Meaning of Time Management

Have you ever wondered what the meaning of time management is? What do people actually mean by "I manage my time very well"? Do they? Or are they just good at taking on less work than what they are capable of doing!

It's true that some people are genetically better at planning things out and are inherently more organized. That is why they are better at managing their time. However, if you were to ask a professional; he would probably tell you that an individual who is able to manage his time well will always be able to finish his or her tasks on time without dropping their productivity.

Many people just spend their entire lives living in a disorganized manner which primarily inhibits them from exploring their true potential. The management of time, as a word, seems like a self-explanatory expression. However, the real meaning of time management runs much deeper and involves strict measures that have to be taken in order to incorporate it within your life.

The Meaning

Time management entails planning out your activities and tasks as specifically as possible in a manner where they will complement each other and will constitute the best use of your time. In other words, the meaning of time management is very closely related to organizing your tasks, but with the additional dimension of taking into consideration your own personality traits and the nature of the tasks at hand in order to maximize the usage of your time.

We all have different tasks to accomplish and activities to pursue; however, the motivational value of each task is not the same for all of us. We need to be cognizant of this fact and manage our time accordingly. For example, you have been invited to a meeting where your presence is optional as the subject of the meeting isn't directly related with your responsibilities, but some skills that you have might be of value for the team. Here you have the binary choice of accepting or rejecting the invitation. However, you may also choose to review the meeting minutes and from there deduct if there is any value that you could bring to the subject. This will transform a 30 minutes task (attending the meeting) into a 5 minute review of the meeting minutes!

I would recommend reading on why time management is important, as it will accentuate the comprehension of the meaning of time management.