Why is Time Management So Important and How Can I Improve It?

How are you with managing your time? 

Are you performing at the level you expect to perform? 

There are many components that relate to improving your performance.

Time management is one of the most important factors in improving your performance.

Join us today as we discuss 3 components that help to manage your time better.

Let’s get started.

1. Discipline

Discipline is not something you just decide if you contain or not. 

Discipline is achieved through actions of goal setting, change and not accepting anything less than achieving your goal. 

Wise application of discipline is always based upon experience. As you build experience, your ability to apply discipline, improves.

But let’s help you arrive to that wisdom in case you are starting from scratch…

First, you want to set a goal. Once you’ve set a goal and you’ve achieved it, you’ve had the experience to learn what it takes to meet that goal. 

Hopefully, that goal has required an amount of change from you.

See our article The 6 Steps to Progress, to learn more about achieving progress within your goals.

Congratulations on taking action! Many don’t make it to this step. 

Mentally preparing for change and actually taking action, is two different things. 

• Many times people create goals, but never actually take action. 

This is not discipline. This is acknowledging a need and not setting effective plans for achieving them.

After you learn what it takes to meet an achievement, you are better prepared to execute the next goal. This is where discipline can be more effectively applied.

Meeting you goal builds confidence. Success in prior achievements is an encouraging foundation for you to meet future goals.

Many times people are unencouraged due to disbelief that they can achieve the goal.

• This is where, I’d tell you…”Think positive! You can do it! Get started!”

Anything negative needs to be removed! You should always think of the positive attributes you possess that will help you meet your goal. 

If it isn’t positive, don’t allow it into your mind. 

• See our article on How Much of Your Business is Mindset, to see how mind control is a vital skill everyone should possess.
• Leading with Positive, is another article that’s helpful in understanding the importance of a positive mindset.

Overall, focus on being disciplined. 

So, you not only grow yourself, but you also bring characteristics to your team that show you can meet results. 

Discipline applies the ability for you to improve your performance. Practice allows better performances and better performance improve your time management.

Let’s move to the second component.

2. Organization

Plans always come together better when there is organization. 

Not only will organization help you perform better, it will help provide a more comfortable atmosphere. 

Who likes working in a mess? (Rhetorical question…) Your answer should be “No one…” 

Productivity happens when efficiency is capable. 

Efficiency is not capable when things are not organized. 

In operations management, we call this a by-product of waste.

Waste equals lower levels of productivity. In order to eliminate waste, you need to identify the waste and execute a plan to remove the waste.

Often times, removing waste involves creating a totally new practice. However, with being able to evaluate your current performance, organization is necessary.

When things are organized, it allows you to see where the opportunity exists. 

Teaching anyone in an unorganized atmosphere is a disaster waiting to happen. The learning curve will be much more extensive. You will also create performances that are below your potential. Let alone, affect your credibility. 

People appreciate an atmosphere that is organized, positive and productive.

Any task supported by an organized atmosphere, will usually allow for better performances.

Learning, planning, task-driven actions, and results, are all supported best when things are organized.

A few important by-products of organization are being able to project future business and creating daily task lists. Allowing you to plan for the days, weeks and months ahead.

• Projections – Forward planning techniques that allow you to prepare for future performances.
• Task Lists – Knowing your responsibility and organizing a constructive action plan by priority.

Day-to-day tasks, and forward projections are made capable in an organized environment.

With the presence of organization, time management is improved.

Now, let’s review the final component to better time management.

3. Strengths & Weaknesses

Knowing yourself goes a long way. 

The simple practice of writing down everything you are great at, and also everything you are not good at, is a self developing technique.

Once you’ve created both lists of strengths and weaknesses, your acknowledgement to your own personal abilities is captured. 

This self-development trait is great for improving your self-awareness.

For more on self-development, see our article Self-Development: “Cream Rises to the Top”.

It is vital for you to be more self-aware so you allow the ability for improved communication (and performance) within your team.

Metaphoric Example

• What good would a team be if none of it’s players knew what position they were good at and why? (Rhetorical question…)
• Answer being, none of them would know where to apply themselves during game time – showing terrible placement and inorganization.

This is why knowing your strengths and weaknesses are applicable for anything you do. Not just sports….

Knowing your skillset is not only good for you, its good for everyone on your team. 

When a team knows each other well, they can support each other better.

Better knowledge of self, allows for better performance. 

• In fact, a team that knows each other best, will always be capable of being the best team with proper coaching.
• See our article, Results – A True Gage on Performance for more applications of high-level performances.

Again, the team that is aware of their strengths and weaknesses collectively, is a much stronger team than the team who doesn’t. 

• The team with self-awareness will always perform at a higher level.

Self-awareness will allow a team to know where and what, to spend their time on, so they more effective achieving their desired results.

This is where time management meets self-awareness and teamwork. A by-product of knowing your strengths and weaknesses.

Conclusion

Time management is a group of components that allow higher levels of skillful performance. 

If all components that create it have been assessed and worked on, performances are significantly better.

Growth is a lifelong process and the sooner you begin creating it, the more progress you’ll achieve sooner.

The who, what, when, where, why and how, of where you spend your time, is a learned skill.

When you’ve learned how to time manage well, you’ve made great progress. 

You will also continue to have great progress in your future challenges with your improved ability to manage your time well.

Thanks for joining us today faithful readers – future leaders.

Love ya and keep striving for growth.

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Please comment your ways of managing your time well.