Time management refers to the process of organizing and using your time in the most effective and efficient way possible. It involves prioritizing tasks, setting goals, planning schedules, and allocating time for different activities to maximize productivity and minimize wasted time.

Good time management skills can help you accomplish more in less time, reduce stress and overwhelm, and improve your overall quality of life. Time management is especially important in today’s fast-paced world where there are many demands on our time and attention. By managing your time effectively, you can achieve your goals, meet deadlines, and have more time to do the things you enjoy.

Effective time management skills include:

• Setting SMART goals — make sure the goals you set for yourself are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
• Effective planning — make sure you have clear objectives, as well as defined tasks and resources in order to make a clear plan that will lead you to your goals.
• Stress management — make sure you manage your stress with stress relieving strategies and tactics, in order to feel more relaxed while doing your work.
• Proper task delegation — delegating tasks helps you ease the workload and share it with competent colleagues and employees.
• Avoiding distractions — distractions take away from the time you should be working (or even relaxing), so you should learn how to avoid them.
• Single-tasking — focusing on one task at a time helps you deliver quality end results much better than when you multitask.
• Saying “No” — this little two-letter word will help you save more time for your own priorities. Setting priorities — Investing time into the right tasks will ask for less effort, but bring better results. This is also known as the 20/80 rule, or the Pareto principle.
• Beating procrastination — Identify the causes of your procrastination and tackle them.

In order to improve your time management efforts, you’ll need to practice these skills. Apart from the benefits of managing time at work better, efficient time management is also a vital skill for students. Here are the most crucial time management strategies for students:

• Making a master schedule. Once you have a clear studying agenda, you can make time blocks for particular exams or subjects. This will help you prepare for exams more effectively.
• Setting deadlines for each study session/task. For example, set a clear time limit for writing an essay — such as Friday by 5 p.m. — so that you don’t procrastinate.