Why Effective Time Management Determines Your Success

Time management is a key principle that needs to be practiced to the core for someone who wants to be successful either in academics, business, or in any area of life. It often seem like the time we have at our disposal is not sufficient to carry out our daily basic tasks or even the complex ones but the truth is that time has to be managed effectively if you want to be productive. Time is that one thing that cannot be paused nor stopped. Yet, it is the greatest asset on earth which must be well utilised to get your desired results.

Photo by KEVIN KU from UNSPLASH
Every prudent person makes adequate plans before spending money, this is the same way someone who want to be productive must plan the use of time. Doing the right thing at the right time is one of the key ways of managing time. And how can this be achieved effortlessly? This is simply by dedicating some moment in the day especially in the early hours to think about how you want to soend your day and create a schedule that will work for you. If this is properly done it is a clear indication that you will be at the top of your game more than people who do not have a set plan for the day.

The major determinants of the results you will get both on a short and long term is the way you spend your time. See, you don't necessarily have to do a whole lot of things but making good decisions about the use of your time will show ypur efforts. Like I said earlier on, time and money are very similar and they have common features, so I would like us to juxtapose them to get a better understanding about time.

Photo by GLENN CARSTENS-PETERS from UNSPLASH
We were all taught how we need to spend money on important things, how to avoid spending on things we do not necessarily need at a particular moment, investing, setting a budget, tracking our expenses and lots more. This is applicable to time. It is important to invest your time in productive activities and this is doable by setting a schedule, that is, planning the way you spend your time (money). In the same vein, at the end of the day you should always take some moment to carry out a review of how you were able to spend your time ("tracking your expenses").

If you really want to manage your time and get the desired results you must begin to consciously take note of how you use your time. And by that I mean you must take note of the time you spent in working, sleeping, eating, social media, video games, movies, hangout etc. This process can be carried out over a period of time, for example daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly etc. before you review. You would have to ask yourself some cogent questions like where and what were you doing at a particular time and is it the right place to be? With careful scrutiny of your time you'd be able to easily identify the things taking your time.

As a prudent and disciplined person, would you spend money without planning/budgeting what you want to purchase? I believe the answer should a capital NO. In the same light, you'd need to plan your time by writing out all you plan to do in a day, week, month or year.

Photo by JOSE FABULA from UNSPLASH
Planning is an essential aspect of our existence as it is a guide (map) that will give you a sense of direction throughout your lifetime. In planning, you must place the important activities first. You should place preparation for your job interview over seeing a football match or spending time with your friends. In short, when you have a concrete plan you will be able to take full responsibility for your actions and not blaming others for your failure.

Dear blog readers and friends, time is money, spend your time wisely. It may be difficult at first but with practice and consistency it will become a part of your daily life.