Main Principles of Time Management – Communication, Discipline, Memory!

It’s not that hard to flawlessly complete our work if only we do it with a passion (which, on the other hand, is quite hard to find :P) When the task is unattractive, we tend to lack motivation. Not only this, the task can be simply repulsive. The task becomes a challenge then and what we need is the active time management.

What we need then is the right attitude. If you have the personality that concentrates on the present moment, it may be quite difficult for you to begin the tedious work. People with the future personality have it much easier because they can already imagine the results, as well as the satisfaction that the completed task will bring. Even the most boring action can be performed if we expect positive consequences.

The active approach towards our work. 

People who are focused on the future and are coping very well with difficult or tedious tasks and projects are characterized by the active approach. Such approach allows one to take control over his or her work, and not the other way around. If our work controls us, we become more and more sluggish, joyless, unenergetic. The active approach is a must if we want to achieve success in the business when ‘fun’ is the word used rather rarely.

There are six main principles that people with an active approach and clear view over their future use. Today, we are going to discuss three out of the six but worry not! The next three will appear this week 😉 Mastering them can be your first main step towards mastering your time management!

Communication

If the dialogue is disrupted, the consequences are usually painful. When we don’t communicate properly, we simply waste time. For example, our employee may misread our intentions and, in the worst case, do the opposite of what we expect of him/her.

Always dedicate a little while (or maybe, a bigger while) to make sure that everyone understood your instructions. This way, you will avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and minimalize the chances of the workflow being disrupted. Keep in mind a few simple things:

• First of all, make sure that you understand what others expect of you. If the instructions are even slightly unclear, do not be afraid to ask again. Better safe than sorry!
• When the case has the highest priority you have to obtain a written confirmation. For example, if you are planning an important meeting, send an email to those that you are planning to meet with in order to receive a confirmation of their presence.
• The other way around – if you are the one who got invited to the meeting, at least a day before it send an email confirming your arrival.
• You are responsible for your way of communication! If the task you commissioned has been done wrong, you are probably the one to be blamed. Give clear instructions!

Discipline

Discipline is in all likelihood the most important feature of the person who mastered his or her time management. No surprise here. Motivation? Yeah, sure. Positive attitude? Of course. But discipline is the core factor, the “one to rule them all”. Being disciplined means that you always remember about the most important tasks, that you keep up with your daily, weekly, and monthly schedule, and that you never let any distractions get the better of you.

What’s important is that you should not imagine discipline as a behavior that forces you to walk through a living hell. It’s more like a routine – you are never late, you always have your tasks organized and completed on time, you don’t miss your daily exercise, etc. Use discipline to force positive habits onto yourself, then everything will get much easier.

Discipline is more about doing the easy tasks that you wouldn’t like to do at the given moment, than doing the hard, exhausting job.

Memory

A lot of people say: “but I have the worst memory”, while in fact, it is not true. You just have a bad approach.

• We all forget stuff. That is a fact that cannot be denied. People tend to forget their kids’ names or confuse them for one another. The truth is that our memory is working fine. Maybe sometimes it just needs a bit of practice. Focus on the most important things and try to repeat them every once in a while, if you have trouble remembering them.
• Oh, right. You don’t necessarily have to use your memory. You live in the 21st century! There are hundreds, if not thousands of apps that will help you remember stuff. Available on every digital device. Master one (a Google calendar, for example, as it’s the most common one) and your problems with remembering dates will magically disappear 😀

Summing up

The first three main principles that determine an active approach towards time has been presented (wow, it sounds almost scientific!) You can expect the next three by the end of this week but now, check out our related posts below to find out more about the positive approach to time and continue your way towards mastering time management.