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What Is the Connection between Scheduling and Time Management?

Erin J. Hill
Erin J. Hill

Scheduling and time management are directly related because being on a proper schedule is considered essential to time management. Although it is not necessary for every person to have a set schedule in order to complete tasks, having one often keeps people focused and motivated while completing daily tasks. Maintaining a set focus and momentum on reaching goals makes time management easier for many individuals.

Time management is the way in which someone uses, or manages, their time. Those who accomplish their goals and meet deadlines would be said to manage their time well, while those who are always late are not very good with time management. A schedule is a formally written document, or a mental plan, of how time will be spent. When someone decides that one task will be completed on this day at this time, that is scheduling how he or she will use or budget his or her time. Scheduling and time management are related in this way because having a schedule makes proper and productive time management much easier for many individuals.

Employee pulling her punch card to clock in.
Employee pulling her punch card to clock in.

Scheduling and time management do not have to be formal or rigid, although some may find a strict schedule more useful. For instance, one person may find that simply writing out a to-do list for a specific day or week is enough to keep him on track when working toward goals. Another person may require a more detailed schedule in which every moment of the day is accounted for and filled with a particular task. The strategy which works best will greatly depend on the individual and his or her personality.

Time management software.
Time management software.

Those who do not utilize scheduling and time management often have trouble staying focused on completing certain tasks. Without an outline for daily activities, it becomes more difficult to remember what tasks need to be completed and when. It's also much easier to get sidetracked doing other activities. This can lead to trouble meeting deadlines and other important chores.

Personal assistants often help their supervisors better manage their time and schedules.
Personal assistants often help their supervisors better manage their time and schedules.

In work and school environments scheduling and time management are especially important. They make it more likely that assignments will be handed in on time, and it allows organizations to run on a more unified schedule. Schedules do not always have to be written down to be effective. Even mentally choosing a set number of tasks of complete in a given day and deciding on a time by which they must be done can help with time management.

Discussion Comments

nextcorrea

I had a professor in college that was always giving us time management tips. He said that intelligence was more about time management than

brain power. If you use your time wisely you can think and act efficiently. Being scatterbrained is the greatest enemy of productivity.

He gave us time management scheduling templates at the beginning of the semester that he actually had us fill out and turn in to him. It was a little weird showing your professor your daily schedule, but the act of keeping the schedule really helped me transition into the demands of college. I had friends that flunked out because they couldn't keep up with all the demands on their time.

whiteplane

I have a scheduling software that has done wonders for my time management skills. It lets me plan out my day in 15 minute increments and then share the schedule with my smartphone, e-mail, and any other information devices you might use. If you take advantage of all the features it does wonders for keeping you on track.

summing

I make an hour by hour schedule for my day every morning and I stick to it like glue because I know that if I don't I will waste hours and hours of my time. I have always been prone to distraction. You tell me one thing to do and I can think of ten other things to get started on at the same time. This leads to a lot of incomplete projects.

I have to force myself to focus on one thing at a time. And it really helps to have a schedule that you can look at which tells you what is up and what comes next. It keeps you on track. I still manage to waste a lot of time, but at least by the end of the day I have accomplished most of what I set out to do.

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    • Employee pulling her punch card to clock in.
      Employee pulling her punch card to clock in.
    • Time management software.
      By: Hedgehog
      Time management software.
    • Personal assistants often help their supervisors better manage their time and schedules.
      By: Paylessimages
      Personal assistants often help their supervisors better manage their time and schedules.