The Pitfalls Of Effective Time Management

The Pitfalls Of Effective Time Management

One famous saying goes, "sometimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits." You probably have found yourself in this situation far too many. You have so much to accomplish and yet you are not getting anywhere. The culprit, oftentimes than never, is the time thief. It knows only too well that time is gold and that it will do everything in its power to steal it from you. If you don’t have much safeguard against it, you will find yourself giving in to it most of the time. Time stolen can never be recovered. No agency or insurance can provide you with anything to replenish your stolen time.

Be wary and avoid the pitfalls of time management. Here are a couple perpetrators:

1. Lethargy. This is one of the worst schedule interruptions. Most of the time we feel tired not because of any valid physical or emotional stress but because we are simply lazy. We let the power of indolence take over the wheel so that we can go to the backseat and indulge in some useless dawdling.

2. Entertainment. You ought to know when to give yourself a break or a personal reward and that is when you have successfully achieved your goals; not when you just started the project or halfway through. This is also one of the major time wasters. The lure of television, cinema, shopping malls, and all other forms of entertainment often made us forget about our priorities. We succumb to the allure of self indulgence even if there really is no reason to do so. Reward yourself when it is due.

3. Failure to plan. Committing yourself to an effective time management entails specific planning of goals. You need to come up with a tangible list of what you need to do today, tomorrow, or next month. You need to be realistic about it. Thinking about it is not planning. It is just simply musing. You may remember it now but wait until tomorrow and everything is lost. A list makes all the difference.

4. Failure to say no. It is admirable for someone to be of service to others; truly praiseworthy. To be incessantly available for other people’s requests though is a major blunder to your own schedule. You are messing with your time doing works that are not really yours. It is a commendable attitude but you must either do it in your spare time or do it at a minimal. You should learn when to say no. It spells a big difference between a good time manager and someone who lets others exploit him.

There are a hundred and one reasons why we often lose so much of our precious time. These four tops them all. You should develop a sensible attitude to identify the signs that you are spending your time irresponsibly. Only then can you truly master the art that is time management.