3 Time Management Issues You Will Relate To

Ever since humans evolved into racing against time, they are nowhere to win it ever. Instead, it seems the race is for eternity, and humans won’t ever have a chance to beat it. Similarly, tides that lash the seashores appear as if trying to cope with time. But practically speaking, seas are following their routine. Isn’t it? 

Time and again, we have proved the old phrase — time and tide wait for none. In ancient or modern times, time management has been a subject of contention on getting more time, productivity, and efficiency out of stipulated Twenty-Four hours. But the issues & arguments on saving and loss of time continue. Despite technology supporting almost every task human hands/mind can do, we struggle to arrest time management problems. 

Besides time-management issues, maintaining health is yet another matter of concern; because balancing heath, time, and productivity is one of the most important and challenging factors of beginning and maintaining a successful career. 

However, well-thought and well-planned time management can help achieve the right amount of work, stay energetic, enhance self-management,  overcome bad habits that incite wasting time, and maximise career and personal potential. 

Reading or writing the above para is relatively easy, but implementing or practicing it is physically and mentally challenging. Yet we know issues exist, and we also know there are resolutions to get rid of them. We aren’t referring to solutions mentioned in time-management books or spoken during motivational/training sessions, but we have covered issues and resolutions to THREE significant/worst time-management problems. All you need to do is identify them and plan & execute a strategy against them.

Issue # 1. Improper or no schedule: The thin line between a fruitful and fruitless day is the schedule. And if the habit of working without a program continues for a long time, dreams, goals, aspirations, and efforts go to drain. On the other hand, respecting the time of others is good, but wasting personal time or not valuing precious time is an issue that needs urgent attention. While not ignoring others is essential, at the same time, it is crucial to have a daily timetable or schedule. Learning to attend personal stuff first (i.e., prioritising) and the rest afterward is the key to self-management and managing time. 

Issue # 2. Unhealthy lifestyle: Time management can take a heavy toll on the body, and an unhealthy lifestyle ruins efforts on managing time and overall health. A healthy-looking individual can look sick within days. The human body needs healthy eating/food, fuel to get things done, to perform. Likewise, less sleeping or trying to get things done by skipping proper sleep time affects the body internally and externally, which hampers completing daily tasks on time. Hence, leading a healthy lifestyle is vital for time management.

Issue # 3. Being available all the time: This issue means free access to everyone. Unfortunately, the modern, hasty business world exerts constant pressure on being available at all times. For example, not answering the phone creates panic for losing out on something important. Likewise, not replying to email instantly or within a couple of hours generates a fear of losing a client or a business deal. All these indicate free access to everyone, and everyone controls the personnel’s time. The solution to this issue is to make people follow personal rules, such as prioritising urgent calls/emails and the unimportant ones after completing personal tasks. By doing so, the person ensures proper workflow while maintaining creativity and focus. Moral: People do not value the time of those who are freely available. 

Aside from the above THREE issues, other factors influencing time management are trying perfectionism, low concentration, ineffective task management, not maintaining time-sheets, stress, distractions, not breaking down tasks into smaller ones, and more. There are numerous factors, and as humans, we cannot be cent-percent productive all the time. Still, there are time management mistakes that we can correct, and adapt ideas to enhance productivity.