time management in the workplace essay

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Time Management Is About More Than Life Hacks

• Erich C. Dierdorff

Your productivity hinges on these three skills.

There is certainly no shortage of advice — books and blogs, hacks and apps — all created to boost time management with a bevy of ready-to-apply tools. Yet, the frustrating reality for individuals trying to improve their time management is that tools alone won’t work. You have to develop your time management skills in three key areas: awareness, arrangement, and adaptation. The author offers evidence-based tactics to improve in all three areas.

Project creep, slipping deadlines, and a to-do list that seems to get longer each day — these experiences are all too common in both life and work. With the New Year’s resolution season upon us, many people are boldly trying to fulfill goals to “manage time better,” “be more productive,” and “focus on what matters.” Development goals like these are indeed important to career success. Look no further than large-scale surveys that routinely find time management skills among the most desired workforce skills, but at the same time among the rarest skills to find.

• Erich C. Dierdorff is a professor of management and entrepreneurship at the Richard H. Driehaus College of Business at DePaul University and is currently an associate editor at  Personnel Psychology.

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Essay on Time Management

• Updated on  
• Aug 27, 2022

“Time isn’t the main thing, it’s the only thing”- Mile Davis.

Time management is a prestigious topic for budding subconscious minds. It is one of the most crucial skills that you must inculcate from early on. This skill has vital importance when you move into a professional setting. It is extremely important to manage time efficiently as not managing time can create many problems in your day-to-day life. It is also a common essay topic in the school curriculum and various academic and competitive exams like IELTS , TOEFL , SAT , UPSC , etc. This blog brings you samples of essays on time management with tips & tricks on how to write an essay.

Essay on Time Management in 200 words

Time stops for none and is equal for all. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day but some people make better use of time than others. This is one of the most important reasons some people are experts in what they do. Therefore, time management plays a vital role in both personal as well as professional lives.

Time management is basically an effort made consciously to spend a certain amount of time performing a task efficiently. Furthermore, it is estimated that to have better results, one needs to do productive work. Thus, productivity is the key focus here. Moreover, maintaining a careful balance between professional life, social life, and any other hobbies or activities is a great example of efficient time management.

Time management is also crucial for students from an academic perspective as students require to cover many subjects. Thus, efficiently managing time is an important skill in everyone’s life.  Around the world, there are two views for time management – linear time view and multi-active time view. The linear time view is predominant in America, Germany and England, and it aims at completing one task at a time. Whereas a multi-active view aims at completing a number at once and is predominant in India and Spain. Nevertheless, time management is one of the important traits of a successful individual, students are advised to follow whichever is convenient for them.

Essay on Time Management in 300 Words

Time Management is a key skill for job opportunities as employers recruit candidates who have this efficient skill. Thus, it is advised to initiate inculcating this vital skill as soon as possible. In the academic setting, time management plays a vital role and helps in the accomplishment of tasks efficiently and effectively.

Time management is the process of planning and performing pre-scheduled activities with the aim of increasing productivity, effectiveness and efficiency. Different cultures hold different views on Time Management. However, a multi-active time view and a linear time view are the two predominant views. In a linear time view, the aim is set to complete one particular task at a time whereas, in a multi-active view, the focus is on completing a greater number of tasks at once. Emphasis is given on productivity and effectiveness, but students are free to choose their own view of time management.

Time management is crucial as it is helpful in setting a timeline for achieving a particular goal. Moreover, it also increases the efficiency of the tasks at hand. It becomes necessary for working professionals as they need to balance their personal and professional life. Thus, they do not have time to dwell on each and every detail in every task. In such cases, a multi-active view is one of the helpful methods. Time management works best when a goal or target is set. For instance, a student becomes far more effective at learning when they decide to assign 2 hours for learning a particular concept. This is effectively a method of benchmarking progress. So, every time the activity is performed, one can measure themselves and improve upon various aspects of their tasks.The clear conclusion is that time management is a crucial skill for students and working professionals. Thus, everyone must practise time management to improve productivity and efficiency of tasks.

Tips for Writing an Essay on Time Management

To write an impactful and scoring essay here are some tips on how to manage time and write a good essay:

• The initial step is to write an introduction or background information about the topic
• You are required to use the formal style of writing and avoid using slang language.
• To make an essay more impactful, write dates, quotations, and names to provide a better understanding
• You can use jargon wherever it is necessary as it sometimes makes an essay complicated
• To make an essay more creative you can also add information in bulleted points wherever possible
• Always remember to add a conclusion where you need to summarise crucial points
• Once you are done read through the lines and check spelling and grammar mistakes before submission

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Lastly, we hope this blog has helped you in structuring a terrific essay on time management. Planning to ace your IELTS or looking for cheap foreign universities for Indian students get expert tips from coaches at Leverage Live by Leverage Edu .

Sonal is a creative, enthusiastic writer and editor who has worked extensively for the Study Abroad domain. She splits her time between shooting fun insta reels and learning new tools for content marketing. If she is missing from her desk, you can find her with a group of people cracking silly jokes or petting neighbourhood dogs.

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109 Time Management Topics & Essay Examples

Learn about the effects of poor time management, timetables, and organizational skill! Explore this list of 106 topics about time , compiled by our experts .

⌚ How to Write a Time Management Essay: Do’s and Don’ts

🏆 best research titles about time management, 📌 most interesting time management topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about time: management & organization, ❓ time management essay questions.

When writing a Time Management Essay, it may be easy to revert to merely enumerating and explaining how to achieve perfection through various approaches. While this is an essential part of such essays, you should not forget about other aspects of it. Here are some examples of what you should do in your paper:

• Explain the intent of your essay. Are you teaching stress management tactics to save people the time they spend worrying or discipline? Your readers should be aware of your subject.
• When mentioning a tactic, explain its purpose. People will be more intent to listen to you when they understand the intent behind the ideas that you are presenting. Compare these statements: “Keeping a bullet journal helps manage time better” and “A bullet journal’s purpose is helping people get subconsciously ready for today’s tasks.” Which one attempts to clarify the process?
• Describe the mechanisms behind the outlined techniques. Doing so helps people adjust any goal-setting process to their own needs rather than blindly following it.
• Use credible sources to back up your claims. For example, when writing about mind mapping, you can reference some of the studies conducted on this method.
• If you can, give precedents of the successful implementation of the idea that you are describing. Mention people or even companies that have benefited from applying these methods to their daily working process.

All this advice should be used together with standard essay-writing rules. Outlining and brainstorming may save you, the writer, time that you would have spent on rewriting faulty paragraphs. You should do your research beforehand and structure your work so that the topics within it do not overlap.

Additionally, reference credible book and journal titles since your audience will believe factual, source-supported evidence more willingly.

Finally, when it comes to thinking about time management essay titles, choose one that is reflective of your subject and approach it. Each structural choice should help you further your thesis statement, linking to it and helping your readers follow your train of thought.

There are other things you should avoid doing when covering your topic. All of them center on the idea that time management essay topics should be respectful of the reader. Do not:

• Write about your audience as if they are incompetent. Advice that seems condescending place is often unappreciated and neglected.
• Name-drop inventors and techniques with no explanation. Doing so will only confuse your readers needlessly and make you seem unaware of your subject yourself.
• Plagiarize from anywhere, including time management essay samples. Gaining inspiration is one thing, while purposefully copying and not referencing stolen content is an academic crime.
• Leave your paragraphs inconclusive. Apart from academically referenced facts, you should also voice your own resolutions that your used sources support.
• Promise your readers a solution to all of their problems. You are merely demonstrating sample means to better anyone’s time-management. Using these methods is an entirely different thing.

Other evident don’ts are those that your instructor should outline. Do not ignore the rules of essay writing that have been stated to you explicitly, such as the maximum word count. Your essay’s structure is reflective of your discipline and time-management.

Therefore, a careless outline or a disregard for the rules demonstrates that your work has had no positive effect on you and may have the same outcome on your readers.

Want to know more paper samples? Find more at IvyPanda!

• Time Management Theories and Models Report In using the time management grid, I developed a grid and filled it with the tasks that I was supposed to accomplish.
• Reflection on Time Management Skills While there is enough time available to improve my planning skills, I still have a long way to go to master the art of time-management.
• Time Management and Its Effect in Reducing Stress among Students One of the causes of stress among high school students and college students is the difficulty in interacting with a completely new set of students and an even larger social group within the body of […]
• The Importance of Time Management Time is one of the most important resources within the operations and execution of tasks and or activities of organizations and individuals.
• Time Management at the Workplace Traditionally, time management is associated with one’s ability to accomplish more assignment and duties within a certain period of time, but often the first task for a time manages is to eliminate some of the […]
• Procrastination and Time Management In case the available time is not properly allocated to all activities to be achieved within a given period, then the available time will not be allocated to the correct event.
• Time and Stress Management for Better Productivity Procrastination is the forwarding of events that have to be done at a specific time to another time in the future.
• Time Management of a Nurse Graduate This essay discusses why time management is a critical skill for a nurse graduate and what strategies can be employed to alleviate the impact of transition from a student to a healthcare worker.
• Tools of Time Management for Students Students can write down all of the projects they need to complete and the deadlines for those. It is also crucial for individuals to study at what time of the day they can be the […]
• School Principal: Successful Time Management As the key administrator of the school, the principal is expected to set the tone for a society of learners-teachers who unreservedly exchange information, thoughts and ideas.
• Time Management Among Essential Student Skills It is important to realize that the learning environment is often challenging and may require the application and development of specific skills and competencies in order to experience success.
• Time Management in Everyday Life Time and tide wait for none and this is a very old saying but at the very same time it is extremely important to realize and absorb the essence of the same.
• Why the Poor Stewardship of Time? When asked by my teacher why I was a notorious timekeeper I used to answerer, “my home is the furthest and I could not make it early as my colleagues”.
• Completion of Time Management At the same time, there is a growing feeling of helplessness in front of an avalanche of problems urgently requiring the intervention and the belief that lack of time like lack of air leads to […]
• Time Management Theory and Study Skills It is during this time that a right balance between work and leisure would be the decisive factor in shaping ones future course of life.
• Time Management: Getting Things Done At any time, the individual knows the task to complete and the manner in which it is to be completed. The GTD system can easily lead to a disconnect between the tasks to be completed, […]
• Time Management Skills and Techniques Because of the lack of experience in the arrangement of activities, the experience of managing time is likely to be rather deplorable.
• Time Management and Building Team The strength of the article is that it takes more time in explaining what a team is and what many think a team to be.
• Time Management: Lesson Pacing To begin with lesson pacing can be described as a given rate or speed at which a teacher tends to present a task to pupils in a class.
• Time Management: An Essential Skill for Top Performers According to Cornell’s system, the top column of a paper should have a cue column and a note-taking column. In this method, individuals should draw a circle in the middle of the paper and then […]
• Budget Plan: Time Management Aspects The application will not be able to diagnose this, but it will be able to warn the patient and recommend possibly going to the doctor.
• Plan-Do-Study-Act for Time Management at Home I will have to stick to a sleep schedule to change my current sleep habit, resulting in the recommended seven to eight hours every night.
• Time Management Tools in the Workplace Thus, one can intelligently distribute the available time on the number of tasks and assess productivity at the end of the day. The Medical Assisting Pocket is a tool that enables them to improve and […]
• Three Easy Ways to Improve Your Time Management For effective time management to be achieved, the level of disorganization has to be kept at the lowest level in both workplace and learning environments. As a result, there is no time wastage in moving […]
• Concise Time Management and Personal Development Suppose that creativity can be encouraged by exploring some of the qualities and characteristics of creative thinkers and the activities/steps that can be undertaken to improve the processes involved.
• Time Management Issues Among Managers The authors concluded that managers should get control over the time and content of their roles to ensure the management of their time effectively.
• Time Management in Tertiary Studies The essay endeavours to examine the importance of time management and the role of lectures in relation to tertiary studies. To start with, the essay will explore the importance of time management in the lives […]
• Time Management: How to Beat Your Procrastination? In order to manage time effectively the following solutions can be applied: The most popular solution is to make a schedule to keep track of important facts and ideas that can be of any use […]
• Poor Time Management and Addressing Strategies I knew that I should not do it but the first time I broke the rule I did it unconsciously. In fact, because of these phone checks, I paid more attention to the phone rather […]
• Quality and Time Management Improvement Techniques Because of the lack of consistency in the types of information retrieved, the firm needs to adopt the approach that allows for arranging the existing data within the shortest amount of time.
• Value of Time Management First, when speaking about time management and the basic skills, it is crucial to mind the most important activities that should be performed and goals that should be achieved to guarantee the development of a […]
• The Just-in-Time Management Concept The concept of Just-in-Time is a comparatively recent addition to the array of manufacturing strategies that are supposed to help reduce the waste levels in the organization, at the same time improving the product quality […]
• Time Management for a Post-Graduate Student The various articles in these encyclopedias will help to form a basis for the research and will also act as a guide in conducting further research in other publications.
• Students’ Time Management Strategies Students should keep track of the time they have to meet their responsibilities. The third strategy involves keeping reminders to keep students focused on their assignments and their deadlines.
• “Just in Time” – Philosophy of Management All the benefits of this system tend to be woven in the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the processes that are involved.
• Time Management for Nurses It is important for healthcare professionals to find time for patients because of identifying their needs and to know what can be done to improve the situation.
• Achieving Objectives Through Time Management
• Developing Good Time Management Skills
• Adulthood: Time Management and Transition
• Apply Time Management Technique to a Project
• Conflict Resolution and Time Management
• Time Management and Its Suitable Strategies for Adult Learners
• Unpreparedness and Time Management in the US Army
• Problems Associated with Poor Time Management for Students
• Analyzing Better Time Management Skills
• The Personality Assessment and the Time Management Section
• The Strengths and Weaknesses of Time Management and Their Relationship with Stress in the Workplace
• Becoming a Better Learner Through Time Management
• Time Management Is a Crucial Component of the Art of Nursing
• Importance of Planning and Time Management Techniques
• The Impact of Time Management and Causes of Stress in the Workplace
• Punctuality: Time Management and Cardinal Virtue
• Business and Effective Time Management Uses
• The Challenge of Time Management and Its Effects on Adult Learning
• The Interference Caused by Time Management, the Internet, and Sports on Education
• Expectations for Time Management and Involvement
• The Relationships Between Scope Definition and Time Management
• Effective Time Management: Identifying and Correcting Time Wasters
• The Importance of Time Management: Priorities, Being Organizing and Setting Goals
• Time Management Is an Important Ingredient for Success
• The Reality of the Effectiveness of Time Management from the Perspective of the Employees of the Beauty Clinic of Dentistry
• Problems with Time Management, Distractions, and Procrastination
• Effective Communication and Time Management for a Patient
• The Importance of Spoken Communication, Written Communication, and Time Management
• Effective Management Versus Effective Time Management
• Influence of Work Motivation, Leadership Effectiveness, and Time Management on Employees
• The Effects of Technology on Poor Time Management and Sleep Deprivation Among Students
• The Key Aspect of Time Management and Productivity
• The Different Techniques for Effective Time Management
• The Process of Improving Time Management
• Comparison of Time Management Perception of Students Studying at the Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching and Program in Primary School Education
• Importance of Time Management and Deadlines to the Work of Public Relations
• The Importance of Effective Time Management
• The Relation Between Time Management and Academic Performance Among University Students
• The Importance and Challenges of Time Management for Today’s Student Leaders
• Good Study Skills and Time Management Dissertation or Thesis Complete
• How to Solve Time Management Problems?
• How Have Sports Taught Me Time Management?
• Is Procrastination a Problem of Time Management?
• What Does Time Management Mean?
• Why Is Time Management Important?
• What Time Management for Adult Students?
• How Can Technology Improve One’s Time Management Skills?
• How Can Time Management Skills Effect Educational Achievement?
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• How Can Students Improve Their Self-Discipline and Time Management Skills?
• Can Poor Time Management Make a Student-Athlete Fail?
• Why Student-Athletes Struggle with Time Management?
• What Are Important Aspects of Time Management?
• What Connection Between Time Management and Unpreparedness in the Army?
• How Does Time Management Work?
• What Does Time Management Mean to Me?
• Why College Students Use Their Time Management and Study Skills?
• What Can Time Management Bring to Your Personal Growth?
• What Are the First Two Key Steps of Controlling Time Management?
• How Can Expectations Influence Time Management?
• What Is the Biggest Academic Challenge of Time Management?
• Who’s Got the Monkey: Concept of Time Management
• What Is the Relationship Between Time Management and Stress Management?
• How Does Social Media Effect Time Management?
• Why Time Management Is a Leader, Success Is All About Growing
• How to Prioritize and Manage Time?
• How to Use Effectively Time Management Within Education?
• How to Enhance Academic Performance with Time Management
• How Can Hospitality Organizations Successfully Apply the Skills and Principles of Time Management?
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Home — Essay Samples — Business — Time Management — Time Management: Benefits, Strategies, and Implementation

Time Management: Benefits, Strategies, and Implementation

• Categories: Time Management

About this sample

Words: 415 |

Published: Feb 7, 2024

Words: 415 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Understanding time management, identifying time wasters, creating a time management plan, implementing your time management plan, managing time in specific situations.

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Time Management Tips For Writing an Essay

How to start, which place are you now, where do you want to go, tips for time management, 1. create a schedule, 2. use a timer, 3. to-do lists help organize your tasks, 4. start writing early or write late in the evening, 5. don't be afraid to wait until you are in the mood to write, 6. widen the definitions of what you mean by writing, 7. start by taking on the tough stuff first, 8. don't be fooled by the myth of multitasking, 9. outsource the fewer essentials, 10. you should spend more time planning and less time editing, 11. make sure you write your words down before you start, 12. utilize your daytime work hours to relax, 13. batch similar activities, 15. delegate tasks, 16. accept your limitations, 17. limit distractions, 18. modify the notification settings on your smartphone, 19. check your email less, the benefits of time management, 1. stress relief, 2. more time, 3. more opportunities, 4. capability to accomplish the goals.

• Joe Eckel Author Having spent more than 25 years guiding students through their theses and dissertations with great attention, Joe Eckel is now sharing his valuable experience with StudyCrumb. As a passionate researcher and instructor, he makes sure that each student gets precious insights on composing A-grade academic writing.

Time Management Essay In English: Tips & Techniques for Success

Rosie Landry

As a student and a young professional, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to manage your time effectively. With so many responsibilities and distractions competing for our attention, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and fall behind. That’s why mastering the art of time management is crucial for success, both academically and personally.

Table of Contents

In this essay, I’ll share my tips and techniques for effective time management. We’ll explore the benefits of good time management, the key skills you need to master, and the best strategies for overcoming common challenges. Whether you’re a student, a working professional, or anyone in between, there’s something here for everyone.

Time Management Essay In English Resources:

• https://leverageedu.com/blog/essay-on-time-management/
• https://www.toppr.com/guides/essays/essay-on-time-management/
• https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/time-management/

Key Takeaways

• Effective time management is critical for success in academics and in life.
• By managing your time well, you can improve productivity, reduce stress, and achieve a better work-life balance.

The Benefits of Good Time Management

As someone who has struggled with time management in the past, I can attest to the many advantages and benefits of practicing effective time management. By learning to manage time wisely, I have seen improvements in my productivity, stress levels, and overall work-life balance.

One major benefit of good time management is increased productivity. When you prioritize tasks, set realistic goals, and plan your time effectively, you can accomplish more in less time. This leaves you with more free time to pursue other interests or simply relax and recharge.

Another benefit of effective time management is reduced stress. When you have a clear understanding of your priorities and a plan for achieving them, you feel less overwhelmed and more in control of your workload. This can lead to decreased levels of stress and anxiety.

Finally, good time management can improve your work-life balance. By managing time effectively, you can ensure that you have time for work, leisure, and personal relationships. This can help you lead a more fulfilling and satisfying life.

Overall, the benefits of practicing good time management are numerous and significant. By taking the time to develop your time management skills, you can achieve greater success and happiness both in your personal and professional life.

Key Time Management Skills

Effective time management requires several key skills, each of which plays a critical role in maximizing productivity and achieving personal and professional goals. Here are some of the most important skills to develop:

These skills are closely related and often overlap. For example, effective prioritization requires goal-setting and planning, while successful delegation requires trust-building and communication skills. Developing these skills is crucial for anyone looking to improve their time management abilities and achieve greater success in their personal and professional lives.

Techniques for Effective Time Management

Managing your time effectively can be a daunting task, but with the right techniques, it can be done. Here are some practical tips and techniques for managing your time effectively:

• Create to-do lists: Writing down your tasks for the day on a to-do list can help you stay organized and focused. Start with the most important tasks and work your way down.
• Use time-blocking: Time-blocking involves scheduling specific amounts of time for each task on your to-do list. This can help you stay disciplined and avoid distractions.
• Utilize technology tools: There are numerous tools available to help you manage your time, such as productivity apps, scheduling software, and time-tracking tools. Find the ones that work best for you.
• Avoid procrastination: Procrastination can be a major time-waster. Try breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable steps to make them less overwhelming.

By using these techniques, you can become more productive and efficient with your time. Remember, effective time management is a key component of success in both your academic and personal life.

Strategies to Overcome Time Management Challenges

Managing my time effectively can be a challenge, especially when distractions arise. Overcoming such challenges may seem daunting, yet it is achievable. Here are some strategies I use to overcome common time management challenges:

Setting Boundaries

One of the most significant challenges I face is being pulled in too many directions at once. To overcome this, I have learned to prioritize my tasks based on importance and urgency. I set boundaries to ensure that I am not interrupted during essential tasks, such as turning off notifications on my phone, closing unnecessary tabs on my computer, and communicating my needs to colleagues.

Practicing Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a powerful technique that helps me stay focused and productive. It involves paying attention to the present moment, increasing awareness of my thoughts and feelings, and reducing stress levels. I practice mindfulness through meditation, deep breathing exercises, and taking short breaks throughout the day to clear my mind.

Seeking Support

It is essential to recognize when I need help and communicate this to others. I seek support from colleagues or family members when necessary, allowing me to delegate tasks to free up more time. I also reach out to mentors or coaches for advice and guidance on time management strategies.

By implementing these strategies, I have been able to overcome time management challenges and achieve my goals effectively.

The Importance of Prioritization

When it comes to effective time management, one of the most crucial skills to develop is prioritization. By prioritizing the tasks on your to-do list, you can ensure that you’re making the most of your time and focusing on the things that matter most.

To prioritize effectively, it’s important to consider several factors, including the urgency of each task, its level of importance, and how it aligns with your personal goals. When you’re clear on these factors, you can create a system for prioritizing your tasks that works for you.

For example, you may choose to tackle high-priority items first thing in the morning when you’re most alert and focused. Or, you may group similar tasks together to streamline your workflow. The key is to experiment with different approaches and find the one that helps you manage your time most effectively.

Effective prioritization can have a significant impact on your productivity and success. By focusing on the tasks that matter most, you can avoid wasting time on low-priority items that don’t move the needle. You’ll also feel more accomplished and motivated as you make progress on your most important goals.

Effective Goal Setting for Time Management

Setting clear and achievable goals is crucial for managing time effectively. As I mentioned earlier, without goals, we tend to waste time, and we lack a sense of direction and purpose in our daily lives. Therefore, I would like to share with you some tips on how to set SMART goals:

• Specific: Define your goals in specific terms. Avoid vague and generic statements.
• Measurable: Make sure your goals are measurable. Determine how you will track progress and measure success.
• Attainable: Ensure your goals are realistic and achievable. Don’t set yourself up for failure by aiming too high or too low.
• Relevant: Align your goals with your priorities and values. Make sure they are relevant to your life and aspirations.
• Time-bound: Set a deadline for achieving your goals. This will help you stay focused and motivated.

By following these guidelines, you can create goals that are effective and meaningful. Remember, goals should be challenging but achievable, and they should inspire you to take action.

Planning for Success

Planning is an essential part of effective time management. It involves organizing tasks and activities in a structured manner to optimize productivity. There are different planning approaches that can be used depending on individual preferences and working styles.

One common approach to planning is daily planning. This involves creating a to-do list or schedule for the day ahead. This helps in setting priorities and focusing on the most important tasks. A weekly planning approach can also be useful for individuals with a lot of responsibilities or a packed schedule. This approach involves creating a schedule or to-do list for the week ahead and breaking it down into smaller daily goals. For long-term planning, a monthly or yearly schedule can be created to help in achieving long-term goals.

Creating effective schedules and calendars requires attention to detail and realistic goal-setting. To optimize productivity, it is important to break down larger tasks into smaller, achievable goals. Including estimated timeframes for individual activities can also help in managing time effectively. Additionally, it’s important to review schedules periodically to ensure they remain relevant and adaptable to any changes that may arise.

Delegation and Time Management

Delegation is a crucial skill in time management. By assigning tasks to others, we can free up time to focus on our own priorities. However, effective delegation requires careful consideration and communication.

Firstly, it is important to identify tasks that can be delegated. These may be tasks that are time-consuming but do not require unique skills or knowledge. It is also important to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals that tasks will be assigned to.

When delegating tasks, it is important to communicate clearly and provide sufficient guidance. This includes setting clear expectations and deadlines, and providing any necessary resources or support. It is also important to build trust and allow individuals to take ownership of their assigned tasks.

Effective delegation can not only save time but can also foster a sense of teamwork and collaboration. By sharing responsibilities, we can work towards shared goals and achieve greater success.

Self-Discipline and Time Management

Self-discipline plays a critical role in effective time management, and it involves both self-control and motivation. It can be challenging to stick to a schedule, complete tasks on time, and avoid distractions, but developing healthy habits can help.

One of the best ways to improve self-discipline is to create a routine and stick to it. Consistency is key, so try to wake up and go to bed at the same time each day. This will help regulate your body’s natural clock and make it easier to stay on track.

Eliminating distractions is another effective way to boost self-discipline. Turn off your phone, block social media or email notifications, and designate a distraction-free workspace to help you concentrate on the task at hand.

Finally, it’s important to stay motivated and avoid burnout when managing time. Take breaks as needed, reward yourself for meeting goals, and remember why effective time management is so crucial for achieving success.

The Power of Time Awareness

As I’ve discussed throughout this essay , effective time management requires a conscious effort to prioritize tasks, set achievable goals, plan ahead, delegate responsibilities, and exercise self-discipline. However, without a fundamental awareness of time, these efforts may be in vain.

Time awareness is the ability to perceive time passing and understand how long tasks take to complete. It is easy to get lost in the moment and lose track of time, resulting in missed deadlines and increased stress. By developing time awareness, we can optimize productivity and achieve a better work-life balance.

Unfortunately, many of us engage in time-wasting behaviors that hinder our time awareness. For example, spending hours mindlessly scrolling through social media or taking on too many tasks at once can create a sense of time scarcity and perpetuate a cycle of inefficiency.

By recognizing these behaviors and actively working to improve our time awareness, we can make the most of our time and achieve greater success in both our personal and professional lives.

The Conclusion of the Time Management Essay in English

In conclusion, effective time management is crucial for achieving success in academic and personal life. It helps increase productivity, reduce stress, and achieve a better work-life balance. By implementing the techniques and strategies discussed in this essay, individuals can improve their time management skills and achieve their goals.

Remember to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance, set clear and achievable goals using the SMART framework, plan effectively using daily, weekly, and long-term planning approaches, delegate tasks as needed, and develop self-discipline and healthy habits. Becoming more aware of time and managing it consciously can also contribute to improved time management and productivity.

Don’t wait, start practicing effective time management today! With dedication and effort, anyone can learn and master these skills.

FAQ on Time Management Essay In English

Q: what is the importance of time management in academic and personal life.

A: Time management is crucial in both academic and personal life as it helps individuals prioritize tasks, stay organized, and achieve their goals effectively.

Q: What are the benefits of good time management?

A: Good time management leads to improved productivity, reduced stress levels, and a better work-life balance.

Q: What are key time management skills?

A: Key time management skills include prioritization, goal setting, planning, delegation, and self-discipline.

Q: Can you provide some techniques for effective time management?

A: Yes. Techniques such as creating to-do lists, using time-blocking, utilizing technology tools, and avoiding procrastination can help manage time effectively.

Q: How can one overcome time management challenges?

A: Strategies to overcome challenges include setting boundaries, practicing mindfulness, and seeking support.

Q: Why is prioritization important in time management?

A: Prioritization helps individuals focus on the most important tasks, ensuring that they are completed on time and leading to increased productivity.

Q: How can one set effective goals for time management?

A: Effective goal setting involves using the SMART goal-setting framework, which means setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals.

Q: What is the role of planning in time management?

A: Planning helps individuals allocate time for different tasks, create effective schedules, and optimize productivity.

Q: How does delegation contribute to time management?

A: Delegation allows individuals to distribute tasks and responsibilities, freeing up time to focus on more important or high-priority activities.

Q: How does self-discipline relate to time management?

A: Self-discipline is essential in managing time effectively as it helps individuals stay focused, motivated, and develop healthy habits.

Q: Is time awareness important in time management?

A: Yes, being aware of time and managing it consciously helps individuals avoid time-wasting behaviors and increase productivity.

About the author

I’m Rosie Landry, your friendly guide through the exciting world of practical management here on this blog. Here, I delve into everything from practical tips to complex theories of time management, combining scientific research with real-life applications. When I’m not writing about time management, you can find me with my nose in a gripping mystery novel, creating culinary delights, or out exploring nature with my faithful golden retriever, Marley. Join me as we discover how to take control of our time and enhance our lives together. If you need to reach out, do so here.

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When I was in my third year of graduate school I did an unthinkable thing: I had a baby.

I will admit it, I was already one of those organized people, but becoming a parent -- especially as an international student without nearby help -- meant I had to step up my game when it came to time-management skills. Indeed, I graduated in five years, with a solid publications list and my second successful DNA replication experiment in utero.

In a culture where the answer to the question “How are you doing?” contains the word “busy!” 95 percent of the time (nonscientific observation), knowing how to manage your time efficiently is key to your progress, your career success and, most important, your overall well-being.

In fact, a recent career-outcomes survey of past trainees conducted by Melanie Sinche, a senior research associate at the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School, showed that time-management skills were No. 1 on the list of “skills I wish I were better at.” Thus, I believe some advice could be helpful, whether you need assistance with your academic progress, a job search while still working on your thesis or the transition to your first job (one in which you feel somewhat overwhelmed).

Luckily, you don’t need to have a baby to sharpen your time-management skills to be more productive and have a better work-life balance. But you do need to be able to understand what promotes that constant feeling of busyness that causes us to feel like we don’t have time for anything.

Let’s start with the basics of time-management mastery. They lie in what is known as the Eisenhower method (a.k.a. priority matrix), named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who said, “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” According to that method, you need to triage your to-do list into four categories:

• Urgent and important. This category involves crises, such as a medical emergency or when your lab freezer breaks down. It is the things that you need to take care of now! If most of the things you do fall into this category, it suggests you are just putting our fires and not doing enough planning, i.e., spending time on the nonurgent and important category of tasks.
• Nonurgent and important. In a perfect world, that’s where most of your activity should be. It requires planning ahead, which can be more of a challenge for those of us who like to wing it, but it is still worth trying to plan some aspects of your daily life. This category also applies to activities such as your career development or exercise. If you want to make sure you have time to attend a networking event or go for a run, you don’t want to start an experiment 30 minutes before.
• Urgent and not important. These include all the distractions we get from our environment that may be urgent but are really not important, like some meetings, email and other interruptions. Wherever possible, these are the things you need to delegate to others, which I know is probably not an option for most of us. Evading some of these tasks sometimes takes being able to say no or moving the activity to the next category of nonurgent and not important.
• Nonurgent and not important. These are the typical time suckers such as Facebook, Candy Crush, cute cat videos and, most recently, Pokémon Go.

As Homo sapiens, we tend to focus only on what is urgent. I am no neuroscientist, but I assume it was probably evolutionarily necessary for our survival to wire our brain that way. Unfortunately, in today’s world, that beep on our phone that we will drop everything we are currently doing to check is often not as urgent as, let’s say, becoming a lion’s lunch. Therefore, ignoring it requires some serious willpower. Since the average person has only so much willpower, here are a few things you can do to make sure you spend most of your time on the nonurgent and important category.

Make a list and schedule tasks. Prepare for what’s coming. Start your day (or even the evening before) prioritizing your to-do list using the priority matrix and writing it down. There is plenty of research that shows that when we write things down, we are more likely to achieve them. I still love a good piece of paper and a pen, and checking off things on my to do-list gives me great joy. (Weird, I know.) But I also find tools like Trello very useful for tracking to-do lists for multiple projects as well as for collaborations. If you make a list but have the tendency to avoid it, try Dayboard , which will show you your to-do list every time you open a new tab.

Also, actively putting things that are important to us on the calendar (e.g., meeting with a good friend or hitting the gym) makes us happier. We all have a gazillion things we can be doing every day. And the key is to focus on the top one to three things that are most important and do them one task at a time. Yes, you read it correctly. One task at a time.

Understand that multitasking is from the devil. In our society, when we say that we are good at multitasking, it is like a badge of honor. But let’s admit it, multitasking is a scam. Our poor brains can’t focus on more than one thing at a time, so when you try to reply to email when listening on a conference call, you aren’t really doing any of those effectively -- you are just switching between tasks. A study from the University of London a couple of years ago showed that your IQ goes down by up to 15 points for men and 10 points for women when multitasking, which from a cognitive perspective is the equivalent of smoking marijuana or losing a night of sleep. So, yes, you get dumber when you multitask.

Moreover, other research has shown that constant multitasking can cause permanent damage to the brain. So instead of a skill we want to be proud of, it is in fact a bad habit that we should all try to quit. It can be as easy as turning off notifications or putting tools on your computer such as FocusMe or SelfControl . Such tools will allow you to focus on one task at a time by blocking distractions such as certain websites, email and the like. This brings us to the next topic of why and how you should avoid time suckers.

Recognize and avoid time suckers. Distractions are all around us: email, meetings, talkative colleagues and our very own wandering minds. The digital distractions such as email, Facebook, texting and app notifications are excellent attention grabbers. We all have a typical Pavlovian response when we hear that beep on our phone or computer -- we have to check it out and respond, and that usually leads to some mindless browsing … then we forget what we were supposed to be doing. Indeed, research shows that it takes on average 25 minutes to refocus our attention after an interruption as simple as a text message. Moreover, research also shows that those digital interruptions also make us dumber, even though when we learn to expect them, our brains can adapt. When you think about the number of distractions we are all exposed to during the day, this accumulates to many hours of lost productive time.

Social science has shown that our environment controls us, whether it is eating, making a decision on what house to buy or trying to focus on a task. Clearly, we can’t control everything in our environment, but at least we can control our digital space. It is hard to fight that Pavlovian response and not check who just commented on your Facebook post or pinged you on WhatsApp.

But while technology robs our focus, it also gave us tools to fight it. Even something as simple as turning off email notification can minimize the distraction. If you don’t think you are wasting time or just like a good scientist want to collect data about yourself, try RescueTime . Additionally, there are some great tools to help us stay distraction-free, such as StayFocused , which is a browser extension that blocks you from spending more than X amount of time on social media sites, and Freedom , which blocks distracting websites and apps across devices.

Take a break. Being more productive is great, but don’t expect to be able to focus on the same thing for long periods of time. Take short breaks to recharge. You should not feel guilty for doing so because you are too busy. The science backs up the importance of taking a break, as it helps you re-evaluate what you are doing, retain information, make new connections and more.

For those of you who love having a structure, a number of systematic methods allow you to take breaks and stay productive. One such method is the Pomodoro technique. You decide the task you are going to complete, set a timer for 25 minutes and, when time is up, take a five-minute break. Another favorite method is to work in 90-minute time blocks, which follows our natural body rhythm. What you do on your break can matter, too. Productivity-boosting activities go beyond getting a cup of coffee: you can stretch, take a short walk, read something that’s not work related, daydream or look at adorable animal videos.

Full disclosure, while writing this post I had to resist endless distractions, some of which I couldn’t resist and gave in to; I am not perfect by any means. Yet, you don’t have to become a time-management Jedi to be more productive in your life and work. Just be aware of how you spend your time and allocate as much as you can to the important and nonurgent category of tasks. Finally, try to avoid the urge of multitasking. Then you can have the time to work productively on your goals and still have enough left over for the things that you enjoy and that make you happy.

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Time Management Essay

Time management essay generator.

When people compose a piece of writing for various topics, they often learn more about the subject matter during essay writing . Considering that fact, as a student, there’s a possibility that you would get the assignment of devising a time management essay. In this procedure, you would more than likely learn helpful tips in managing your time. 

7+ Time Management Essay Examples

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What Is a Time Management Essay?

A time management essay is a type of writing that would discuss the various methods you would take for managing your time. This document will help you in your time tracking and project tracking . This essay will help you learn how to be as productive as possible in your current situation. 

How to Compose a Workable Time Management Essay

Composing your time management essay would require a personal reflection of your current habits. It also includes trying out several time management methods. This essay will serve as a guideline for you in your future projects, so ensure to devise it carefully. After writing this type of academic essay, you might have to revise your current day-to-day schedule.

1. Schedule Your Tasks

In your essay, you should discuss in detail how you plan to divide your time between your activities. Before you can do this, you should decide on your priorities and set how much time you will spend on them. Of course, you should spend more time on complex projects and strenuous activities on your daily checklist .

2. Construct a Timeline Chart

Now that you have your list of activities, it is advisable to create a creative organizational chart to make it more comprehensive. Your timeline chart would serve as your guideline of the flow and organization of your essay. You can go for the design that you think would present the information effectively.

3. Devise an Outline

After finishing the first two steps, you already have most of the information you would need for the content of your piece of writing. The next step is to use the data and fill in a blank outline following the appropriate structure and essay format. This procedure is where you would decide what you would discuss in detail in each paragraph of your time management essay.

4. Compose Your Introduction and Conclusion

An essay won’t be complete without a strong introduction and conclusion. Aside from the overall content, these statements are necessary for determining the efficacy of your document. Also, it would greatly influence the readers’ engagement in reading your paper. You can get an idea for these by researching various samples of hooks and closing statements.

Why is time management necessary?

For students and professionals alike, it is essential to plan how you should spend your time. Doing this step would help you determine your priorities and goals for your work or your life in general. Time management is also a skill that would help people in evaluating and enhancing their level of productivity.

What are examples of helpful time management tips?

The most necessary method that people should try learning is to discipline themselves and stop procrastinating. It is a tip that everybody knows, but only a few people follow. Another technique is to get rid of or avoid things that tend to distract you. If you are a student, you should generate a study plan . On the other hand, if you are already a professional in your chosen career, you should construct a job schedule .

How should you introduce your time management essay?

In the first paragraph of your academic essay , you should discuss why people should learn how to manage their time. How does it affect their life? What are the benefits of implementing time management techniques? Consider these questions in writing your introduction. For your opening hook, you can use a quote or anything relevant to your topic.

When it’s time to go to bed, most people think about their day and ask themselves if they did their best and if their day is productive enough. They often go to sleep with the thought and motivation to do better tomorrow. If you are one of these people, you can make the most of your time by composing an effective time management essay. 

Text prompt

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Discuss the importance of setting priorities in a Time Management Essay.

Reflect on the role of planning in effective time management for your Time Management Essay.

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Mastering Life's Clock: The Art of Time Management

Table of contents, the essence of time management, the benefits of effective time management, strategies for successful time management, setting goals and creating a schedule, avoiding procrastination, embracing flexibility and mindfulness, in conclusion.

• Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Free Press.
• Allen, D. (2001). Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Penguin.
• Lakein, A. (1973). How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life. Signet.
• McCarthy, L. (2020). Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time. Penguin.
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row.
• Grant, A. M., & Patil, S. V. (2012). Comparing the Effectiveness of Rewards and Liabilities in Improving Task Completion. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 117(2), 226-231.
• Steel, P. (2007). The Nature of Procrastination: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review of Quintessential Self-Regulatory Failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65-94.
• McGonigal, K. (2019). The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It. Avery.
• Newport, C. (2016). Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Grand Central Publishing.

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Time management

Contributed by: Kaitie Christensen and Nathan Lachner

Working backwards to reach your goal

An essay should express continued thought and/or research on a particular subject. It is harder to collect and research information when it is all done at the last minute. Time management is integral to academic writing, especially with longer essays. Utilize these tips to make the writing process as smooth as possible.

Assess the work that needs to be done

• The page or word count
• Expectations such as audience and research
• Think about all of the stages of writing: research, drafting, writing, and revision.
• Think about how much time you would need to comfortably complete each step. How long will it take you to research? How long will it take you to draft? How long will it take you to write and revise?

Plan your execution

• Determine a steady pace for your execution of the essay
• Time until the deadline

Consider time for revision

• Don’t plan to finish on the day of the deadline. It is ideal to finish the writing at least one day in advance to read over the essay and check for mistakes or possible revisions.
• If you plan your essay accordingly, the process will be less painful. You will be able to submit your essay on time.

Once you familiarize yourself with the assignment, you can work backwards from your due date to create a plan. This may feel overwhelming at first, but taking it a step at a time can help you feel confident and in control.

Backplanning

Backplanning emphasizes working backwards from the day the assignment is due to the first day you begin in order to work through all the steps of the writing assignment. Know your own preferences and set a schedule for yourself so that the writing process can be as smooth and productive as possible.  The stages below may give you an idea for how to begin breaking up the steps of the assignment.

• Explore ideas
• Brainstorm using an objective such as a research question as guidance
• Write down all the thoughts
• Cluster ideas and thoughts by similarities and how they relate to each other
• Easier to write a thesis statement once you have a solid idea of the topics your paper will discuss!
• It’s okay to leave blank spaces where you intend to come back and revise
• Helps to finalize the organization, structure, and flow of ideas, and to identify places that needs more analysis or research

You can do this step by yourself, with a friend, or with a consultant at the Writing & Speaking Center!

• Take time to fill in any blanks or remaining questions
• Read the paper over for purpose and comparing it to the prompt
• Check the strength of the thesis, organization, and evidence
• Smooth out anything that sounds awkward or rough
• Fix small mistakes like citations and formatting

You may choose to have a break between editing and re-reading in order to clear your mind after you have walked away.

• Give your assignment one last read before submitting.

You may choose to complete one step of the writing process per day, break your paper up into pieces or allot time for feedback (such as the Writing & Speaking Center). Whatever you choose to do, pace yourself and remember to schedule breaks such as weekends to give yourself a chance to walk away from the assignment and to relax!

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Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Does time management work? A meta-analysis

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Software, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliation Concordia University, Sir George Williams Campus, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Roles Methodology, Validation

Affiliation FSA Ulaval, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Roles Validation, Writing – review & editing

• Brad Aeon, 
• Aïda Faber, 
• Alexandra Panaccio

• Published: January 11, 2021
• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066
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Does time management work? We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the impact of time management on performance and well-being. Results show that time management is moderately related to job performance, academic achievement, and wellbeing. Time management also shows a moderate, negative relationship with distress. Interestingly, individual differences and contextual factors have a much weaker association with time management, with the notable exception of conscientiousness. The extremely weak correlation with gender was unexpected: women seem to manage time better than men, but the difference is very slight. Further, we found that the link between time management and job performance seems to increase over the years: time management is more likely to get people a positive performance review at work today than in the early 1990s. The link between time management and gender, too, seems to intensify: women’s time management scores have been on the rise for the past few decades. We also note that time management seems to enhance wellbeing—in particular, life satisfaction—to a greater extent than it does performance. This challenges the common perception that time management first and foremost enhances work performance, and that wellbeing is simply a byproduct.

Citation: Aeon B, Faber A, Panaccio A (2021) Does time management work? A meta-analysis. PLoS ONE 16(1): e0245066. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066

Editor: Juan-Carlos Pérez-González, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED), SPAIN

Received: October 27, 2020; Accepted: December 21, 2020; Published: January 11, 2021

Copyright: © 2021 Aeon et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist

Introduction

Stand-up comedian George Carlin once quipped that in the future a “time machine will be built, but no one will have time to use it” [ 1 ]. Portentously, booksellers now carry one-minute bedtime stories for time-starved parents [ 2 ] and people increasingly speed-watch videos and speed-listen to audio books [ 3 – 5 ]. These behaviors are symptomatic of an increasingly harried society suffering from chronic time poverty [ 6 ]. Work is intensifying—in 1965 about 50% of workers took breaks; in 2003, less than 2% [ 7 ]. Leisure, too, is intensifying: people strive to consume music, social media, vacations, and other leisure activities ever more efficiently [ 8 – 11 ].

In this frantic context, time management is often touted as a panacea for time pressure. Media outlets routinely extol the virtues of time management. Employers, educators, parents, and politicians exhort employees, students, children, and citizens to embrace more efficient ways to use time [ 12 – 16 ]. In light of this, it is not surprising that from 1960 to 2008 the frequency of books mentioning time management shot up by more than 2,700% [ 17 ].

Time management is defined as “a form of decision making used by individuals to structure, protect, and adapt their time to changing conditions” [ 18 ]. This means time management, as it is generally portrayed in the literature, comprises three components: structuring, protecting, and adapting time. Well-established time management measures reflect these concepts. Structuring time, for instance, is captured in such items as “Do you have a daily routine which you follow?” and “Do your main activities during the day fit together in a structured way?” [ 19 ]. Protecting time is reflected in items such as “Do you often find yourself doing things which interfere with your schoolwork simply because you hate to say ‘No’ to people?” [ 20 ]. And adapting time to changing conditions is seen in such items as “Uses waiting time” and “Evaluates daily schedule” [ 21 ].

Research has, furthermore, addressed several important aspects of time management, such as its relationship with work-life balance [ 22 ], whether gender differences in time management ability develop in early childhood [ 23 ], and whether organizations that encourage employees to manage their time experience less stress and turnover [ 24 ]. Despite the phenomenal popularity of this topic, however, academic research has yet to address some fundamental questions [ 25 – 27 ].

A critical gap in time management research is the question of whether time management works [ 28 , 29 ]. For instance, studies on the relationship between time management and job performance reveal mixed findings [ 30 , 31 ]. Furthermore, scholars’ attempts to synthesize the literature have so far been qualitative, precluding a quantitative overall assessment [ 18 , 32 , 33 ]. To tackle this gap in our understanding of time management, we conducted a meta-analysis. In addressing the question of whether time management works, we first clarify the criteria for effectiveness. In line with previous reviews, we find that virtually all studies focus on two broad outcomes: performance and wellbeing [ 32 ].

Overall, results suggest that time management enhances job performance, academic achievement, and wellbeing. Interestingly, individual differences (e.g., gender, age) and contextual factors (e.g., job autonomy, workload) were much less related to time management ability, with the notable exception of personality and, in particular, conscientiousness. Furthermore, the link between time management and job performance seems to grow stronger over the years, perhaps reflecting the growing need to manage time in increasingly autonomous and flexible jobs [ 34 – 37 ].

Overall, our findings provide academics, policymakers, and the general audience with better information to assess the value of time management. This information is all the more useful amid the growing doubts about the effectiveness of time management [ 38 ]. We elaborate on the contributions and implications of our findings in the discussion section.

What does it mean to say that time management works?

In the din of current debates over productivity, reduced workweeks, and flexible hours, time management comes to the fore as a major talking point. Given its popularity, it would seem rather pointless to question its effectiveness. Indeed, time management’s effectiveness is often taken for granted, presumably because time management offers a seemingly logical solution to a lifestyle that increasingly requires coordination and prioritization skills [ 39 , 40 ].

Yet, popular media outlets increasingly voice concern and frustration over time management, reflecting at least part of the population’s growing disenchantment [ 38 ]. This questioning of time management practices is becoming more common among academics as well [ 41 ]. As some have noted, the issue is not just whether time management works. Rather, the question is whether the techniques championed by time management gurus can be actually counterproductive or even harmful [ 26 , 42 ]. Other scholars have raised concerns that time management may foster an individualistic, quantitative, profit-oriented view of time that perpetuates social inequalities [ 43 , 44 ]. For instance, time management manuals beguile readers with promises of boundless productivity that may not be accessible to women, whose disproportionate share in care work, such as tending to young children, may not fit with typically male-oriented time management advice [ 45 ]. Similarly, bestselling time management books at times offer advice that reinforce global inequities. Some manuals, for instance, recommend delegating trivial tasks to private virtual assistants, who often work out of developing countries for measly wages [ 46 ]. Furthermore, time management manuals often ascribe a financial value to time—the most famous time management adage is that time is money. But recent studies show that thinking of time as money leads to a slew of negative outcomes, including time pressure, stress, impatience, inability to enjoy the moment, unwillingness to help others, and less concern with the environment [ 47 – 51 ]. What’s more, the pressure induced by thinking of time as money may ultimately undermine psychological and physical health [ 52 ].

Concerns over ethics and safety notwithstanding, a more prosaic question researchers have grappled with is whether time management works. Countless general-audience books and training programs have claimed that time management improves people’s lives in many ways, such as boosting performance at work [ 53 – 55 ]. Initial academic forays into addressing this question challenged those claims: time management didn’t seem to improve job performance [ 29 , 30 ]. Studies used a variety of research approaches, running the gamut from lab experiments, field experiments, longitudinal studies, and cross-sectional surveys to experience sampling [ 28 , 56 – 58 ]. Such studies occasionally did find an association between time management and performance, but only in highly motivated workers [ 59 ]; instances establishing a more straightforward link with performance were comparatively rare [ 31 ]. Summarizing these insights, reviews of the literature concluded that the link between time management and job performance is unclear; the link with wellbeing, however, seemed more compelling although not conclusive [ 18 , 32 ].

It is interesting to note that scholars often assess the effectiveness time management by its ability to influence some aspect of performance, wellbeing, or both. In other words, the question of whether time management works comes down to asking whether time management influences performance and wellbeing. The link between time management and performance at work can be traced historically to scientific management [ 60 ]. Nevertheless, even though modern time management can be traced to scientific management in male-dominated work settings, a feminist reading of time management history reveals that our modern idea of time management also descends from female time management thinkers of the same era, such as Lillian Gilbreth, who wrote treatises on efficient household management [ 43 , 61 , 62 ]. As the link between work output and time efficiency became clearer, industrialists went to great lengths to encourage workers to use their time more rationally [ 63 – 65 ]. Over time, people have internalized a duty to be productive and now see time management as a personal responsibility at work [ 43 , 66 , 67 ]. The link between time management and academic performance can be traced to schools’ historical emphasis on punctuality and timeliness. In more recent decades, however, homework expectations have soared [ 68 ] and parents, especially well-educated ones, have been spending more time preparing children for increasingly competitive college admissions [ 69 , 70 ]. In this context, time management is seen as a necessary skill for students to thrive in an increasingly cut-throat academic world. Finally, the link between time management and wellbeing harks back to ancient scholars, who emphasized that organizing one’s time was necessary to a life well-lived [ 71 , 72 ]. More recently, empirical studies in the 1980s examined the effect of time management on depressive symptoms that often plague unemployed people [ 19 , 73 ]. Subsequent studies surmised that the effective use of time might prevent a host of ills, such as work-life conflict and job stress [ 22 , 74 ].

Overall, then, various studies have looked into the effectiveness of time management. Yet, individual studies remain narrow in scope and reviews of the literature offer only a qualitative—and often inconclusive—assessment. To provide a more quantifiable answer to the question of whether time management works, we performed a meta-analysis, the methods of which we outline in what follows.

Literature search and inclusion criteria

We performed a comprehensive search using the keywords “time management” across the EBSCO databases Academic Search Complete , Business Source Complete , Computers & Applied Sciences Complete , Gender Studies Database , MEDLINE , Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection , PsycINFO , SocINDEX , and Education Source . The search had no restrictions regarding country and year of publication and included peer-reviewed articles up to 2019. To enhance comprehensiveness, we also ran a forward search on the three main time management measures: the Time Management Behavior Scale [ 21 ], the Time Structure Questionnaire [ 19 ], and the Time Management Questionnaire [ 20 ]. (A forward search tracks all the papers that have cited a particular work. In our case the forward search located all the papers citing the three time management scales available on Web of Science .)

Time management measures typically capture three aspects of time management: structuring, protecting, and adapting time to changing conditions. Structuring refers to how people map their activities to time using a schedule, a planner, or other devices that represent time in a systematic way [ 75 – 77 ]. Protecting refers to how people set boundaries around their time to repel intruders [ 78 , 79 ]. Examples include people saying no to time-consuming requests from colleagues or friends as well as turning off one’s work phone during family dinners. Finally, adapting one’s time to changing conditions means, simply put, to be responsive and flexible with one’s time structure [ 80 , 81 ]. Furthermore, time management measures typically probe behaviors related to these three dimensions (e.g., using a schedule to structure one’s day, making use of downtime), although they sometimes also capture people’s attitudes (e.g., whether people feel in control of their time).

As shown in Fig 1 , the initial search yielded 10,933 hits, excluding duplicates.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.g001

The search included no terms other than “time management” to afford the broadest possible coverage of time management correlates. Nevertheless, as shown in Table 1 , we focused exclusively on quantitative, empirical studies of time management in non-clinical samples. Successive rounds of screening, first by assessing paper titles and abstracts and then by perusing full-text articles, whittled down the number of eligible studies to 158 (see Fig 1 ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.t001

Data extraction and coding

We extracted eligible effect sizes from the final pool of studies; effect sizes were mostly based on means and correlations. In our initial data extraction, we coded time management correlates using the exact variable names found in each paper. For instance, “work-life imbalance” was initially coded in those exact terms, rather than “work-life conflict.” Virtually all time management correlates we extracted fell under the category of performance and/or wellbeing. This pattern tallies with previous reviews of the literature [ 18 , 32 ]. A sizable number of variables also fell under the category of individual differences and contextual factors, such as age, personality, and job autonomy. After careful assessment of the extracted variables, we developed a coding scheme using a nested structure shown in Table 2 .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.t002

Aeon and Aguinis suggested that time management influences performance, although the strength of that relationship may depend on how performance is defined [ 18 ]. Specifically, they proposed that time management may have a stronger impact on behaviors conducive to performance (e.g., motivation, proactiveness) compared to assessments of performance (e.g., supervisor rankings). For this reason, we distinguish between results- and behavior-based performance in our coding scheme, both in professional and academic settings. Furthermore, wellbeing indicators can be positive (e.g., life satisfaction) or negative (e.g., anxiety). We expect time management to influence these variables in opposite ways; it would thus make little sense to analyze them jointly. Accordingly, we differentiate between wellbeing (positive) and distress (negative).

In our second round of coding, we used the scheme shown in Table 2 to cluster together kindred variables. For instance, we grouped “work-life imbalance,” “work-life conflict” and “work-family conflict” under an overarching “work-life conflict” category. The authors reviewed each variable code and resolved rare discrepancies to ultimately agree on all coded variables. Note that certain variables, such as self-actualization, covered only one study (i.e., one effect size). While one or two effect sizes is not enough to conduct a meta-analysis, they can nonetheless be grouped with other effect sizes belonging to the same category (e.g., self-actualization and sense of purpose belong the broader category of overall wellbeing). For this reason, we included variables with one or two effect sizes for comprehensiveness.

Meta-analytic procedures

We conducted all meta-analyses following the variables and cluster of variables outlined in Table 2 . We opted to run all analyses with a random effects model. The alternative—a fixed effects model—assumes that all studies share a common true effect size (i.e., linking time management and a given outcome) which they approximate. This assumption is unrealistic because it implies that the factors influencing the effect size are the same in all studies [ 83 ]. In other words, a fixed effects model assumes that the factors affecting time management are similar across all studies—the fallacy underlying this assumption was the main theme of Aeon and Aguinis’s review [ 18 ]. To perform our analyses, we used Comprehensive Meta-Analysis v.3 [ 84 ], a program considered highly reliable and valid in various systematic assessments [ 85 , 86 ].

In many cases, studies reported how variables correlated with an overall time management score. In some cases, however, studies reported only correlations with discrete time management subscales (e.g., short-range planning, attitudes toward time, use of time management tools), leaving out the overall effect. In such cases, we averaged out the effect sizes of the subscales to compute a summary effect [ 83 ]. This was necessary not only because meta-analyses admit only one effect size per study, but also because our focus is on time management as a whole rather than on subscales. Similarly, when we analyzed the link between time management and a high-level cluster of variables (e.g., overall wellbeing rather than specific variables such as life satisfaction), there were studies with more than one relevant outcome (e.g., a study that captured both life satisfaction and job satisfaction). Again, because meta-analyses allow for only one effect size (i.e., variable) per study, we used the mean of different variables to compute an overall effect sizes in studies that featured more than one outcome [ 83 ].

Overall description of the literature

We analyzed 158 studies for a total number of 490 effect sizes. 21 studies explored performance in a professional context, 76 performance in an academic context, 30 investigated wellbeing (positive), and 58 distress. Interestingly, studies did not systematically report individual differences, as evidenced by the fact that only 21 studies reported correlations with age, and only between 10 and 15 studies measured personality (depending on the personality trait). Studies that measured contextual factors were fewer still—between 3 and 7 (depending on the contextual factor). These figures fit with Aeon and Aguinis’s observation that the time management literature often overlooks internal and external factors that can influence the way people manage time [ 18 ].

With one exception, we found no papers fitting our inclusion criteria before the mid-1980s. Publication trends also indicate an uptick in time management studies around the turn of the millennium, with an even higher number around the 2010s. This trend is consistent with the one Shipp and Cole identified, revealing a surge in time-related papers in organizational behavior around the end of the 1980s [ 87 ].

It is also interesting to note that the first modern time management books came out in the early 1970s, including the The Time Trap (1972), by Alec MacKenzie and How to Get Control of your Time and your Life (1973), by Alan Lakein. These books inspired early modern time management research [ 21 , 58 , 88 ]. It is thus very likely that the impetus for modern time management research came from popular practitioner manuals.

To assess potential bias in our sample of studies, we computed different estimates of publication bias (see Table 3 ). Overall, publication bias remains relatively low (see funnel plots in S1). Publication bias occurs when there is a bias against nonsignificant or even negative results because such results are seen as unsurprising and not counterintuitive. In this case, however, the fact that time management is generally expected to lead to positive outcomes offers an incentive to publish nonsignificant or negative results, which would be counterintuitive [ 89 ]. By the same token, the fact that some people feel that time management is ineffective [ 38 ] provides an incentive to publish papers that link time management with positive outcomes. In other words, opposite social expectations surrounding time management might reduce publication bias.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.t003

Finally, we note that the link between time management and virtually all outcomes studied is highly heterogeneous (as measured, for instance, by Cochran’s Q and Higgins & Thompson’s I 2 ; see tables below). This high level of heterogeneity suggests that future research should pay more attention to moderating factors (e.g., individual differences).

Time management and performance in professional settings

Overall, time management has a moderate impact on performance at work, with correlations hovering around r = .25. We distinguish between results-based and behavior-based performance. The former measures performance as an outcome (e.g., performance appraisals by supervisors) whereas the latter measures performance as behavioral contributions (e.g., motivation, job involvement). Time management seems related to both types of performance. Although the effect size for results-based performance is lower than that of behavior-based performance, moderation analysis reveals the difference is not significant (p > .05), challenging Aeon and Aguinis’s conclusions [ 18 ].

Interestingly, the link between time management and performance displays much less heterogeneity (see Q and I 2 statistics in Table 4 ) than the link between time management and other outcomes (see tables below). The studies we summarize in Table 4 include both experimental and non-experimental designs; they also use different time management measures. As such, we can discount, to a certain extent, the effect of methodological diversity. We can perhaps explain the lower heterogeneity by the fact that when people hold a full-time job, they usually are at a relatively stable stage in life. In school, by contrast, a constellation of factors (e.g., financial stability and marital status, to name a few) conspire to affect time management outcomes. Furthermore, work contexts are a typically more closed system than life in general. For this reason, fewer factors stand to disrupt the link between time management and job performance than that between time management and, say, life satisfaction. Corroborating this, note how, in Table 6 below, the link between time management and job satisfaction ( I 2 = 58.70) is much less heterogeneous than the one between time management and life satisfaction ( I 2 = 95.45).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.t004

Moreover, we note that the relationship between time management and job performance (see Fig 2 ) significantly increases over the years ( B = .0106, p < .01, Q model = 8.52(1), Q residual = 15.54(9), I 2 = 42.08, R 2 analog = .75).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.g002

Time management and performance in academic settings

Overall, the effect of time management on performance seems to be slightly higher in academic settings compared to work settings, although the magnitude of the effect remains moderate (see Table 5 ). Here again, we distinguish between results- and behavior-based performance. Time management’s impact on behavior-based performance seems much higher than on results-based performance—a much wider difference than the one we observed in professional settings. This suggests than results-based performance in academic settings depends less on time management than results-based performance in professional settings. This means that time management is more likely to get people a good performance review at work than a strong GPA in school.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.t005

In particular, time management seems to be much more negatively related to procrastination in school than at work. Although we cannot establish causation in all studies, we note that some of them featured experimental designs that established a causal effect of time management on reducing procrastination [ 90 ].

Interestingly, time management was linked to all types of results-based performance except for standardized tests. This is perhaps due to the fact that standardized tests tap more into fluid intelligence, a measure of intelligence independent of acquired knowledge [ 91 ]. GPA and regular exam scores, in contrast, tap more into crystallized intelligence, which depends mostly on accumulated knowledge. Time management can thus assist students in organizing their time to acquire the knowledge necessary to ace a regular exam; for standardized exams that depend less on knowledge and more on intelligence, however, time management may be less helpful. Evidence from other studies bears this out: middle school students’ IQ predicts standardized achievement tests scores better than self-control while self-control predicts report card grades better than IQ [ 92 ]. (For our purposes, we can use self-control as a very rough proxy for time management.) Relatedly, we found no significant relationship between time management and cognitive ability in our meta-analysis (see Table 8 ).

Time management and wellbeing

On the whole, time management has a slightly stronger impact on wellbeing than on performance. This is unexpected, considering how the dominant discourse points to time management as a skill for professional career development. Of course, the dominant discourse also frames time management as necessary for wellbeing and stress reduction, but to a much lesser extent. Our finding that time management has a stronger influence on wellbeing in no way negates the importance of time management as a work skill. Rather, this finding challenges the intuitive notion that time management is more effective for work than for other life domains. As further evidence, notice how in Table 6 the effect of time management on life satisfaction is 72% stronger than that on job satisfaction.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.t006

Time management and distress

Time management seems to allay various forms of distress, although to a lesser extent than it enhances wellbeing. The alleviating effect on psychological distress is particularly strong ( r = -0.358; see Table 7 ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.t007

That time management has a weaker effect on distress should not be surprising. First, wellbeing and distress are not two poles on opposite ends of a spectrum. Although related, wellbeing and distress are distinct [ 93 ]. Thus, there is no reason to expect time management to have a symmetrical effect on wellbeing and distress. Second, and relatedly, the factors that influence wellbeing and distress are also distinct. Specifically, self-efficacy (i.e., seeing oneself as capable) is a distinct predictor of wellbeing while neuroticism and life events in general are distinct predictors of distress [ 94 ]. It stands to reason that time management can enhance self-efficacy. (Or, alternatively, that people high in self-efficacy would be more likely to engage in time management, although experimental evidence suggests that time management training makes people feel more in control of their time [ 89 ]; it is thus plausible that time management may have a causal effect on self-efficacy. Relatedly, note how time management ability is strongly related to internal locus of control in Table 8 ) In contrast, time management can do considerably less in the way of tackling neuroticism and dampening the emotional impact of tragic life events. In other words, the factors that affect wellbeing may be much more within the purview of time management than the factors that affect distress. For this reason, time management may be less effective in alleviating distress than in improving wellbeing.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.t008

Time management and individual differences

Time management is, overall, less related to individual differences than to other variables.

Age, for instance, hardly correlates with time management (with a relatively high consistency between studies, I 2 = 55.79, see Table 8 above).

Similarly, gender only tenuously correlates with time management, although in the expected direction: women seem to have stronger time management abilities than men. The very weak association with gender ( r = -0.087) is particularly surprising given women’s well-documented superior self-regulation skills [ 95 ]. That being said, women’s time management abilities seem to grow stronger over the years ( N = 37, B = -.0049, p < .05, Q model = 3.89(1), Q residual = 218.42(35), I 2 = 83.98, R 2 analog = .03; also see Fig 3 below). More realistically, this increase may not be due to women’s time management abilities getting stronger per se but, rather, to the fact that women now have more freedom to manage their time [ 96 ].

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.g003

Other demographic indicators, such as education and number of children, were nonsignificant. Similarly, the relationships between time management and personal attributes and attitudes were either weak or nonsignificant, save for two notable exceptions. First, the link between time management and internal locus of control (i.e., the extent to which people perceive they’re in control of their lives) is quite substantial. This is not surprising, because time management presupposes that people believe they can change their lives. Alternatively, it may be that time management helps people strengthen their internal locus of control, as experimental evidence suggests [ 89 ]. Second, the link between time management and self-esteem is equally substantial. Here again, one can make the argument either way: people with high self-esteem might be confident enough to manage their time or, conversely, time management may boost self-esteem. The two options are not mutually exclusive: people with internal loci of control and high self-esteem levels can feel even more in control of their lives and better about themselves through time management.

We also note a very weak but statistically significant negative association between time management and multitasking. It has almost become commonsense that multitasking does not lead to performance [ 97 ]. As a result, people with stronger time management skills might deliberately steer clear of this notoriously ineffective strategy.

In addition, time management was mildly related to hours spent studying but not hours spent working. (These variables cover only student samples working part- or full-time and thus do not apply to non-student populations.) This is consistent with time-use studies revealing that teenagers and young adults spend less time working and more time studying [ 98 ]. Students who manage their time likely have well-defined intentions, and trends suggest those intentions will target education over work because, it is hoped, education offers larger payoffs over the long-term [ 99 ].

In terms of contextual factors, time management does not correlate significantly with job autonomy. This is surprising, as we expected autonomy to be a prerequisite for time management (i.e., you can’t manage time if you don’t have the freedom to). Nevertheless, qualitative studies have shown how even in environments that afford little autonomy (e.g., restaurants), workers can carve out pockets of time freedom to momentarily cut loose [ 100 ]. Thus, time management behaviors may flourish even in the most stymying settings. In addition, the fact that time management is associated with less role overload and previous attendance of time management training programs makes sense: time management can mitigate the effect of heavy workloads and time management training, presumably, improves time management skills.

Finally, time management is linked to all personality traits. Moreover, previous reviews of the literature have commented on the link between time management and conscientiousness in particular [ 32 ]. What our study reveals is the substantial magnitude of the effect ( r = 0.451). The relationship is not surprising: conscientiousness entails orderliness and organization, which overlap significantly with time management. That time management correlates so strongly with personality (and so little with other individual differences) lends credence to the dispositional view of time management [ 101 – 103 ]. However, this finding should not be taken to mean that time management is a highly inheritable, fixed ability. Having a “you either have it or you don’t” view of time management is not only counterproductive [ 104 ] but also runs counter to evidence showing that time management training does, in fact, help people manage their time better.

Does time management work? It seems so. Time management has a moderate influence on job performance, academic achievement, and wellbeing. These three outcomes play an important role in people’s lives. Doing a good job at work, getting top grades in school, and nurturing psychological wellbeing contribute to a life well lived. Widespread exhortations to get better at time management are thus not unfounded: the importance of time management is hard to overstate.

Contributions

Beyond answering the question of whether time management works, this study contributes to the literature in three major ways. First, we quantify the impact of time management on several outcomes. We thus not only address the question of whether time management works, but also, and importantly, gauge to what extent time management works. Indeed, our meta-analysis covers 53,957 participants, which allows for a much more precise, quantified assessment of time management effectiveness compared to qualitative reviews.

Second, this meta-analysis systematically assesses relationships between time management and a host of individual differences and contextual factors. This helps us draw a more accurate portrait of potential antecedents of higher (or lower) scores on time management measures.

Third, our findings challenge intuitive ideas concerning what time management is for. Specifically, we found that time management enhances wellbeing—and in particular life satisfaction—to a greater extent than it does various types of performance. This runs against the popular belief that time management primarily helps people perform better and that wellbeing is simply a byproduct of better performance. Of course, it may be that wellbeing gains, even if higher than performance gains, hinge on performance; that is to say, people may need to perform better as a prerequisite to feeling happier. But this argument doesn’t jibe with experiments showing that even in the absence of performance gains, time management interventions do increase wellbeing [ 89 ]. This argument also founders in the face of evidence linking time management with wellbeing among the unemployed [ 105 ], unemployment being an environment where performance plays a negligible role, if any. As such, this meta-analysis lends support to definitions of time management that are not work- or performance-centric.

Future research and limitations

This meta-analysis questions whether time management should be seen chiefly as a performance device. Our questioning is neither novel nor subversive: historically people have managed time for other reasons than efficiency, such as spiritual devotion and philosophical contemplation [ 72 , 106 , 107 ]. It is only with relatively recent events, such as the Industrial Revolution and waves of corporate downsizing, that time management has become synonymous with productivity [ 43 , 65 ]. We hope future research will widen its scope and look more into outcomes other than performance, such as developing a sense of meaning in life [ 108 ]. One of the earliest time management studies, for instance, explored how time management relates to having a sense of purpose [ 73 ]. However, very few studies followed suit since. Time management thus stands to become a richer, more inclusive research area by investigating a wider array of outcomes.

In addition, despite the encouraging findings of this meta-analysis we must refrain from seeing time management as a panacea. Though time management can make people’s lives better, it is not clear how easy it is for people to learn how to manage their time adequately. More importantly, being “good” at time management is often a function of income, education, and various types of privilege [ 42 , 43 , 46 , 109 ]. The hackneyed maxim that “you have as many hours in a day as Beyoncé,” for instance, blames people for their “poor” time management in pointing out that successful people have just as much time but still manage to get ahead. Yet this ill-conceived maxim glosses over the fact that Beyoncé and her ilk do, in a sense, have more hours in a day than average people who can’t afford a nanny, chauffeur, in-house chefs, and a bevy of personal assistants. Future research should thus look into ways to make time management more accessible.

Furthermore, this meta-analysis rests on the assumption that time management training programs do enhance people’s time management skills. Previous reviews have noted the opacity surrounding time management interventions—studies often don’t explain what, exactly, is taught in time management training seminars [ 18 ]. As a result, comparing the effect of different interventions might come down to comparing apples and oranges. (This might partly account for the high heterogeneity between studies.) We hope that our definition of time management will spur future research into crafting more consistent, valid, and generalizable interventions that will allow for more meaningful comparisons.

Finally, most time management studies are cross-sectional. Yet it is very likely that the effect of time management compounds over time. If time management can help students get better grades, for instance, those grades can lead to better jobs down the line [ 110 ]. Crucially, learning a skill takes time, and if time management helps people make the time to learn a skill, then time management stands to dramatically enrich people’s lives. For this reason, longitudinal studies can track different cohorts to see how time management affects people’s lives over time. We expect that developing time management skills early on in life can create a compound effect whereby people acquire a variety of other skills thanks to their ability to make time.

Overall, this study offers the most comprehensive, precise, and fine-grained assessment of time management to date. We address the longstanding debate over whether time management influences job performance in revealing a positive, albeit moderate effect. Interestingly, we found that time management impacts wellbeing—and in particular life satisfaction—to a greater extent than performance. That means time management may be primarily a wellbeing enhancer, rather than a performance booster. Furthermore, individual and external factors played a minor role in time management, although this does not necessarily mean that time management’s effectiveness is universal. Rather, we need more research that focuses on the internal and external variables that affect time management outcomes. We hope this study will tantalize future research and guide practitioners in their attempt to make better use of their time.

Supporting information

S1 checklist. prisma 2009 checklist..

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.s001

S1 File. Funnel plots.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.s002

S2 File. Dataset.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066.s003

Acknowledgments

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our colleagues for their invaluable help: Mengchan Gao, Talha Aziz, Elizabeth Eley, Robert Nason, Andrew Ryder, Tracy Hecht, and Caroline Aubé.

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Essay on Time Management Is the Key to Success

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100 Words Essay on Time Management Is the Key to Success

Understanding time management.

Time management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific activities. Good time management enables you to work smarter, not harder, so you get more done in less time.

The Importance of Time Management

Effective time management is crucial to success in all areas of life. It helps you prioritize tasks, reduce stress, and increase productivity. It’s about making the most of your time to achieve your goals.

Time Management and Success

Remember, time is a non-renewable resource. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. So, managing it wisely is the key to success. It’s about making the right decisions at the right time.

250 Words Essay on Time Management Is the Key to Success

The essence of time management.

Time management is a crucial skill that often distinguishes successful individuals from the rest. It is the art of consciously controlling and planning the amount of time spent on activities to increase effectiveness, productivity, and efficiency.

The Correlation between Time Management and Success

Time management strategies.

Effective time management strategies include setting clear goals, prioritizing tasks, and breaking work into manageable chunks. It’s also essential to eliminate non-essential activities and distractions. Utilizing tools and techniques such as calendars, time tracking apps, and to-do lists can also significantly enhance time management.

The Impact of Time Management on Personal Life

Beyond professional success, effective time management has profound impacts on personal life. It allows for work-life balance, ensuring time for relaxation and personal growth. It reduces the risk of burnout and promotes overall well-being.

In conclusion, time management is a key determinant of success. It’s not just about getting more done, but about achieving a balanced and productive life. By mastering this skill, one can unlock the door to success in both personal and professional life.

500 Words Essay on Time Management Is the Key to Success

Introduction.

Time management is a critical aspect of life, often determining success or failure in various pursuits. It is an art of consciously controlling and planning the amount of time spent on specific activities to increase effectiveness, productivity, and efficiency.

Time is a non-renewable resource; once lost, it can never be regained. Therefore, the importance of managing it cannot be overstated. Time management is not just about working harder but working smarter. It allows individuals to make the best use of their time, reducing stress and enabling them to accomplish more in less time.

The correlation between time management and success is undeniable. Successful people understand the value of time and use it to their advantage. They prioritize their tasks based on importance and urgency, focusing on high-priority tasks before moving on to less critical ones. This approach, known as the Eisenhower Matrix, is a powerful tool for time management.

Moreover, successful people set clear, achievable goals and break them down into manageable tasks. They understand that consistent progress, however small, leads to significant results over time. This practice, known as time blocking, ensures that every moment is used productively.

Strategies for Effective Time Management

Another effective strategy is the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto Principle, which states that 80% of outcomes come from 20% of inputs. Identifying and focusing on these high-impact tasks can significantly increase productivity.

Lastly, using tools and technology can greatly enhance time management. Digital calendars, task management apps, and project management software can help organize and prioritize tasks, set reminders, and track progress.

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Does time management work? A meta-analysis

1 Concordia University, Sir George Williams Campus, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Aïda Faber

2 FSA Ulaval, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Alexandra Panaccio

Associated data.

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

Does time management work? We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the impact of time management on performance and well-being. Results show that time management is moderately related to job performance, academic achievement, and wellbeing. Time management also shows a moderate, negative relationship with distress. Interestingly, individual differences and contextual factors have a much weaker association with time management, with the notable exception of conscientiousness. The extremely weak correlation with gender was unexpected: women seem to manage time better than men, but the difference is very slight. Further, we found that the link between time management and job performance seems to increase over the years: time management is more likely to get people a positive performance review at work today than in the early 1990s. The link between time management and gender, too, seems to intensify: women’s time management scores have been on the rise for the past few decades. We also note that time management seems to enhance wellbeing—in particular, life satisfaction—to a greater extent than it does performance. This challenges the common perception that time management first and foremost enhances work performance, and that wellbeing is simply a byproduct.

Introduction

Stand-up comedian George Carlin once quipped that in the future a “time machine will be built, but no one will have time to use it” [ 1 ]. Portentously, booksellers now carry one-minute bedtime stories for time-starved parents [ 2 ] and people increasingly speed-watch videos and speed-listen to audio books [ 3 – 5 ]. These behaviors are symptomatic of an increasingly harried society suffering from chronic time poverty [ 6 ]. Work is intensifying—in 1965 about 50% of workers took breaks; in 2003, less than 2% [ 7 ]. Leisure, too, is intensifying: people strive to consume music, social media, vacations, and other leisure activities ever more efficiently [ 8 – 11 ].

In this frantic context, time management is often touted as a panacea for time pressure. Media outlets routinely extol the virtues of time management. Employers, educators, parents, and politicians exhort employees, students, children, and citizens to embrace more efficient ways to use time [ 12 – 16 ]. In light of this, it is not surprising that from 1960 to 2008 the frequency of books mentioning time management shot up by more than 2,700% [ 17 ].

Time management is defined as “a form of decision making used by individuals to structure, protect, and adapt their time to changing conditions” [ 18 ]. This means time management, as it is generally portrayed in the literature, comprises three components: structuring, protecting, and adapting time. Well-established time management measures reflect these concepts. Structuring time, for instance, is captured in such items as “Do you have a daily routine which you follow?” and “Do your main activities during the day fit together in a structured way?” [ 19 ]. Protecting time is reflected in items such as “Do you often find yourself doing things which interfere with your schoolwork simply because you hate to say ‘No’ to people?” [ 20 ]. And adapting time to changing conditions is seen in such items as “Uses waiting time” and “Evaluates daily schedule” [ 21 ].

Research has, furthermore, addressed several important aspects of time management, such as its relationship with work-life balance [ 22 ], whether gender differences in time management ability develop in early childhood [ 23 ], and whether organizations that encourage employees to manage their time experience less stress and turnover [ 24 ]. Despite the phenomenal popularity of this topic, however, academic research has yet to address some fundamental questions [ 25 – 27 ].

A critical gap in time management research is the question of whether time management works [ 28 , 29 ]. For instance, studies on the relationship between time management and job performance reveal mixed findings [ 30 , 31 ]. Furthermore, scholars’ attempts to synthesize the literature have so far been qualitative, precluding a quantitative overall assessment [ 18 , 32 , 33 ]. To tackle this gap in our understanding of time management, we conducted a meta-analysis. In addressing the question of whether time management works, we first clarify the criteria for effectiveness. In line with previous reviews, we find that virtually all studies focus on two broad outcomes: performance and wellbeing [ 32 ].

Overall, results suggest that time management enhances job performance, academic achievement, and wellbeing. Interestingly, individual differences (e.g., gender, age) and contextual factors (e.g., job autonomy, workload) were much less related to time management ability, with the notable exception of personality and, in particular, conscientiousness. Furthermore, the link between time management and job performance seems to grow stronger over the years, perhaps reflecting the growing need to manage time in increasingly autonomous and flexible jobs [ 34 – 37 ].

Overall, our findings provide academics, policymakers, and the general audience with better information to assess the value of time management. This information is all the more useful amid the growing doubts about the effectiveness of time management [ 38 ]. We elaborate on the contributions and implications of our findings in the discussion section.

What does it mean to say that time management works?

In the din of current debates over productivity, reduced workweeks, and flexible hours, time management comes to the fore as a major talking point. Given its popularity, it would seem rather pointless to question its effectiveness. Indeed, time management’s effectiveness is often taken for granted, presumably because time management offers a seemingly logical solution to a lifestyle that increasingly requires coordination and prioritization skills [ 39 , 40 ].

Yet, popular media outlets increasingly voice concern and frustration over time management, reflecting at least part of the population’s growing disenchantment [ 38 ]. This questioning of time management practices is becoming more common among academics as well [ 41 ]. As some have noted, the issue is not just whether time management works. Rather, the question is whether the techniques championed by time management gurus can be actually counterproductive or even harmful [ 26 , 42 ]. Other scholars have raised concerns that time management may foster an individualistic, quantitative, profit-oriented view of time that perpetuates social inequalities [ 43 , 44 ]. For instance, time management manuals beguile readers with promises of boundless productivity that may not be accessible to women, whose disproportionate share in care work, such as tending to young children, may not fit with typically male-oriented time management advice [ 45 ]. Similarly, bestselling time management books at times offer advice that reinforce global inequities. Some manuals, for instance, recommend delegating trivial tasks to private virtual assistants, who often work out of developing countries for measly wages [ 46 ]. Furthermore, time management manuals often ascribe a financial value to time—the most famous time management adage is that time is money. But recent studies show that thinking of time as money leads to a slew of negative outcomes, including time pressure, stress, impatience, inability to enjoy the moment, unwillingness to help others, and less concern with the environment [ 47 – 51 ]. What’s more, the pressure induced by thinking of time as money may ultimately undermine psychological and physical health [ 52 ].

Concerns over ethics and safety notwithstanding, a more prosaic question researchers have grappled with is whether time management works. Countless general-audience books and training programs have claimed that time management improves people’s lives in many ways, such as boosting performance at work [ 53 – 55 ]. Initial academic forays into addressing this question challenged those claims: time management didn’t seem to improve job performance [ 29 , 30 ]. Studies used a variety of research approaches, running the gamut from lab experiments, field experiments, longitudinal studies, and cross-sectional surveys to experience sampling [ 28 , 56 – 58 ]. Such studies occasionally did find an association between time management and performance, but only in highly motivated workers [ 59 ]; instances establishing a more straightforward link with performance were comparatively rare [ 31 ]. Summarizing these insights, reviews of the literature concluded that the link between time management and job performance is unclear; the link with wellbeing, however, seemed more compelling although not conclusive [ 18 , 32 ].

It is interesting to note that scholars often assess the effectiveness time management by its ability to influence some aspect of performance, wellbeing, or both. In other words, the question of whether time management works comes down to asking whether time management influences performance and wellbeing. The link between time management and performance at work can be traced historically to scientific management [ 60 ]. Nevertheless, even though modern time management can be traced to scientific management in male-dominated work settings, a feminist reading of time management history reveals that our modern idea of time management also descends from female time management thinkers of the same era, such as Lillian Gilbreth, who wrote treatises on efficient household management [ 43 , 61 , 62 ]. As the link between work output and time efficiency became clearer, industrialists went to great lengths to encourage workers to use their time more rationally [ 63 – 65 ]. Over time, people have internalized a duty to be productive and now see time management as a personal responsibility at work [ 43 , 66 , 67 ]. The link between time management and academic performance can be traced to schools’ historical emphasis on punctuality and timeliness. In more recent decades, however, homework expectations have soared [ 68 ] and parents, especially well-educated ones, have been spending more time preparing children for increasingly competitive college admissions [ 69 , 70 ]. In this context, time management is seen as a necessary skill for students to thrive in an increasingly cut-throat academic world. Finally, the link between time management and wellbeing harks back to ancient scholars, who emphasized that organizing one’s time was necessary to a life well-lived [ 71 , 72 ]. More recently, empirical studies in the 1980s examined the effect of time management on depressive symptoms that often plague unemployed people [ 19 , 73 ]. Subsequent studies surmised that the effective use of time might prevent a host of ills, such as work-life conflict and job stress [ 22 , 74 ].

Overall, then, various studies have looked into the effectiveness of time management. Yet, individual studies remain narrow in scope and reviews of the literature offer only a qualitative—and often inconclusive—assessment. To provide a more quantifiable answer to the question of whether time management works, we performed a meta-analysis, the methods of which we outline in what follows.

Literature search and inclusion criteria

We performed a comprehensive search using the keywords “time management” across the EBSCO databases Academic Search Complete , Business Source Complete , Computers & Applied Sciences Complete , Gender Studies Database , MEDLINE , Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection , PsycINFO , SocINDEX , and Education Source . The search had no restrictions regarding country and year of publication and included peer-reviewed articles up to 2019. To enhance comprehensiveness, we also ran a forward search on the three main time management measures: the Time Management Behavior Scale [ 21 ], the Time Structure Questionnaire [ 19 ], and the Time Management Questionnaire [ 20 ]. (A forward search tracks all the papers that have cited a particular work. In our case the forward search located all the papers citing the three time management scales available on Web of Science .)

Time management measures typically capture three aspects of time management: structuring, protecting, and adapting time to changing conditions. Structuring refers to how people map their activities to time using a schedule, a planner, or other devices that represent time in a systematic way [ 75 – 77 ]. Protecting refers to how people set boundaries around their time to repel intruders [ 78 , 79 ]. Examples include people saying no to time-consuming requests from colleagues or friends as well as turning off one’s work phone during family dinners. Finally, adapting one’s time to changing conditions means, simply put, to be responsive and flexible with one’s time structure [ 80 , 81 ]. Furthermore, time management measures typically probe behaviors related to these three dimensions (e.g., using a schedule to structure one’s day, making use of downtime), although they sometimes also capture people’s attitudes (e.g., whether people feel in control of their time).

As shown in Fig 1 , the initial search yielded 10,933 hits, excluding duplicates.

The search included no terms other than “time management” to afford the broadest possible coverage of time management correlates. Nevertheless, as shown in Table 1 , we focused exclusively on quantitative, empirical studies of time management in non-clinical samples. Successive rounds of screening, first by assessing paper titles and abstracts and then by perusing full-text articles, whittled down the number of eligible studies to 158 (see Fig 1 ).

Data extraction and coding

We extracted eligible effect sizes from the final pool of studies; effect sizes were mostly based on means and correlations. In our initial data extraction, we coded time management correlates using the exact variable names found in each paper. For instance, “work-life imbalance” was initially coded in those exact terms, rather than “work-life conflict.” Virtually all time management correlates we extracted fell under the category of performance and/or wellbeing. This pattern tallies with previous reviews of the literature [ 18 , 32 ]. A sizable number of variables also fell under the category of individual differences and contextual factors, such as age, personality, and job autonomy. After careful assessment of the extracted variables, we developed a coding scheme using a nested structure shown in Table 2 .

Aeon and Aguinis suggested that time management influences performance, although the strength of that relationship may depend on how performance is defined [ 18 ]. Specifically, they proposed that time management may have a stronger impact on behaviors conducive to performance (e.g., motivation, proactiveness) compared to assessments of performance (e.g., supervisor rankings). For this reason, we distinguish between results- and behavior-based performance in our coding scheme, both in professional and academic settings. Furthermore, wellbeing indicators can be positive (e.g., life satisfaction) or negative (e.g., anxiety). We expect time management to influence these variables in opposite ways; it would thus make little sense to analyze them jointly. Accordingly, we differentiate between wellbeing (positive) and distress (negative).

In our second round of coding, we used the scheme shown in Table 2 to cluster together kindred variables. For instance, we grouped “work-life imbalance,” “work-life conflict” and “work-family conflict” under an overarching “work-life conflict” category. The authors reviewed each variable code and resolved rare discrepancies to ultimately agree on all coded variables. Note that certain variables, such as self-actualization, covered only one study (i.e., one effect size). While one or two effect sizes is not enough to conduct a meta-analysis, they can nonetheless be grouped with other effect sizes belonging to the same category (e.g., self-actualization and sense of purpose belong the broader category of overall wellbeing). For this reason, we included variables with one or two effect sizes for comprehensiveness.

Meta-analytic procedures

We conducted all meta-analyses following the variables and cluster of variables outlined in Table 2 . We opted to run all analyses with a random effects model. The alternative—a fixed effects model—assumes that all studies share a common true effect size (i.e., linking time management and a given outcome) which they approximate. This assumption is unrealistic because it implies that the factors influencing the effect size are the same in all studies [ 83 ]. In other words, a fixed effects model assumes that the factors affecting time management are similar across all studies—the fallacy underlying this assumption was the main theme of Aeon and Aguinis’s review [ 18 ]. To perform our analyses, we used Comprehensive Meta-Analysis v.3 [ 84 ], a program considered highly reliable and valid in various systematic assessments [ 85 , 86 ].

Meta-analyses do not typically perform calculations on correlations (e.g., Pearson’s r). Instead, we transformed correlations into Fisher’s z scales [ 83 ]. The transformation was done with z = 0.5 × ln ( 1 + r 1 − r ) , where r represents the correlation extracted from each individual study. The variance of Fisher’s Z was calculated as V z = 1 n − 3 where n corresponds to the study’s sample size; the standard error of Fisher’s Z was calculated as S E z = V z .

In many cases, studies reported how variables correlated with an overall time management score. In some cases, however, studies reported only correlations with discrete time management subscales (e.g., short-range planning, attitudes toward time, use of time management tools), leaving out the overall effect. In such cases, we averaged out the effect sizes of the subscales to compute a summary effect [ 83 ]. This was necessary not only because meta-analyses admit only one effect size per study, but also because our focus is on time management as a whole rather than on subscales. Similarly, when we analyzed the link between time management and a high-level cluster of variables (e.g., overall wellbeing rather than specific variables such as life satisfaction), there were studies with more than one relevant outcome (e.g., a study that captured both life satisfaction and job satisfaction). Again, because meta-analyses allow for only one effect size (i.e., variable) per study, we used the mean of different variables to compute an overall effect sizes in studies that featured more than one outcome [ 83 ].

Overall description of the literature

We analyzed 158 studies for a total number of 490 effect sizes. 21 studies explored performance in a professional context, 76 performance in an academic context, 30 investigated wellbeing (positive), and 58 distress. Interestingly, studies did not systematically report individual differences, as evidenced by the fact that only 21 studies reported correlations with age, and only between 10 and 15 studies measured personality (depending on the personality trait). Studies that measured contextual factors were fewer still—between 3 and 7 (depending on the contextual factor). These figures fit with Aeon and Aguinis’s observation that the time management literature often overlooks internal and external factors that can influence the way people manage time [ 18 ].

With one exception, we found no papers fitting our inclusion criteria before the mid-1980s. Publication trends also indicate an uptick in time management studies around the turn of the millennium, with an even higher number around the 2010s. This trend is consistent with the one Shipp and Cole identified, revealing a surge in time-related papers in organizational behavior around the end of the 1980s [ 87 ].

It is also interesting to note that the first modern time management books came out in the early 1970s, including the The Time Trap (1972), by Alec MacKenzie and How to Get Control of your Time and your Life (1973), by Alan Lakein. These books inspired early modern time management research [ 21 , 58 , 88 ]. It is thus very likely that the impetus for modern time management research came from popular practitioner manuals.

To assess potential bias in our sample of studies, we computed different estimates of publication bias (see Table 3 ). Overall, publication bias remains relatively low (see funnel plots in S1). Publication bias occurs when there is a bias against nonsignificant or even negative results because such results are seen as unsurprising and not counterintuitive. In this case, however, the fact that time management is generally expected to lead to positive outcomes offers an incentive to publish nonsignificant or negative results, which would be counterintuitive [ 89 ]. By the same token, the fact that some people feel that time management is ineffective [ 38 ] provides an incentive to publish papers that link time management with positive outcomes. In other words, opposite social expectations surrounding time management might reduce publication bias.

Finally, we note that the link between time management and virtually all outcomes studied is highly heterogeneous (as measured, for instance, by Cochran’s Q and Higgins & Thompson’s I 2 ; see tables below). This high level of heterogeneity suggests that future research should pay more attention to moderating factors (e.g., individual differences).

Time management and performance in professional settings

Overall, time management has a moderate impact on performance at work, with correlations hovering around r = .25. We distinguish between results-based and behavior-based performance. The former measures performance as an outcome (e.g., performance appraisals by supervisors) whereas the latter measures performance as behavioral contributions (e.g., motivation, job involvement). Time management seems related to both types of performance. Although the effect size for results-based performance is lower than that of behavior-based performance, moderation analysis reveals the difference is not significant (p > .05), challenging Aeon and Aguinis’s conclusions [ 18 ].

Interestingly, the link between time management and performance displays much less heterogeneity (see Q and I 2 statistics in Table 4 ) than the link between time management and other outcomes (see tables below). The studies we summarize in Table 4 include both experimental and non-experimental designs; they also use different time management measures. As such, we can discount, to a certain extent, the effect of methodological diversity. We can perhaps explain the lower heterogeneity by the fact that when people hold a full-time job, they usually are at a relatively stable stage in life. In school, by contrast, a constellation of factors (e.g., financial stability and marital status, to name a few) conspire to affect time management outcomes. Furthermore, work contexts are a typically more closed system than life in general. For this reason, fewer factors stand to disrupt the link between time management and job performance than that between time management and, say, life satisfaction. Corroborating this, note how, in Table 6 below, the link between time management and job satisfaction ( I 2 = 58.70) is much less heterogeneous than the one between time management and life satisfaction ( I 2 = 95.45).

* p < .05

** p < .01

*** p < .001.

k = number of studies related to the variable | N = total sample size related to the variable.

r = effect size of the correlation between time management and the variable | 95% CI = confidence interval of the effect size.

Q = Cochran’s Q, a measure of between-study heterogeneity | τ 2 = measure of between-study variance | I 2 = alternative measure of between-study heterogeneity.

Moreover, we note that the relationship between time management and job performance (see Fig 2 ) significantly increases over the years ( B = .0106, p < .01, Q model = 8.52(1), Q residual = 15.54(9), I 2 = 42.08, R 2 analog = .75).

Time management and performance in academic settings

Overall, the effect of time management on performance seems to be slightly higher in academic settings compared to work settings, although the magnitude of the effect remains moderate (see Table 5 ). Here again, we distinguish between results- and behavior-based performance. Time management’s impact on behavior-based performance seems much higher than on results-based performance—a much wider difference than the one we observed in professional settings. This suggests than results-based performance in academic settings depends less on time management than results-based performance in professional settings. This means that time management is more likely to get people a good performance review at work than a strong GPA in school.

In particular, time management seems to be much more negatively related to procrastination in school than at work. Although we cannot establish causation in all studies, we note that some of them featured experimental designs that established a causal effect of time management on reducing procrastination [ 90 ].

Interestingly, time management was linked to all types of results-based performance except for standardized tests. This is perhaps due to the fact that standardized tests tap more into fluid intelligence, a measure of intelligence independent of acquired knowledge [ 91 ]. GPA and regular exam scores, in contrast, tap more into crystallized intelligence, which depends mostly on accumulated knowledge. Time management can thus assist students in organizing their time to acquire the knowledge necessary to ace a regular exam; for standardized exams that depend less on knowledge and more on intelligence, however, time management may be less helpful. Evidence from other studies bears this out: middle school students’ IQ predicts standardized achievement tests scores better than self-control while self-control predicts report card grades better than IQ [ 92 ]. (For our purposes, we can use self-control as a very rough proxy for time management.) Relatedly, we found no significant relationship between time management and cognitive ability in our meta-analysis (see Table 8 ).

a Female = 1; Male = 2.

b Single = 1; Married = 2.

Time management and wellbeing

On the whole, time management has a slightly stronger impact on wellbeing than on performance. This is unexpected, considering how the dominant discourse points to time management as a skill for professional career development. Of course, the dominant discourse also frames time management as necessary for wellbeing and stress reduction, but to a much lesser extent. Our finding that time management has a stronger influence on wellbeing in no way negates the importance of time management as a work skill. Rather, this finding challenges the intuitive notion that time management is more effective for work than for other life domains. As further evidence, notice how in Table 6 the effect of time management on life satisfaction is 72% stronger than that on job satisfaction.

Time management and distress

Time management seems to allay various forms of distress, although to a lesser extent than it enhances wellbeing. The alleviating effect on psychological distress is particularly strong ( r = -0.358; see Table 7 ).

That time management has a weaker effect on distress should not be surprising. First, wellbeing and distress are not two poles on opposite ends of a spectrum. Although related, wellbeing and distress are distinct [ 93 ]. Thus, there is no reason to expect time management to have a symmetrical effect on wellbeing and distress. Second, and relatedly, the factors that influence wellbeing and distress are also distinct. Specifically, self-efficacy (i.e., seeing oneself as capable) is a distinct predictor of wellbeing while neuroticism and life events in general are distinct predictors of distress [ 94 ]. It stands to reason that time management can enhance self-efficacy. (Or, alternatively, that people high in self-efficacy would be more likely to engage in time management, although experimental evidence suggests that time management training makes people feel more in control of their time [ 89 ]; it is thus plausible that time management may have a causal effect on self-efficacy. Relatedly, note how time management ability is strongly related to internal locus of control in Table 8 ) In contrast, time management can do considerably less in the way of tackling neuroticism and dampening the emotional impact of tragic life events. In other words, the factors that affect wellbeing may be much more within the purview of time management than the factors that affect distress. For this reason, time management may be less effective in alleviating distress than in improving wellbeing.

Time management and individual differences

Time management is, overall, less related to individual differences than to other variables.

Age, for instance, hardly correlates with time management (with a relatively high consistency between studies, I 2 = 55.79, see Table 8 above).

Similarly, gender only tenuously correlates with time management, although in the expected direction: women seem to have stronger time management abilities than men. The very weak association with gender ( r = -0.087) is particularly surprising given women’s well-documented superior self-regulation skills [ 95 ]. That being said, women’s time management abilities seem to grow stronger over the years ( N = 37, B = -.0049, p < .05, Q model = 3.89(1), Q residual = 218.42(35), I 2 = 83.98, R 2 analog = .03; also see Fig 3 below). More realistically, this increase may not be due to women’s time management abilities getting stronger per se but, rather, to the fact that women now have more freedom to manage their time [ 96 ].

Other demographic indicators, such as education and number of children, were nonsignificant. Similarly, the relationships between time management and personal attributes and attitudes were either weak or nonsignificant, save for two notable exceptions. First, the link between time management and internal locus of control (i.e., the extent to which people perceive they’re in control of their lives) is quite substantial. This is not surprising, because time management presupposes that people believe they can change their lives. Alternatively, it may be that time management helps people strengthen their internal locus of control, as experimental evidence suggests [ 89 ]. Second, the link between time management and self-esteem is equally substantial. Here again, one can make the argument either way: people with high self-esteem might be confident enough to manage their time or, conversely, time management may boost self-esteem. The two options are not mutually exclusive: people with internal loci of control and high self-esteem levels can feel even more in control of their lives and better about themselves through time management.

We also note a very weak but statistically significant negative association between time management and multitasking. It has almost become commonsense that multitasking does not lead to performance [ 97 ]. As a result, people with stronger time management skills might deliberately steer clear of this notoriously ineffective strategy.

In addition, time management was mildly related to hours spent studying but not hours spent working. (These variables cover only student samples working part- or full-time and thus do not apply to non-student populations.) This is consistent with time-use studies revealing that teenagers and young adults spend less time working and more time studying [ 98 ]. Students who manage their time likely have well-defined intentions, and trends suggest those intentions will target education over work because, it is hoped, education offers larger payoffs over the long-term [ 99 ].

In terms of contextual factors, time management does not correlate significantly with job autonomy. This is surprising, as we expected autonomy to be a prerequisite for time management (i.e., you can’t manage time if you don’t have the freedom to). Nevertheless, qualitative studies have shown how even in environments that afford little autonomy (e.g., restaurants), workers can carve out pockets of time freedom to momentarily cut loose [ 100 ]. Thus, time management behaviors may flourish even in the most stymying settings. In addition, the fact that time management is associated with less role overload and previous attendance of time management training programs makes sense: time management can mitigate the effect of heavy workloads and time management training, presumably, improves time management skills.

Finally, time management is linked to all personality traits. Moreover, previous reviews of the literature have commented on the link between time management and conscientiousness in particular [ 32 ]. What our study reveals is the substantial magnitude of the effect ( r = 0.451). The relationship is not surprising: conscientiousness entails orderliness and organization, which overlap significantly with time management. That time management correlates so strongly with personality (and so little with other individual differences) lends credence to the dispositional view of time management [ 101 – 103 ]. However, this finding should not be taken to mean that time management is a highly inheritable, fixed ability. Having a “you either have it or you don’t” view of time management is not only counterproductive [ 104 ] but also runs counter to evidence showing that time management training does, in fact, help people manage their time better.

Does time management work? It seems so. Time management has a moderate influence on job performance, academic achievement, and wellbeing. These three outcomes play an important role in people’s lives. Doing a good job at work, getting top grades in school, and nurturing psychological wellbeing contribute to a life well lived. Widespread exhortations to get better at time management are thus not unfounded: the importance of time management is hard to overstate.

Contributions

Beyond answering the question of whether time management works, this study contributes to the literature in three major ways. First, we quantify the impact of time management on several outcomes. We thus not only address the question of whether time management works, but also, and importantly, gauge to what extent time management works. Indeed, our meta-analysis covers 53,957 participants, which allows for a much more precise, quantified assessment of time management effectiveness compared to qualitative reviews.

Second, this meta-analysis systematically assesses relationships between time management and a host of individual differences and contextual factors. This helps us draw a more accurate portrait of potential antecedents of higher (or lower) scores on time management measures.

Third, our findings challenge intuitive ideas concerning what time management is for. Specifically, we found that time management enhances wellbeing—and in particular life satisfaction—to a greater extent than it does various types of performance. This runs against the popular belief that time management primarily helps people perform better and that wellbeing is simply a byproduct of better performance. Of course, it may be that wellbeing gains, even if higher than performance gains, hinge on performance; that is to say, people may need to perform better as a prerequisite to feeling happier. But this argument doesn’t jibe with experiments showing that even in the absence of performance gains, time management interventions do increase wellbeing [ 89 ]. This argument also founders in the face of evidence linking time management with wellbeing among the unemployed [ 105 ], unemployment being an environment where performance plays a negligible role, if any. As such, this meta-analysis lends support to definitions of time management that are not work- or performance-centric.

Future research and limitations

This meta-analysis questions whether time management should be seen chiefly as a performance device. Our questioning is neither novel nor subversive: historically people have managed time for other reasons than efficiency, such as spiritual devotion and philosophical contemplation [ 72 , 106 , 107 ]. It is only with relatively recent events, such as the Industrial Revolution and waves of corporate downsizing, that time management has become synonymous with productivity [ 43 , 65 ]. We hope future research will widen its scope and look more into outcomes other than performance, such as developing a sense of meaning in life [ 108 ]. One of the earliest time management studies, for instance, explored how time management relates to having a sense of purpose [ 73 ]. However, very few studies followed suit since. Time management thus stands to become a richer, more inclusive research area by investigating a wider array of outcomes.

In addition, despite the encouraging findings of this meta-analysis we must refrain from seeing time management as a panacea. Though time management can make people’s lives better, it is not clear how easy it is for people to learn how to manage their time adequately. More importantly, being “good” at time management is often a function of income, education, and various types of privilege [ 42 , 43 , 46 , 109 ]. The hackneyed maxim that “you have as many hours in a day as Beyoncé,” for instance, blames people for their “poor” time management in pointing out that successful people have just as much time but still manage to get ahead. Yet this ill-conceived maxim glosses over the fact that Beyoncé and her ilk do, in a sense, have more hours in a day than average people who can’t afford a nanny, chauffeur, in-house chefs, and a bevy of personal assistants. Future research should thus look into ways to make time management more accessible.

Furthermore, this meta-analysis rests on the assumption that time management training programs do enhance people’s time management skills. Previous reviews have noted the opacity surrounding time management interventions—studies often don’t explain what, exactly, is taught in time management training seminars [ 18 ]. As a result, comparing the effect of different interventions might come down to comparing apples and oranges. (This might partly account for the high heterogeneity between studies.) We hope that our definition of time management will spur future research into crafting more consistent, valid, and generalizable interventions that will allow for more meaningful comparisons.

Finally, most time management studies are cross-sectional. Yet it is very likely that the effect of time management compounds over time. If time management can help students get better grades, for instance, those grades can lead to better jobs down the line [ 110 ]. Crucially, learning a skill takes time, and if time management helps people make the time to learn a skill, then time management stands to dramatically enrich people’s lives. For this reason, longitudinal studies can track different cohorts to see how time management affects people’s lives over time. We expect that developing time management skills early on in life can create a compound effect whereby people acquire a variety of other skills thanks to their ability to make time.

Overall, this study offers the most comprehensive, precise, and fine-grained assessment of time management to date. We address the longstanding debate over whether time management influences job performance in revealing a positive, albeit moderate effect. Interestingly, we found that time management impacts wellbeing—and in particular life satisfaction—to a greater extent than performance. That means time management may be primarily a wellbeing enhancer, rather than a performance booster. Furthermore, individual and external factors played a minor role in time management, although this does not necessarily mean that time management’s effectiveness is universal. Rather, we need more research that focuses on the internal and external variables that affect time management outcomes. We hope this study will tantalize future research and guide practitioners in their attempt to make better use of their time.

Supporting information

S1 checklist, acknowledgments.

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our colleagues for their invaluable help: Mengchan Gao, Talha Aziz, Elizabeth Eley, Robert Nason, Andrew Ryder, Tracy Hecht, and Caroline Aubé.

Funding Statement

The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Data Availability

Essay on Time Management for Students and Children

500+ words essay on time management.

Essay on time management-In today’s scenario people are so busy in their lives that they are not getting time for themselves. Due to which time management has become the need of the hour. Time management is playing a vital role in mankind . Time management creates discipline or vice versa. If you want to be successful in life then you need to manage your time. As a result, various billionaires teach about time management.

The Meaning of Time Management

In our daily life, we have got only twenty-four hours in a day. Therefore we cannot do everything in one day. This creates limitations in our everyday work. In order to manage work, social life and sleep, division of time is important. In a particular way division of time is the need. This will help the person to complete all his tasks. You should write your tasks in a schedule.

Designing has to be in a way that each task gets enough time. Your work should have the highest priority. The second priority should sleep. And the last but not the least your social life. Your social life includes family and friends.

In order to live a happy and peaceful life socializing is important. Too much workload can make a person ill. So, give your mind a little rest. Spending time with family can help you with this. Moreover, the main purpose to work is to fulfill the needs of the family. Since the fulfillment of needs is important. Which makes a person happy.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Importance of Time Management for Students

Though adults are working, the students are not spared with work. The students today have many studies to do. Because of this, they are not getting time to enjoy their childhood. Time management for students has become a crucial need. Education has become vast. Therefore proper scheduling of time is important.

A good student knows the importance of studies . But he should also know time never comes back. Thus a student should take out time for personal development too. Since personal development is important for their proper growth. Moreover, personality development is also important for a student. They should at least take out one hour for sports. Sports teach student teamwork. Since it is enjoyable it lessens the stress of the day.

The daily routine is School or college, and then coaching. This leaves with no time of self-studies. Self-study is an important aspect of education. The student should not neglect this. As the day ends, they get too tired. Due to which there is no energy left. This degrades the performance of the student.

There is a difference between a topper and an average student. That difference is proper time management. A topper student schedules his time. While an average student does not do that. And because he never manages time, he gets no time for self-study. Which in turn leaves him behind.

How to Manage Time?

A person should eliminate unnecessary activities from their daily schedule. On weekends you should do it. Especially should socialize on weekends. Also, include traveling time in the schedule. This ensures accuracy.

Most Noteworthy, make a time table on paper. In which you should write your daily activities. This will create discipline in your life. Moreover, you should complete the task daily. However, there will be some changes in the schedule with time.

Finally, your schedule needs to be practical. You cannot make a schedule unless you know your daily timings. Each persons’ schedule is unique if you copy you won’t progress in life.

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Importance of Time Management in Daily Life with Examples

Explore the significance of Effective Time Management in this insightful content. From understanding the basics of time management to recognising its importance and the benefits it brings, discover practical strategies to optimise your time utilisation. Unlock the key to enhanced productivity and work-life balance.

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Table of Contents  

1) Introduction to Time Management 

2) The Importance of Time Management 

3) The benefits of Time Management 

4) Practical Time Management strategies 

5) Conclusion 

Introduction to Time Management  

Time Management is the process of planning, organising, and prioritising tasks to make the most efficient use of available time. It involves setting goals, breaking them down into manageable steps, and allocating time for each activity. By implementing effective Time Management Strategies , individuals can enhance their productivity, reduce stress, and optimise their use of time. 

The Importance of Time Management for students is particularly vital. Juggling academic responsibilities, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments can be overwhelming without proper organisation and prioritisation. By efficiently allocating time to studying, assignment completion, and revision, students can improve their learning outcomes, reduce last-minute cramming, and cultivate a healthy work-life balance. 

The Importance of Time Management in the workplace plays a crucial role in professional success. With numerous tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities, employees need to manage their time effectively to boost productivity, meet project goals, and enhance their reputation for reliability and efficiency. Moreover, effective Time Management enables individuals to maintain a healthy work-life integration, leading to increased job satisfaction.  

The Importance of Time Management  

1) Increased productivity: Time Management allows individuals to prioritise tasks and allocate their time efficiently. By focusing on high-priority activities, individuals can make the most of their productive hours, accomplish more in less time, and achieve better results. Effective Time Management prevents wasting time on non-essential tasks or getting overwhelmed by a heavy workload. 

2) Reduced stress levels: Poor Time Management often leads to increased stress levels. Procrastination can be avoided, as well as missed deadlines, and last-minute rushes, which create unnecessary pressure and anxiety. By effectively managing time, individuals can plan and organise their tasks, stay ahead of deadlines, and approach their responsibilities with a calmer and more composed mindset. Reduced stress levels contribute to better mental and emotional well-being. 

3) Improved decision-making: Time Management allows individuals to allocate sufficient time for critical thinking and decision-making. Rushed and impulsive decisions can lead to negative consequences. With effective Time Management, individuals have the space to evaluate options, weigh pros and cons, gather information, and make informed decisions. This applies to both personal and professional choices. 

4) Enhanced goal achievement: Time Management is instrumental in setting and achieving goals. By breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks, individuals can create a roadmap for success. Effective Time Management helps allocate dedicated time slots for specific tasks, ensuring steady progress towards the desired outcome. Regular progress boosts motivation and creates a sense of accomplishment as goals are achieved step by step. 

5) Healthy work-life balance: Time Management is essential for maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life. Without proper Time Management, work can encroach on personal time, leading to burnout and strained relationships. By allocating time for work-related tasks as well as personal activities, hobbies, and self-care, individuals can nurture a balanced lifestyle, improving overall well-being and satisfaction. 

6) Increased effectiveness: Time Management allows individuals to identify and eliminate time-wasting activities or unnecessary distractions Individuals can work more efficiently and effectively by organising tasks and streamlining processes. Prioritising tasks, setting deadlines, and managing resources optimally contribute to improved efficiency in completing tasks and achieving desired outcomes. 

7) Accountability and discipline: Effective Time Management cultivates a sense of accountability and discipline. By setting deadlines and creating schedules, individuals hold themselves responsible for completing tasks within the allocated time frames. This accountability fosters discipline, commitment, and a proactive approach to managing responsibilities and meeting deadlines. 

8) Improved quality of life: Time Management enables individuals to balance their various responsibilities and commitments, resulting in an improved quality of life. Individuals can dedicate time to their passions, hobbies, relationships, and self-care by effectively managing time. This balance leads to greater satisfaction, fulfilment, and overall happiness. 

The benefits of Time Management  

1) Better opportunities: With better Time Management, time becomes available for attending workshops, taking courses, networking, or exploring new hobbies and interests, which can lead to personal and career advancement. 

2) Better efficiency: Effective Time Management allows individuals to allocate their time strategically, ensuring that tasks are completed in the most efficient manner. By prioritising and organising tasks, individuals can minimise time wasted on unimportant or non-essential activities, leading to increased efficiency and optimal use of resources. 

3) Better focus and concentration: Time Management helps individuals eliminate distractions and create dedicated blocks of time for specific tasks. By focusing on one task at a time without interruptions, individuals can enhance their concentration and productivity. This leads to higher quality work and better outcomes. 

4) Enhanced time awareness: Time Management cultivates a heightened sense of awareness and appreciation for the value of time. Individuals become more conscious of how they allocate their time and recognise the importance of making the most of each moment. This awareness helps individuals make conscious choices, prioritise effectively, and avoid procrastination. 

5) Better work-life integration: Effective Time Management allows individuals to strike a balance between professional life and personal life. By allocating time for work-related tasks, as well as personal activities, hobbies, and self-care, individuals can experience a more harmonious and fulfilling lifestyle. This integration promotes overall well-being and prevents burnout. 

6) Enhanced accountability: Time Management instils a sense of accountability within individuals. By setting deadlines and creating schedules, individuals hold themselves responsible for completing tasks within the allocated time frames. This accountability promotes discipline, commitment, and a proactive approach to work and personal goals. 

7) Less procrastination: Procrastination can hinder productivity and lead to increased stress levels. Some of the Time Management techniques include breaking tasks into smaller parts and setting specific deadlines, which helps individuals overcome procrastination tendencies. With a structured approach, individuals are more motivated to start and complete tasks promptly. 

8) Better time estimation: Time Management skills enable individuals to accurately estimate the time required to complete various tasks. This helps in planning and scheduling effectively, avoiding over-commitment, and preventing a backlog of unfinished work. Accurate time estimation leads to better time allocation and a realistic workload. 

9) Better health and well-being: Effective Time Management can positively impact physical and mental health. By allocating time for exercise, relaxation, and self-care activities, individuals can reduce stress levels, improve their overall well-being, and maintain a healthy lifestyle . Taking breaks and incorporating leisure time into schedules promotes rejuvenation and prevents burnout. 

10) Increased sense of control: Time Management empowers individuals by providing them with a sense of control over their schedules and responsibilities. By taking charge of their time, individuals become more proactive, organised, and confident in managing their tasks and achieving their goals. 

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Practical Time Management strategies  

Implementing practical Time Management strategies can significantly enhance productivity, reduce stress levels, and help individuals make the most of their time. By incorporating these strategies into daily routines, individuals can optimise their use of time and achieve their goals more effectively. This blog section will suggest you some practical Time Management strategies to consider: 

1) Set clear goals: Start by defining your goals, both short-term and long-term. Clear goals provide a sense of direction and purpose, guiding your time allocation and priorities. Make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART goals). This clarity helps you align your activities and focus on what truly matters. 

2) Prioritise tasks: Determine the urgency and importance of each task on your to-do list. Use techniques like Eisenhower's Urgent-Important Matrix, where tasks are categorised as urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, or neither urgent nor important. Prioritise tasks based on their significance and allocate time accordingly. 

3) Plan and schedule: Dedicate time for planning and scheduling your activities. Use tools like calendars, planners, or digital apps to organise your day, week, or month. Break down the larger assignments into smaller steps and allocate specific time slots for each activity. Set realistic deadlines, allowing buffer time for unexpected interruptions or delays. 

4) Time blocking: Time blocking involves allocating specific time blocks for different activities. Designate blocks of uninterrupted time for focused work, meetings, emails, breaks, and personal activities. By creating a structured routine, time blocking minimises distractions and improves productivity and focus. 

5) Avoid multitasking: While multitasking may seem efficient, it often leads to reduced productivity and increased errors. Instead, focus on one task at a time, giving it your undivided attention. Complete each task before moving on to the next. By concentrating on one activity, you can work more efficiently and produce higher-quality results. 

6) Learn to delegate: Recognise tasks that can be delegated to others. Delegating frees up your time for more important or high-value activities. Identify competent individuals who can handle specific tasks and assign responsibilities accordingly. Effective delegation enhances productivity and allows you to focus on tasks that require your expertise.  

7) Manage digital distractions: Digital distractions, such as social media notifications or emails, can consume valuable time. Minimise distractions by scheduling dedicated time to check and respond to emails or messages. Consider using website blockers or productivity apps to limit access to distracting websites or apps during focused work periods. 

8) Take regular breaks: Breaks are essential for maintaining focus and productivity. Incorporate short breaks into your schedule to recharge and refresh your mind. Use this time to engage in activities that help you relax and rejuvenate, such as taking a walk, practising deep breathing exercises, or enjoying a hobby. 

9) Review and reflect: Regularly review your progress and reflect on your Time Management practices. Analyse what worked well and what needs improvement. Adjust your strategies accordingly to maximise efficiency and effectiveness. Continuous evaluation and adaptation lead to ongoing improvement in managing your time. 

10) Practice self-care: Prioritise self-care activities, including sleep, exercise, healthy eating, and relaxation. Taking care of your physical as well as mental well-being enhances your productivity, energy levels, and overall quality of life. Ensure that self-care is integrated into your schedule as a non-negotiable priority.

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Conclusion  

All in all, mastering Time Management is a skill that can transform your personal and professional life. By recognising the Importance of Time Management, understanding its benefits, and implementing practical strategies, you can unlock your full potential, achieve your goals, and lead a more balanced and fulfilling life. Remember, time is a finite resource, so make every moment count by managing it effectively. Embrace the power of Time Management, and watch as your productivity, satisfaction, and overall well-being soar. 

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