The Top 10 Problems of Time Management

On contrary to many beliefs time management is not easy if you do not realize where are your difficulties with it. Among those issues, which ruin your time management abilities there are 10 most common problems associated with bad time management.

1.Not keeping up with your To-Do list.

To-Do lists are very useful if you are having a lot on your plate and struggling to complete all you have – because you forgot something. Your to-do list must always be in reach, you should always consult with it and check what you’ve done and what’s left. Failing to keep your To-Do list can result in many unpleasant outcomes, including your overlooking and forgetting something quite important. For your work, it can be safer if you use a time tracking software to keep track on your projects and tasks.

2.Forgetting to dream for the future

Our goals are our motivation. Without goals and dreams, we cannot plan the future, there is nothing to look forward to. Motivation is of foremost importance if we wish to succeed. Why? Because if we have no goals for the future we cannot plan it. Simple as that. We need to know where we are going if we are to stay on the road.

3. Not knowing how to prioritize

Prioritizing tasks is initial for every plan you have to work. Wrong priorities cause even more problems and emergencies. Thus, you should always predetermine, which tasks are of high and which of low priority and therefore deal with them accordingly. The status of a task depends on your planning and executing abilities. Without proper planning and on-time execution every low priority task can grow into an emergency one.

4.Losing Focus

Managing distractions is a skill of a great value. Distractions are bad for our productivity, for our workflow and performance. Every distraction, which makes you lose your focus, forces your brain out of the momentum and you not only lose time but it also ruins your setup. Giving to distractions will cost you more efforts than it is to ignore them.

5. Procrastinating

Procrastination is something we have talked about several times now. Procrastination kills all your previous efforts and makes future ones difficult. Fighting procrastination is something that should be on your to-do list. Defeating procrastination is, however, possibly the best thing that can happen to you.

6. Overestimating your abilities

Taking on too many tasks is often a mistake many of us do. If you decide on dealing with more assignment then you actually have time for, you will not only fail victoriously with your deadlines but will lose more energy than needed. Everything we do has its minimum time of completion. If something takes 5 minutes at least, it cannot take 4 just because we want it to.

7. Being busy all the time

Now, not only that an overly difficult and busy schedule is hard to keep up and track, but it is also dangerous for our health and personal life. Being busy does not mean you are productive and what you do is of the needed value and quality. A tired and stressed mind cannot work to its full potential.

8. Doing to much stuff at the same time

Multitasking is another trap we tend to set up for ourselves. If and when we try and do several tasks at the same time, we not only struggle with them but make it difficult for ourselves to give those assignments the appropriate attention. When we are multitasking we cannot focus and we actually lose more time and energy than we would’ve if we weren’t.

9. Forgetting ourselves

Now, we have mentioned health a few times now. Our body and mind’s capacity is something we should be aware of. Stress, exhaustion, burnout, illness and all those are almost always connected to us doing more than we should. Bad time management is often the cause of people overworking themselves and ending up in a hospital. We should never forget to replenish our strength, take breaks, drink liquids and eat food. No matter how busy your schedule is at the moment, always make breaks or otherwise you risk your health and productivity for a long time.

10. Failing to actually make and keep up with the schedule

All these come down to that. Without good time management and a reliable time tracking software we can just as easily fail to make thoughtful and executable schedules. To manage your time better you need to distribute tasks and complete them within a given time window and keep up until you achieve your goal.

Time management is part of everything we do. If we learn how to control our time, we can forget all struggles and tiresome days. Time management can help you maintain the balance in your life, while you race for your dreams.