Daksh Haldar
May 14, 2019
In a world that is obssessed with getting things done, the focus has shifted from having qualitative
output to a quantitative one.
This massive paradigm shift in career related areas makes a lot of people feel conflicted about the way
they see their work.
For those that had their hearts set on a certain career, the need for passion is fast becoming
redundant, with productivity
taking center stage. The world is a lovely place to be, I'm sure, but what do we say to those who feel
disillusioned and yet hope to
find meaning in their work? There are answers galore, and with strategies presenting themselves at every
bend in the road we embarked on a
quest to pen down the most effective strategies.
And so the call for time management has echoed like a battle cry across the world. With organisations
lobbying for better or reduced work hours,
better working conditions, more efficient tools to work with, it seems like time management is the only
viable solution to getting things done.
And though there is no dearth of strategies to manage your time, we have shortlisted four of the best
ways to manage time.
One of the chief methods of time management suggested everywhere is one that has been reiterated from
our school days, the easiest of them all,
and perhaps, therefore, easily ignored. It is a timetable. Our teachers always tell us this when our
exams approach so that we don'tfind ourselved
pulling all-nighters. But unfortunately, the time it takes to sit down and draw up a schedule makes us
procrastinate and further delay this task.
In the end, it is yet another task that bites the dust. But people have found that dividing up their day
into smaller bite-size work intervals has
helped them get through major portions of their work. I think it plays on the psychology of the human
mind. With the completion of a task, the mind
releases a dose of dopamine to propel us and make us happy. This works in much the same way; when you
get through one work interval successfully,
you want to do more.
But remember that timetables often turn mundane. The way to get over this is by a crafty use of breaks
in your schedule. The Pomodoro Technique, which
employs a strategically placed break at the end of a short work cycle, helps the mind focus and
breathe..
Making and following a to-do list not only furthers our attempt to complete our work, but also brings
into focus the tasks that are waiting our attention. When we have penned down our tasks, it becomes
that much simpler to set a time limit to each task, while also making the process of prioritization
better and simpler. To-do lists are an efficientway to handle the tasks that need completion
And here we don'tmean just the noise of traffic on the road or in the hallway. It'sall kinds of traffic
from the
internal to the external. Do away with distractions that impede your progress. This means, muting that
annoying
family group, and all other things that are not work related. You must concentrate on work during work
hours
if you want to get stuff done. If, like the rest of us, you too are working from home, keep in mind to
carve out
a space for yourself. Read about how to work from home here..
While a distraction now and then is a good thing, it proves to be a hindrance to completing work on
time.
Therefore, all social obligations are to be slotted into your schedule when you feel you’ve completetd
a satisfactory amount of work.
The worlds markets are an increasingly competitive place. Thus, one must always remember to work
smarter,
instead of harder. Time and energy efficient ways are the key to getting work done. “We live in a
culture obssessed with personal productivity. We devour books on getting things done and dream of
four-hour workweeks,” says Adam Grant. He believes that we must also change the way in which we
think. He suggests attention management. This way you focus on things as and when they come to
you and focus on getting them done.