The much awaited article on time management

Lots of students ask me about time management and so, I decided to dedicate an article to this invaluable skill. I am presently doing a course on Psychology and we have been taught the skills of motivation, time management and goal setting in detail.

What exactly is time management?

Not complicating the things, time management is simply the ability to do the right thing at the right time in a way that you end up getting time for everything you want to do!

What is goal setting?

Goal setting is a key ingredient of time management. Deciding a target and working for it is termed as goal setting.

How are goal setting and time management useful (for a JEE aspirant)?

Innumerable ways! You are able to study efficiently. You are able to spare time for your friends and family. You can get time to play a sport and still be a topper!

How do I manage my time effectively?

Well, that's a good question. Having studied in IIT for 2 years and dealing with lots and lots of deadlines, I feel that time management is a skill which is learnt from doing. As I mentioned, goal setting is a key ingredient of time management. So, I believe that to manage time properly, one should be able to set effective, achievable goals.

How do I set effective goals?

So, here are a few tips with regard to goal setting (pardon me if I am going a bit psychological):

• Set specific goals. Psychology says that setting specific goals results in better output. "I will work on this" is a vague goal, while "I will finish this in the next 30 minutes" is a more specific goal. Studies have found that those who chose the second goal got more output. Also, studies say that maximum effort is not aroused under a 'I will do my best' goal. The ambiguity in the goal specification (I will do my best) allows people to give themselves the benefit of doubt in evaluating their performance.

• Set difficult goals. Those who set harder goals tend to perform better than those who set very simple goals. Note that the toughness of goal is a subjective term and will vary from person to person.

I strongly believe that setting specific goals helps a lot to manage time properly. For a JEE aspirant, it could be as simple as 'I will solve the first 10 problems of Rotational Mechanics in the next 1 hour'.

You can also make use of appropriate technology. I am sure many of you use internet. You can use the brilliant tool by Google - Google Keep for managing your goals. Writing your goal clearly gives motivation to achieve them.

That was mostly about goal setting. What about time management?

Time management and goal setting are related terms. Set effective goals and you will surely be able to manage time properly. However, there is yet another thing I would like to mention. Students should keep a track of the time they waste in a 'not so important' activity like - Facebook, Television, friends (yes, I believe that spending a lot of time with friends during JEE days is an unimportant activity), etc.

Another important factor which greatly affects your time management is the presence of 'girlfriend/boyfriend' during JEE days. I strongly believe that its a waste of time to be committed during JEE days. I have seen lots of smart friends of mine getting ruined purely because of their girlfriend. Understand that you are merely in class 11th/12th. Life has a lot to offer to you ahead. Presently it is the time to create your identity - an identity as an IITian. It is the time to make your parents proud of you. It is the time to show your relatives what you are! Don't fall into this trap of 'girlfriend/boyfriend' thing, it is merely a waste of time at your level. Do not be sentimental about this issue. Use your brain and not heart, and be logical. Life is not just about a girl or a boy. It is about creating an identity of yours. It is about creating an impact in the society!

I hope this article helps you. Feel free to ask doubts. I would strongly discourage comments seeking advice on 'how to make a timetable'. Do it yourself because no one knows you better than you, yourself!