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Many people think that time management is something for people with heavy workloads. If they think about managing time the typically imagine a CEO, who will work 80 hours a week and who is always in time trouble. And then we think that time management gives him tools for working more efficiently such as computer software for scheduling appointments, organizing contacts etc. But what about other professions? We may think that time management is also beneficial for other types of professions, which keep people very busy for example lawyers, secretaries, middle managers and so on. But we usually do not think that for example that an artist, kindergarten teacher or a car mechanic will benefit much from it. It is true that business managers participate more in time management trainings then school teachers, but it should not mean that it would be less beneficial for school teachers in comparison to managers.

I have given many time management courses for high school and kindergarten teachers in Estonia. It may seem that these people will not benefit much from time management skills as their working time is to a great extent scheduled. In practice it comes out that you can benefit a lot from time management even if you have a strictly defined working schedule.

Time management starts from thinking about what we will want in hour life. Looking on time management only from the viewpoint of scheduling our working tasks is a limited perspective. We are always spending time on different activities and it is no difference whether we are working, eating, watching TV or playing tennis. Everyone has 24 hours in a day and it is totally up to you how you will spend it. If we take a broader view then even our jobs activities that we are obliged to do are voluntary. For example, if you do not like getting up early, but you have to do it for your current work commitments then you may think about finding another job, which allows you to work on different hours. If you are an office worker, but you would enjoy more staying outdoors, then you can again think about switching jobs. The same applies to spending our leisure time. If you sit in a pub every Friday night, but you actually do not enjoy it very much, than you can start doing something else instead of that. You just have to think what kind of life you want to live. And clearly, everyone regardless of his/her job can do it.

To achieve that kind of life you want to live, you have to set clear goals. You can have goals about your career progress, personal development and also about your hobbies or spending time with your family. Again, everyone can set these goals for himself.

If you have set goals then you have to deal with them for achieving them. It is much easier to accomplish a goal if you have worked out a detailed action plan. For example, if you want to be a good tennis player, then it will be useful for you to make a plan how you will improve your play. Your plan may include hiring a personal coach, improving your general fitness level, reading books or watching videos on tennis training and so on.

If you have worked out that kind of plans then you have to find time for putting them into practice as otherwise they are no use for you. That is when the scheduling comes in. Even when you have a job where you do not have many possibilities to make changes to your work schedule, you will still benefit from scheduling your leisure time. It may seem a bit strange, but it will actually help you to have more quality time and you will avoid spending hours on sitting on a sofa and watching TV.

Finally, time management is about making things more efficiently, which means doing more in less time. How to read emails in shorter time? How to commute more rationally? How to avoid procrastination? How to keep your self fresh and energized throughout the whole day? These skills are very general and useful for everyone. You can be a high school student, professor, sales agent, hairdresser or a nurse and you will benefit from these skills. Learning to do things more efficiently will make your life easier as it allows for you to save time. When applying time management principles you will find yourself to a lesser extent in time trouble, your life will be more pleasant and less stressful.

kristjan time management goals, job, time management