How to Get More Done in Less Time? Essay

Introduction

Time management is a skill that everyone needs, whether it is an undergraduate student or a manager who manages their own time and their team members’ work processes. Scientists note that with the transition from secondary to higher education, students need to master time management skills is rapidly increasing since they devote a significant part of their time to self-education (Alias et al., 2019). The desire to get more things done in less time is also common for most working adults, and therefore there are dozens of ways to achieve this. This presentation aims to present time management methods within the framework of Draper’s concept (2018). According to Draper (2018), time management’s origins lie in creating space to think, connect, do, and be.

Scholars on Time Management among Students

From a young age, we all have responsibilities that require creative thinking and memorizing lots of new information. With the transition to higher education, students spend even more energy on learning since they are required to self-study the topics presented at lectures. Learners are often distressed with running out of time when preparing multiple assignments, and feel frustrated, striving to meet the deadlines (Alias et al., 2019). Scholars emphasize that most students do need time management skills to proceed effectively with academic responsibilities.

To do more in a shorter time, a person must have time management skills and be in an open, relaxed state for work or study. In achieving this state, it is useful to use various stress management techniques, many of which were developed millennia ago in ancient spiritual teachings. During the development of scientific thought, scientists were more and more interested in relaxation techniques. Therefore, there is a large amount of evidence on this issue (Kassymova et al., 2018). Finally, more recently, interactive smartphone apps have emerged to help manage stress and cope with anxiety (Christmann et al., 2017). Scientists confirm these applications’ effectiveness, which is an inspiring tendency since these tools are handy and available for vast populations.

Draper’s Concept of Creating Space

The writer Derek Draper was once enlightened with the idea that humans mostly lived in open spaces during evolution, enjoying their vastness. In the days that preceded modern cities’ emergence, mobile phones, the Internet, smartphones, and social networks, people usually faced the only important task: filling in the empty spaces. However, with the development of technology and production, humanity faced a different task: the urgency for creating the space for the desired activity. Draper further correlated this concept with the needs of business leaders, based on tens of thousands of studies, and concluded that all the studied essentials boil down to the necessity to create space for thinking, connection, doing, and being. The author claims that his concept combines all existing business leadership techniques, including time management skills and strategies. Therefore, time-management life-hacks presented further will be grouped following Draper’s idea.

Space to Think

Various authors offer multiple time management ideas related to creating space to think. These include enhancements related to decision-making, staying focused, developing time awareness, and prioritizing. An adult makes thousands of conscious decisions per day, so unloading decision-making tasks gives room for other activities. Noteworthy, ingraining routines and avoiding overthinking proved the most effective time management practices. Numerous apps enhance deep thinking and staying focused, like the “Stay Focused” app, where the user plants an animated three that grows while they are working. Another example is a Pomodoro technique that demands the user to take 5-minute breaks every 25 minutes. The interruption log is also helpful since our brain can be focused only on one task at a time.

Space to Connect

Creating space to connect is vital since it allows an individual to become emotionally able to share and accept others’ contributions. According to Draper (2018), 75% of research related to business leaders’ effectiveness studies this topic. Being able to connect implies collaboration, inspiration, motivation, developing, and influencing. Moreover, positive thinking and showing appreciation to colleagues improves one’s productivity (Rampton, 2020). Staying in a good mood also contributes to creating space for productive relationships.

Space to Do

Building up the space to do, means eliminating eradicators and maintaining the work-life balance. According to Draper (2018), this space may include room to plan, deliver, and lead. Saying “no” can be of particular importance for creating space to do since often people become involved in unnecessary activities, following the old principle of the urgency to fill in space. On the opposite, when adhering to the principle of creating the space, one can take a more distant perspective. Such an abstracted view allows for managing life and work processes more efficiently.

Space to Be

According to Draper (2018), ‘space to be’ includes space to dream, balance, and grow. However, Draper (2018) also speaks of creating physical space for work or leisure time. Likely, Draper’s concept can be applied in terms of taking care of personal physical well-being since physical anxiety can be a tremendous distracting factor. Therefore, according to different authors, to be productive, the individual needs to move, take care of posture, feed the brain and body, and spend some time working day in the standing position. It is also essential to arrange the desk and declutter to provide for well-being.

Overview

In other words, to be productive, every person needs space to think, connect, do, and be. Proper space to think can be created using apps that enhance performance, like the Stay Focused app. Other handy tools are apps and PC extensions that help in prioritizing, like Evernote and Trello. Creating space to think also requires proficiency in stress management. Stress management is best achieved through meditation, relaxation, and deep breathing practices. Creating space to connect means that one should take care of developing and maintaining healthy relationships, be open to the present, and have hobbies to stay in touch and share with others. Creating space to do is closest to the traditional understanding of time management. To be productive, the individual needs to eliminate eradicators, like checking Facebook and e-mails. Using services and computer programs that make life and work-life more comfortable is another good idea. These are apps or computer programs, including stress management tools, delivery, cleaning, or cooking services. Finally, creating the ‘space to be’ requires decluttering and taking care of personal well-being.

References

1. Alias, A., Noor, N. A. M., Bhkari, N. M., & Ariffin, K. (2019). Student learning time: a needs analysis for university students’ time management skills. In Proceedings of the Regional Conference on Science, Technology and Social Sciences (RCSTSS 2016) (pp. 125-134). Springer, Singapore.
2. Christmann, C. A., Hoffmann, A., & Bleser, G. (2017). Stress management apps with regard to emotion-focused coping and behavior change techniques: a content analysis. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 5(2), 22-28.
3. Draper, D. (2018). Create space: how to manage time and find focus, productivity, and success. Profile Books.
4. Dierdoff, E. (2020). Time management is about more than life hacks. Harvard Business Review. Web.
5. Friedman, H. (2017). 14 helpful time management life hacks you should try.Growth Marketing Pro. Web.
6. Kassymova, K., Kosherbayeva, N., Sangilbayev, S., & Schachl, H. (2018). Stress management techniques for students. In International Conference on the Theory and Practice of Personality Formation in Modern Society (ICTPPFMS 2018). Atlantis Press.
7. Rampton, J. (2020). 24 Time management strategies to be more efficient.Entrepreneur. Web.
8. Vofouri, J. (2017). The effect of training studying techniques (planning and time management, concentration, and memory) on academic achievement and achievement motivation among Iranian students in Tajikistan. Journal of School Psychology, 6(2), 146-163.