Page 337 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

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Time-management Skills | 325

fixed schedule. It includes the things you must do. Your master schedule
is pretty stable week after week. You need to write it down only once, and
then make occasional changes as needed. The master schedule identifies the
hours that are ‘free’, and that you have control over.

Keep a Running List of Assignments you need to get Done this Week

You have to keep track of what needs to be done soon, e.g., get a report
written. Note any due dates, the time required (remember many things take
twice as much time as we expected), and the importance of the task.

make a ‘to-Be-Done List’ for Every Day

Considering your list of major long-range goals, your list of important goal-
directed activities, your inefficient use of time, your already scheduled time,
and your assignments due this week, you need to decide on your priorities
for each day of the week. Then start scheduling activities in your ‘free’ time,
giving priority to the most important ones. Some activities must be done at a
specific time, e.g., an appointment to talk to an advisor. Other activities need
to be done but can be done at any available time.
Do this scheduling early in the day (or the night before) and at the same
time every day, so that it becomes a habit. This is the crux of wise time man-
agement. Do first things first. If possible, don’t let yourself get inundated with
‘urgent matters’ that may not actually be as important as having time to think,
to learn new skills, to plan better ways of doing the job, etc. Don’t try to do
a lot of little tasks first (‘clear your desk’) so you will be free to do important
work later. That wastes prime time. It is important to avoid, whenever pos-
sible, doing low priority tasks, which can often be put off, perhaps forever.
However, it is wise to include time in your schedule, say half an hour, for
handling unexpected chores and another half an hour for ‘catching up’. Don’t
feel guilty if you don’t get everything done; you can do it tomorrow, if it is
important. Make your daily schedule (to-be-done list) fairly specific indicat-
ing when during your ‘free’ time you will do certain tasks. Work on your more
difficult or important tasks when you are most alert. Don’t use your peak
performance time for easy assignments or for socializing and playing.

follow your Daily ‘to-Be-Done List’. Reward yourself.

Learn to make your daily schedule realistic. You have to be flexible; new things
will come up each day that requires attention. But the basic point is simple:
work on your highest priority activities during most of your ‘free’ time each
day. However, as Lakein (1973) points out, many of us procrastinate when
faced with long and difficult or unpleasant tasks, even though they are quite
important to us. What are the solutions?

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