks Down. Make a daily list of things to do, appointments to keep, and so on. When making a list of things to do, begin with the most important item first. Then prioritize the rest as you complete your list. Effective time management is about getting the most important things done first!

Don’t Be Late. If you have an appointment, leave an hour earlier so that you’ll have plenty of time to arrive at your destination. If you're always late for appointments, you're not only wasting your time but others' as well; respect other people's time.

Don’t Procrastinate. If you've decided to do something; do it. For example, you want to improve your public speaking skill and decided to join the Toastmasters. But then you suddenly hold your decision and worry about the lessons or projects you need to go through; you start to analyze until you get paralysed... so you procrastinate for another day, week, month and then forever. Procrastination is a waste of time.

Don't Be A Perfectionist. If you have an important function to attend; don’t waste so much time over the minor things like your dress, your make-up, your hairstyle, your purse, shoes, etc which will cause you to be late. Remember the old saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”  It happens to be true. People value your companionship; not how you look or what you wear.

Don’t Be Afraid to Say, “Sorry, I Can’t Make It.”  Often times, we tend to say yes too quickly and easily; this is a normal human nature as we generally want to please others, fearful of disappointing them. We say yes not because we want to but are afraid of hurting other's feelings. Everyone wants to have more of your time. You should not be overwhelmed by other people requests. Learn to say NO!  A simple and direct "NO, I can't make it today" is the best solution. If you want to give an explanation you should keep it simple: "NO, I can't make it because I already have another appointment for this time".

Time is a very important component in our lives and hence should not be wasted nor squandered; learn to use your time effectively to perform your daily duties; work habits; and family responsibilities; that way you'll never feel running out of time again.