Time Management

Time management is the art of arranging, organizing, scheduling, and budgeting one’s time for the purpose of generating more effective work and productivity. There are an abundance of books, classes, workshops, day-planners, and seminars on time management, which teach individuals and corporations how to be more organized and more productive. Time management has become crucial in recent years thanks to the 24/7, busy world in which we live.

Time management is important for everyone. While time management books and seminars often place their focus on business leaders and corporations, time management is also crucial for students, teachers, factory workers, professionals, and home makers. Time management is perhaps most essential for the person who owns his or her own business or who runs a business out of the home. Managing work and home responsibilities under the same roof takes a special type of time management.

An important aspect of time management is planning ahead. Sometimes, successful time management involves putting in more time at the outset in order to reorganize one’s life. Though many time management books and teachings differ in their suggestions, most agree that the first step in efficient time management is to organize the workspace or home. Even if one's schedule is well-ordered, but the office and filing system are a disaster, time will be wasted trying to work efficiently in a disorderly place.

After cleaning, purging, and reorganizing the home or office, the next step in time management is to look at all the activities one participates in during a week. Every last detail should be written down, including the time it takes to shower, dress, commute, attend meetings, make phone calls, clean the house, cook dinner, pick up the children from school, take them to after-school activities, and eat meals. Also include time for entertainment or exercise, such as driving to the gym, going for a walk, watching television, or surfing the Internet.

Often, when individuals write down every last activity, they find that there is very little time left for sleeping. The end result is that many activities must be pared down, eliminated, consolidated, or delegated. Prioritizing activities on a scale of one to three – one being the most important and three being the least – can help with this task.

Lastly, good time management involves keeping a schedule of the tasks and activities that have been deemed important. Keeping a calendar or daily planner is helpful to stay on task, but self-discipline is also required. The most efficient to-do list in the world will not help someone who does not look at or follow his own daily planner. Of course, the other side of the argument is to remember to live. Get on top of your time management, get organized, and stay on task, but live your life. Schedule some time off every day and at least one day off each week. Be organized, but do not be a slave to time management.

Time management — choosing plays based on the amount of time remaining on the game clock — is a key element of offensive strategy. For example, a team which is behind in points late in the game will go on offense wanting not only to score, but to score quickly. Passing the ball is a quicker way of moving toward the goal and scoring than running the ball, and passing plays also allow more chances to stop the game clock (e.g. on an incomplete pass). Conversely, a team which goes on offense while leading in points toward the end of a game will want to keep the game clock running as much as possible, giving the opposing team less time to attempt a comeback. In such a case the team will likely choose running plays on offense, as these make it more likely that the clock will continue to run between plays, allowing less time for the opposing team to score if and when it regains possession of the ball.

One example of time management contributing to a win is the 21 November 2005 NFL game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. With the score tied at 17 in the closing seconds of the game, the Vikings on offense made a first down well within field goal kicking range. On first down and second down, the Vikings' quarterback knelt down (see "Downing a knee"), forcing the Packers to use their two remaining time-outs to stop the clock. On third down, the Vikings allowed the clock to run down to three seconds remaining before using their own time-out and sending in their kicker, Paul Edinger. Thus the Vikings ensured their survival: if the field goal try was unsuccessful, the game would continue into overtime and they would still have a chance to win the game. As it happened, the kick was made successfully just as the clock expired, and the final score was Minnesota 20, Green Bay 17.