by Amal HEWAVISSENTI

How many times have you heard someone grumble, "I just don't have enough time? The reality underlying the time management is that everyone has exactly the same amount of time, that is to say, everyone has 60 minutes in each hour and 24 hours in each day. It is interesting to observe that some people seem to make the best use of time and these people seem to have time to accomplish what they are required to do and still have extra time to do the things they want to do. Most often, it is the busiest people who can take on new jobs and get them done, and the reason behind all this is that these people, although they have only the same amount of time as everyone else, have mastered the art of time management.

Anyone can gain complete knowledge of time management and be learning to handle time effectively anyone can catch up on chores, school work, office work and still have plenty of time left for hobbies, sports, or simply relaxing.

The first step towards time management is the assurance that you can find time in your life no matter how busy you are or what you are doing. Patricia J. Olney, the author of the book, "Time - How to have more of it" suggests the following plan to checkout how you can find time and profit by it.

"Try keeping a "time log" for a few days to discover exactly how your time is spent each day. Divide your log into the following categories, leaving some space between each item": Before breakfast, break fast time, lunch to dinner, dinnertime, dinner to bedtime, bedtime. Make a copy for each day you plan to continue the experiment. A week should be long enough.

Begin the log on Day 1 by writing down all the things you do that day. Put each in the proper time slot and note how much time each took. Repeat the process on Day 2 Day 3 and so forth, using a separate sheet of paper for each day. Be sure to list activities as you do them, so you do not forget what you did. If you stop to talk to friends, list it. If you feed the dog list it. If you deliver newspapers, work at the grocery stores, or help you mother or father, list it. At the end of the week, go over your log carefully. Find ways to pick up time by eliminating unnecessary activities and by using your time more efficiently. For example when reading over his log, one boy notices that he was going out to feed the dog, then coming back later to take out the trash. The trash area was not far from dog house. The boy combined the two jobs and saved almost the entire time for one of them."

(From "Time-How to Have More of It" - by Patricia J. Olney)

Most important as a person keeps himself engaged in activities, he must be sure to give himself enough time to do each particular task well because nothing is as great a time waster as doing a task carelessly and having to repeat it over and over again.

Getting things done

If we ask a busy person who is expert in getting things done how he can possibly deal with other jobs with such a tight schedule, the answer will definitely be "By making lists of what must be done and crossing tasks off as I do them." One of the most effective methods to organise our time is preparing a list of jobs to be done and listing these items in order of priority - that is decide how important a task is and when it must be completed. For instance, if your research project is due to be forwarded this Friday and your completion of personal files is due next week, don't hesitate to list the research project first and always try to list both these tasks ahead of something less important, like re-arranging your room.

We should make a new list at the beginning of each week, or each day, provided we have a very busy schedule and we should also try to work steadily at each job until it is completed and switch promptly to the next one on the list. Putting off activities and wasting time only prolongs an unpleasant task leaving us with comparatively lesser time. After a person has crossed off the last job on the list, he is better able to reward himself by keeping himself engaged in a recreational activity or something he really enjoys doing.

Making a decision

A person who is equipped with the striking skill to make decisions is doubtlessly the person who is able to employ time to its best advantage and at the same time the longer someone struggles with a decision, the more time he is wasting.

For example, if a person must decide between going on a picnic with friends and going to watch a stage drama he can label one paper 'picnic' and one paper "stage drama" and make two columns on each sheet under the headings "pro" and "con". Now he can write down the advantages including things that will happen inside himself under the column "pro" and list all the bad things under the "con" column. The particular person can take his time and fill out the sheets carefully. We can understand that he will be saving time in the long run because with just a little bit of study, it will become obvious to him which choice is best for him.

Managing time at school

It is clearly proved that the best time managers primarily emerge from school background. Students who use time wisely do not doze, chat, or read novels or comic books during class hours. Paying attention in class saves a considerable amount of time in the long run, because students are learning while they are listening and this process saves study time later on. Ideal time managers employ free periods and study hall to complete homework assignments and the students who do this often manage to complete much of their homework at school and have more free time in the evening. If a student is already a member of the volleyball team and the debating club, he may not have time to be in the school play, too and he should learn to reserve some free time for himself.

Managing time at home

Sometimes our room may look messy or disorganised, cluttered with papers, magazines, and books, clothes, posters and sporting and hobby equipment. Storing our possessions in their proper place and throwing out unnecessary items are noticeable ways to get organised, and, it is far easier to think, and work in a clean, tidy area. If we have doubts about discarding certain objects, they should be stored in a box and if we have not made any practical use of them, after a month or two, they should be instantly disposed of. If we can, it is highly advisable to do the tomorrow's work to day.

For example, a person can have an idea of what clothes he would wear the following day and prepare the clothes before he goes to bed. He can pack his book bag, making sure it contains everything he needs for the next day and therefore he does not need to wait until morning to ask his parents to give him lunch money or to iron one of his shirts.

At home we should set limits to our telephone conversations, and television viewing and try not to let friends get in the habit of calling us everynight for prolonged chat. We should be careful to choose one or two favourite television programs to watch per day and when they are over we must have the strength of mind to get up and remove ourselves from television or turn it off if possible. But one important point to reminisce everytime we do not have to be involved in something every minute to be spending time wisely but we should take a refreshing break, or relax and enjoy ourselves. It is also a type of time management.