Amongst the wave of self-improvement literature and strategies for reducing procrastination there have emerged a number of software applications dedicated to time management and day-planning, all intended to increase your productivity through optimising the use of your time. Having used time management software for a little while now I am going to share my experiences on using time management software for increasing my personal productivity.
For those people who are unfamiliar with time management software there are a range of applications out there of varying scale, complexity and price. The actual concept is fairly simple. In short, these programs enable you to break down tasks into key actions, apportion a time period in which to complete the actions and track your progress against those actions - in terms of time consumed, time remaining and overall percentage of work completed for the day.
Both in my full time job and part time writing business time management software comes in very handy, for a number of reasons.
Inspiring logical thinking
When I consider each task to be completed, I am required to think about the actions which are required to complete the task and the order in which these actions need to be completed. In this respect, time management software requires you to think logically and in a more orderly fashion, which in turn provides a very clear picture of what completing each task will entail. I have found this clarity very important in reducing the procrastination which comes with not fully knowing or understanding the steps required to complete a task.
Providing a visual indicator of performance
I find visual timers and performance indicators to be very useful in showing me what I have achieved and what is remaining during the day. While staring at the timer every few minutes is definitely not productive, the idea of working to set period of time is a powerful motivator provided that you are not compelled to look at the indicators too often.
Reducing the urge for perfectionism
When I consider all of the benefits of time management software, this is definitely one of the most important ones for me. As a perfectionist I am always striving to get things just right, even when a satisfactory outcome will do; this desire for perfectionism has often led me to over-inflate the scale of the task which in turn has led me to procrastinate. Knowing that I have a an allocated period of time to complete a task has meant that I have focussed more on completing the task to an acceptable, rather than perfect, standard.
In conclusion, time management software can increase efficiency: these programs reduce complexity through allowing you to focus on each step required to complete the overall activity, and reduce procrastination by working within apportioned time boundaries for each task.
