ALL CONTENT AND PHOTOS WRITTEN AND SUBMITTED BY NIALA RAMKALLAWAN
Time is the essence of our very being as individuals and entrepreneurs alike. It is significant for our workflow, business, home and even relationships. In several countries across the world, the month of February welcomes National Time Management Month. Here in Trinidad and Tobago, we acknowledge this event, but do not expend ample resources or exert much effort to benefit from the real value of time.
The topic of time is an element of every subject matter - be it in History, Physics, Mathematics or Bookkeeping; by department such as Accounts, Human Resources, Information and Communication Technology or Research and Development; by industry whether it is Food and Beverage, Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Processing or Hospitality, and even field of studies such as Astrology, Anthropology, Archaeology or Genealogy. In a nutshell, time matters.
As part of our productivity and process, we’re all too familiar with expressions such as “time is money”, “all in good time” “around the clock”, “lose track of time”, “in the nick of time”, “down time” or “in this day and age”.
As Entrepreneurs, when managing time, we are guilty of making many common everyday mistakes such as following ‘trini time’, procrastinating, poor planning, lacking direction, failing to manage distractions, unsuccessfully multitasking, working persistent without breaks, always making excuses of being too busy, and more so underestimating the time it takes to get things done.
Ponder this quote: “Nobody is too busy, it’s just a matter of priorities.”
Timely Tips for a Productive You:
Plan and schedule all things
- Pay particular attention to how your time is spent and the amount allocated to any action.
- Then take 15 minutes each morning to map out your day focusing on the important. Remember to include free and also unstructured time.
- Record and track tasks, activities, events and reminders with the use of a diary, planner or the convenience of any free App such as Trello, Toggl, Resque Time, MyLifeOrganized or Todoist.
Create order
- Remove clutter from your life, workstation and surroundings, as it slows you down. Good Feng Shui will enhance your productivity and progress.
- Know when to delegate. Be open to receiving assistance and getting a second opinion. Be mindful, ‘no man is an island’, and that someone may have a smarter approach or a contact within their network with the expertise you require.
- Prioritise your responsibilities to get ahead. A very useful tool to employ is the Eisenhower Priority Matrix.
Assert yourself and advocate for the 3C’s of life (Choices, Chances & Changes)
- You must make a choice to take a change to see the changes in your life take effect. Let procrastination be a thing of the past, set targets and get into action.
- Avoid excessive multi-tasking as it can lead to fatigue and burn out.
- Once your budget permits, outsource and automate certain functions that consume much time and money if you were to get it done yourself.
Tune out distractions
- Significantly reduce and manage time wasters. Don’t rush to attend to the needs of others or make yourself too accessible.
- Reduce the time spent on electronic devices and social media.
Focus on you
- Set realistic goals and simultaneously engage in constructive thoughts, actions and conversations, as it will help you unlock latent talents, and create room for idea generation and innovation. Then there’s the 80/20 Rule that highlights by spending 20% on your activities, thoughts and conversations engaging in positive and productive things, you can generate 80% of your results.
- Gather your thoughts for a couple minutes before a call or meeting to define your goal and decide your anticipated end result.
- Pause for some well-deserved downtime. It is necessary that you set aside time to focus on rejuvenating your mental, emotional and physical well-being.
Our Weekly Challenge
Change the way you manage time by adopting one of ‘The Timely Tips for a Productive You’
Business and economics often go hand in hand, and many terms are impacted by time, two of my fundamental ones are time and place utility and opportunity cost. This knowledge is useful for entrepreneurs as time and place utility stresses on your ability or inability to provide a particular product to the consumer within a specific period in order to meet a need. Be mindful, once that period has lapsed and the need of the customer remains unfulfilled, it will not hold the same value for the customer as it held in the period in which it was required. Opportunity cost, on the other hand focuses on the decisions we make and is defined as the next best alternative forgone, and in some cases due to procrastination, entrepreneurs experience an opportunity lost.
The thing about time is that it is relative in every single situation that impacts our lives. Time is something we cannot get back. Therefore, it is important that we understand the need to manage our time wisely, prioritise and capitalize on ‘once in a lifetime opportunities’.
As Charles Richards said, "Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week's value out of a year while another man gets a full year's value out of a week."
Sources:
https://www.bestsayingsquotes.com/quote/take-care-of-the-minutes-and-the-hours-will-take-care-of-the-1606.html
https://www.tannnifar.com/2019/12/time-flies-quotes.html
About Niala
I am a Freelance MSE & Social Media Advisor, the Owner/Founder of Gia’s Creative Studio and YBTT Mentor/Advisor providing ‘Insights from a Creative Entrepreneur’ on transformational leadership, strategy, forging a legacy, motivation and success.
Niala Ramkallawan, MBA, BSc.
You can find me on:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/niala-r-71b12742/
YBTT - https://ybcaribbean.skysthelimit.org/volunteer-profile/15317
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/giascreativestudio/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/giascreativestudio.868/
