A small word, only four letters of length controls everything, everything in the literary sense in this world. It is something that can’t be seen or touched, but can be measured and felt. The entire life cycle of not only humans but all the living beings are commanded over by it and run according to its rules. It functions in the same way throughout the world and follows its own path. It has never been influenced by anybody but has influenced everybody. It has been a great teacher, the best healer and the ultimate decision-maker who has never been and will never be questioned or challenged by anyone. It is the omnipotent “Time”.
In today’s world everybody is heard saying “I have no Time”. But the truth is time is and has been there always. Only it is the human population of today who has managed to gather so many tasks to perform within the same old stretch of 24 hours in a day that it seems that the previously sufficient time has become apparently insufficient. There is a mad rush everywhere throughout the day to meet all the ends, match the deadlines and fulfill commitments and duties. When all of them are properly accomplished it is a satisfaction but if some of them are left out, tremendous stress accumulates (Stamper 517-536).
Time will not change for us; we have to adjust whatever the tasks are accordingly to make them fit into the time scale. In this extremely competitive world people have to yield to the time’s demand. Time has changed its demand through the ages and those who could meet that demand have conquered just like the fittest who survive. Today the demand of time is “Time Management”; those who succeed will survive.
Time Management is one of the most sought-after skills today. By time management is it meant that the tasks to be performed during the day have to be arranged in a way that all of them are fit in the scheduled time scale, given importance according to their priority and accomplished productively and successfully. It has to be remembered that the time cannot be managed and will flow in its natural course, the tasks have to be managed according to its availability. Time management is all about utilizing the available time to the fullest in an organized way (Slocombe 75-99).
The Bible also talks about time management. Paul said, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Keathley 83). This is the proof itself that how important it is to manage the work according to the time resource. Time management is important because without that life today is impossible. Lack of time management means missing out on important tasks and hence results in stress. Time runs out of hands very fast and can’t be held back, so work should follow time at an equal pace. That is why jobs need to be managed on a priority basis. A work schedule is absolutely necessary on that basis and when there is an outline of jobs to be done no time is wasted between two subsequent tasks.
It is ridiculous to ask who needs time management. Starting from an infant to an octogenarian, everybody needs to manage time, either by themselves or by others. A student needs to manage time to strike a balance between his classwork, homework, projects and assignments, preparation of exams along with his sports time, social commitments and relaxation. A homemaker needs to balance all her housework, work outside the house, personal relationships, social commitments, and relaxation. Professionals manage their time to balance between job, house, relationships, social commitments and relaxation. But the need of managing time properly is probably highest for a person who runs a business. A business demands the constant and utmost attention of the owner, much more times than an employed person has to pay to his job. Along with that family and social lives can’t be neglected and as a human being relaxation is also necessary. So it definitely is a hard and challenging task for a business owner to accommodate everything in only 24 hours of a day’s time. This can only be achieved through a superb time management skills (Slocombe 75-99).
An entrepreneur has to face numerous issues every day. Some of them are really challenging and some are easy to tackle. So they need to be given preferences accordingly, else the less important issue will occupy the time deserved by a more important work. There is a goal set up in the mind of an entrepreneur regarding the performance and achievement of the organization. To optimize the output of the organization a solid time-oriented business plan is necessary. Planning a business is not keeping a diary of business meetings; it is managing the resources the organization is having.
Resources may mean many things, but the most valuable resource is time. It is because any other resources can be stored or replaced back, but if time runs out of hands it is not possible to replace them, neither can it be stored. That is why time management is so important for a business owner. The success of business and the output depend largely on striking deals timely, minimizing the wastage of time in resolving unnecessary issues and optimizing the usage of available time by utilizing it in every possible way.
Time can be effectively managed following some principles. The way of time management for an entrepreneur is different from others. To run a business with proper time management the following ways may be followed.
- Though the entrepreneur loves to have everything in just the correct way it is better not to expect perfection in everything. That kills a lot of time but the expected perfection can’t be achieved.
- Everything can’t be done on its own. The work of lesser importance should be distributed to other trusted persons.
- An office, small or large works wonder when organized well. It saves a lot of time when office work is involved.
- List of priorities is absolutely necessary. Keeping urgent to-do list ready ensures on-time action, reduces the chance of wastage of time, minimizes the possibilities of missing opportunities and results in a productive day.
- A rigid mindset about the priorities should not be there as priorities might change according to situations.
- Business meetings should be arranged such that the traveling to the meeting venue is minimized thus a huge wastage of time can be avoided.
- Unnecessary telephone calls and visits take away a lot of time. These have to be avoided.
- Decisions should be taken very fast and implemented with equal energy.
- Procrastination is not at all allowed while taking important decisions.
Time is precious and easily wasted. So it should not be allowed to be stolen by anything or anyone (Stamper 517-536).
This long discussion on time management is important to me as well. Because like everybody else I also need to manage time to be successful in life. As a college student time management is important to me as I need to balance my studying slot of different subjects, the assignments and projects so well that I am well prepared but less stressed and still left with enough time for other activities. After all students also have social life and I need to keep aside some for my own use also (Slocombe 75-99).
It is alright that I am a student, but that is not my single identity. I work part-time which helps me to be self-supported. And, I aspire to be an entrepreneur in future. My dream is not only a dream but I have started to walk in that direction also. I am a member of Global China Connection and Drexel Entrepreneurial Association. They will help me to develop my skill to be ready to take leadership in any field I choose and succeed in my life just as I dream of.
Global China Connection is a non-profit non-partisan organization that happens to be the largest student organization that works in cooperation with the top Chinese Universities and other corporate and organizational partners. They hold two conferences in Beijing and New York Respectively on annual basis along with other conferences, panel discussions and other networking activities held throughout the year. Actually it polishes the skills of future leaders from China and international background to shine in different fields of their choice (GCCGlobal 1).
Drexel Entrepreneurial Association is also a student group that works in active involvement with the Philadelphia community in the fields of business and social activities. This helps the students to gain knowledge of entrepreneurship by giving them the necessary training. They aim at providing the students with enough confidence so that they can initiate a start-up business and eventually take to the position of generating revenue (DEA 1). The students all have a common goal that is to be successful in life as an entrepreneur.
Both the organizations give the future entrepreneurs the most wanted exposure needed to achieve their aim. They provide the opportunity to be a part of a strong network of like-minded people and understand the needs of establishing their own business. I have to admit I am learning a lot from them. I feel confident that they will definitely help me to achieve my goal.
Now when it is about so many activities together, the need for proper time management is unquestionable. I know all my activities are important to me. I have to juggle my studies, my part-time jobs and activities related to the above organizations. To be successful in life I have to maintain all of these as all of them are integral parts of my future planning. I therefore have learned to prioritize my tasks according to their importance and urgency at that moment. I have succeeded in doing that also to a great deal and I can continue all these with minimum setbacks (Stamper 517-536).
I know time management is a skill developed over time; it is not a matter of one day. It is hard to prioritize sometimes. But we are learning effectively the method of handling that. An entrepreneur of the future must develop this skill. After all, that is my aim and I am going to achieve it.
Works Cited
DEA. “About”. Drexel Entrepreneurial Association. 2010. Web.
GCCGlobal. “About Us”. Global China Connection. 2009. Web.
Keathley, Hampton J. ABCs for Christian Growth – Laying the Foundation. London: Biblical Studies Press, 2002.
Slocombe, Thomas E. ‘Organizational behavior implications of the congruence between preferred polychronicity and experienced work-unit polychronicity’. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20.1 (2007): 75-99.
Stamper, Christina L. ‘Work status and organizational citizenship behavior: a field study of restaurant employees’. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22.5 (2005): 517-536.