Time management is a set of activities, including planning, decision-making, organization, leadership, and control, all aimed at using the human, financial, material, informational, and temporal resources of the organization in an effective and efficient manner, in order to achieve a goal.
The notion of management of time was developed in the 1950s and 1960s by one of the first management consultants Frederick Winslow Taylor who took for the first time a calculated, scientific approach to getting things done faster with less effort.
Time management in a student’s life is a vital condition but at the same time a challenge. Most students believe that their biggest challenge in adapting to college life and succeeding in class is managing their time efficiently.
Numerous studies prove that particular factors have an important role in students ‘study habits as year level, time management, study techniques, learning environment, faculty of students while ‘’gender and races of students show no significant differences in time management behaviors.’’(S N A M Razali1, M S Rusiman1, W S Gan1, N Arbin2). Time management is an integral factor in improving a student’s performance. It helps students to have an appropriate sense of urgency in accomplishing school-related activities. Generally, proper time management will increase productivity both in learning and other activities
Some students are productive at night, while some by the daytime. There are some who spend a day studying while some just for some hours. Few are inclined in listening to music while some stay in quiet places. More students love to study in a group whilst some would love to do it alone.
Time management plays a vital role in improving student’s academic performance and achievements. Each and every student should have time management ability which includes setting goals and priorities, using time management mechanisms,s and being organized in using time. Setting priorities is one of the most important time management skills that allow you to focus on the most important things and to let the less important go ( Instant manager/ Time management 31).
The researchers conducted studies to encourage students to practice proper time management in both academic-related and leisure activities to reduce stress and avoid cramming. Prioritizing their different tasks; setting clear, challenging, and proximal goals with deadlines; planning and scheduling their workday, and monitoring goal progress might be good advice for students to increase perceived control of time and decrease stress. (Alexander Häfner & Armin Stock & Verena Oberst). They need to learn about academic goals (improving math, reading, and writing skills), financial goals (saving for a bike), physical goals (increasing the amount of exercise), and good-deed goals (making cards for the sick). They should learn that a long-term goal is something they want to accomplish for the entire school year and that a short-term goal is something they want to accomplish on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Short-time goal list should include:
a set of rigorous daily schedule, in which should have precisely hours for different types of activities as teaching hours, meetings with colleagues, homework preparation, working at the library etc
to solve difficult problems that require maximum concentration during the hours when they are in top shape and leave the minor things for the other parts of the day
to set deadlines for all the tasks
Eventually, if the task is complex and can be subdivided, intermediate terms can be introduced.