5 Most Effective Time Management
Kemi Obalolu is a second-year student in the Department of Agricultural Economics in one of the reputable universities in the country. Many often called her "BB" because she’s an embodiment of beauty and sound brain. She’s gracious and elegant in appearance, dazzling in motion with an electrifying presence that could get any man completely mesmerized. Without a doubt, she was a jewel in the crown and a subtle diamond of inestimable beauty. However, there’s something she was constantly battling with, something which due to her negligence escalated into a major obstacle and brought setbacks to her several times. Kemi was doing absolutely very fine academically until the second year when she got caught up in things she never really was prepared for. She was always seen jumping from one activity to the other. Fine, she finds time to teach others what they know but she hardly finds the time to get herself taught on what she doesn’t know. She kept on with these and kept scheduling a personal time for her books for some other time. By her own doing, she has created a demon to torment her. This is something someone somehow somewhere reading this post may be struggling with too.

It was a beautiful Wednesday morning with the early morning sun shining brightly and hitting the earth’s surface as if it were noontime. Several minutes later, the sky became heavy with tears and it was beginning to cry. That very day marked the beginning of Kemi’s year two first semester exams. She went to the exam hall unprepared. She’s given in to this demon and allowed it to take the better part of her.
Earlier before the day, as usual, she got engaged in many activities on campus, many of which may not add anything significant to her life but only for the fun of it. She spent time on less important things and on helping people around her forgetting she needed help herself. It was nearing dusk and night was already taking over from the day the reigns of time. Kemi was already tired, worn out with little or no strength to read for her exams coming up the following day. Meanwhile, she’s got other important things to put in place in her room before the close of the day but then it seemed she’s lost the battle to this self-created demon. Trust me, that was how Kemi failed her first paper that very semester. The rest is just a story.
On this note, I’ll be uncovering the face/Identity of this demon and enlighten us on the 5 most effective ways to manage efficiently this demon before it manages us to failure like Kemi.

1. ORGANIZATION. Staying organized can help you maintain a clear picture of what you need to complete and when. Being well-organized might mean maintaining an up-to-date calendar, being able to locate certain documents easily, having a tidy environment and taking detailed, diligent notes. It may also include that maintain a diary for your schedules and appointment or the labeling of files with name tags.
2. SET GOALS: In order to be a successful employee, employer or entrepreneur as the case maybe you need to set goals that will serve as a tracker for your progress. These goals could either be long term goals or short term goals. And for these to really be achievable your set goals have to be SMART
Specific: Your goals being specific shows what needs to be attained.
Measurable: your goals could be measured by a specific tool of your choice i.e Google Analytics.
Atttainable: Rather than vaguely wishing to increase your output— or setting a goal too high to reach— it’s best the goal states a specific output that is well within the realm of possibility but still ambitious.
Relevant: instead of worry about the numbers or the increase in sales or the promotion that comes with all these, it is import to note if you are gaining new customers, if your market value is increasing or if your customer trust has depreciated or increased. If you’re offering a service or a product you might want to make sure your quality is still the best. Because Goodwill in business cannot be overemphasized as this is an asset.
Time-bound: There is a due date set at the end of six months to attain this goal.
3. Prioritization: Assessing each of your responsibilities for priority is key in being a good time manager. There are many ways to prioritize what you need to accomplish. You might decide to complete fast, simple items followed by longer, more involved ones. Alternatively, you might prioritize your tasks starting with the most time-sensitive, or a combination of both. Or you prioritize your activities by the most urgent and relevant before you attend to non-urgent or irrelevant issues.
4. Eliminate distractions:
Start paying attention to the number of times someone interrupts you when you’re in the midst of an important task. Track self-induced interruptions, too, particularly those of the social media variety. Your smartphone is
extremely useful, but it’s also highly addictive and
among the most insidious time-wasters known to man.
It may take a massive exercise in will power, but shut the door and turn off your phone to maximize your time.
Instead of being “always-on,” plan a break in the day to catch up on email, make phone calls, talk with staff, etc.
5. Use an online calendar:
Calendars have long been a fundamental tool for time
management. However, online calendars have taken this to the next level. That’s because you can access it from multiple devices, easily schedule meetings and appointments, set up reminders, create time blocks, and schedule recurring events.
Personally, I use Google Calendar. I think it’s the best but Outlook and Apple Calendar also work well.

