As said, “Time is a Jigsaw puzzle”, it’s the way one person acknowledges it, and assembles it in a limited time frame. Leaving gaps in the same would lead to confusion and things can get tangled if we fail to navigate the same. Just as we arrange all the blocks in the puzzle, managing time is also a task where we need to fill the gap and effectively organize things. The ultimate satisfaction that we derive from the challenges after their completion is the goal that we look upon and it can be achieved if we manage our time well. Each day is filled with new activities, and these activities bring new challenges and new opportunities to us. It all depends on how we navigate and plan according to its importance.
Improving time management is a rigorous process that must be followed with patience, dedication, and practice. By fulfilling the gaps and hindrances, a person can achieve the goals targeted and can also improvise as and when needed. It’s a habit that we must improve and work upon to have a good work-life balance. And we can avail the opportunity by prioritizing our main tasks.
Talking about my personal experience, it was hard to manage the time during the initial month of my PGDM course. With the timings allotted, and the new environment, it was hard for me to follow the scheduled activities. Understanding the challenges and finding effective solutions have always kindled my curiosity, and thus, I jotted down all the points that can be improved and worked upon to achieve what I have dreamt of. Working in an MNC is always a thing I have looked upon, it’s a place where I can contribute to the company’s success while overcoming the time management difficulties that frequently come with some fast-paced setting. Now the question was what things I should focus on and what learning gaps I should improve to achieve my set goal.
Therefore, identifying and fulfilling the gap was the next thing I started questioning and looking for. These gaps were due to the inefficient strategies and lack of skill development and improving the same was my next target. To minimize this gap a thorough practice was needed which could help me to fulfill all my tasks, and the 5 things I did to fulfill these tasks were: –
- Knowing the higher important tasks and completing them became my first task which I would prioritize. Having a strong understanding of the projects also makes a hold on the topic which can be completed on time.
- Started analyzing the task and planning effectively about the daily activities and schedules with proper use of tools.
- Started delegating the task and taking breaks when needed improved my work and hence motivated my inner self.
- Regular self-assessment and reflection on time management practice helped me to make things better.
- Started identifying and addressing the underlined cause of procrastination and using the right technique and tool helped me to manage my work.
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do” and to achieve this, a person must dream about the things he wishes to follow. Blogs have always kindled my curiosity and have some topics that have always fascinated me to learn about and apply the same in my life. Writing blogs was a part of my “to-do list” which I always wanted to achieve. But I always ended up because I didn’t have any idea about how this thing works. I thought that the content of the blogs should be professional enough that it catches the eye and fascinates people to read. Finding topics was a tough task and making content out of it was even tougher. My ideology changed when I attended one of the lectures on my subject Critical Reading and Writing. Indeed, writing is an essential part of professional life, but how to write is the next question a person thinks about. The “n” number of doubts created havoc, but it all ended as and when I attended the lectures.
To paraphrase the content or the writings one must be aware of the usage of proper words, and the newspaper was the medium through which a particular person can go through and get an idea of how things work. Now, people can achieve and learn numerous things just by reading articles. The way the author writes, the metaphor usage, and an idea about a particular thing can be created just by going through the lines. Therefore, reading the newspaper and listening to podcasts was the next to-do list that I wanted to complete.
Both things needed time, perseverance, and patience. Managing time was my main moto and adding value was the next. My learning gaps in both cases were inconsistent reading and difficulty in retention.
Thus, the main three steps that taught me to improve my time management and achieve my desired goals were:
1. Measure: – One of the important tasks is to manage and measure the task which must be performed in a limited time frame. Following up on the task should be our main priority. Now, the question which arose was how these things should be taken up.
A simple answer was the early hour of the day offers a peaceful environment so I should start waking up early to be more productive and efficient. The gradual adjustment made me realize what extra activities I could perform to be more productive. The thing that I made a habit of during the past month was listening to podcasts for a minimum of 30 minutes. It not only improved my knowledge about certain areas but also improved my listening skills. Being on a course that offers a wide range of opportunities, these skills would help us to grow in the future.
2. Significance: – The diverse perspectives and insights not only helped me to gain knowledge but also inspired me to start or appear in a much-known podcast. Learning new things became a part of the journey and with the knowledge and creativity gained, I can apply those things in my professional life.
3. Result: – Enhanced critical thinking and creating content is the desired result I’m looking forward to too. It’s always the effort a person puts into achieving something, so applying what I learned can get me to achieve the desired result.
Ayush Kapoor
Jaipuria Talks Blog 