The Top Time Management Tools
The Top Time Management Tools
Time management seems at first to be a modern concept, but really it isn't. The first step in time management is keeping track of it, and so every time-keeping device going back to the dawn of recorded history is a time management system. Even Stonehedge! Stonehedge was originally built to track the seasonal equinox and solstice cycles so farmers knew when to plant their crops. Even a sundial counts.
Time management tools can be broken down into four generations:
First generation ones are clock and alarms. Yes, your alarm clock, that vile thing you slap into silence every morning, is one. Extensions of this concept are digital devices which can sound alarms when a task is done.
Second generation tools are calendars and appointment books. These can be both paper and digital. The digital version is infinitely more useful, because you can set reminders for deadlines and errands. Calendar tool software runs the gamut from PDAs to laptop and desktop accessories. A calendar tool should come by default with just about any operating system sold - there's even plug-in apps for phones now.
Third-generation tools are planners, organizers, and controllers. These are done more on an industrial scale - for instance, software an office would use for dispatching mobile units and keeping shifts covered. However, a simple thing like a software to-do list or a desktop notes application uses the same concept on a personal scale.
Fourth-generation tools are the personal skills you use to combine the above three categories and use them wisely and effectively. In some cases, this can also involve timers and control systems. Some tech professionals use a time-tracking system to be able to bill clients by the hour. Anything you use personally, even tying a ribbon around your finger to remind you of an appointment, counts here too.
One of the chief problems with time management is that people tend to spend too much time playing with this stuff. If you're spending more time making a to-do list than you are getting the things on it done, that's too much fiddling. The key to effective time management tool usage is to only undertake a new system if its needed. Try using the device or software for awhile and see if you get some results with it. Wait a couple of weeks to let the "honeymoon" period pass, and see if it's really helping you.
Above all, the key is discipline. With good discipline and focus, you are your own best time manager.
Filed Under: Education in Technology
