Time: How do we use it?

Last week, I decided to write down all the things I do in a day and calculate the time I spend on each one. At the risk of sounding immodest, I must say I am good at managing my time. Actually, I should say I have become good at managing my time. There was a time when I was caught up in a demanding work schedule, constant traveling, and a busy life. And then one day I reached the peak of overload. That’s when I decided I needed an efficient time management plan.

Perhaps your’re in search of something similar. The truth is we spend too much time being ‘busy’ when we’re actually doing ‘nothing!’ When I decided to identify what it was that was eating away at my time, I looked closer at the hours I was spending on the computer. Often, I would be doing something on the computer yet not really getting anything done.

I began thinking to myself, what exactly is ‘time management?’ Basically, for me, it was deciding what to do and doing it. That’s it. The truth is, I needed a daily plan. I needed a list. Even before switching on my computer to check email, I am most productive when I have a plan. And surprisingly, once I better managed my ‘computer time’ I had lot more time on my hands to do other important things.

What are some of the things that eat up your precious time and please share your suggestions for managing them?