Time is considered the single most important element that governs human life, along with health. There are thousands of theories and beliefs surrounding time and how its limitedness and irreversible nature makes it the most precious commodity in our lives. And because of this reason, it is imperative to care for and manage this commodity well. No wonder most successful people in the world ascribe a great part of their success to their ability to manage time to their advantage.

There are several techniques that can be applied to systematically manage one’s time within the bracket of a day, a week, a month or even a year. Planning the day according to an existing set of activities, scheduling tasks as per priority, making provision for leisure and family time, etc., are some of the common methods that can be used to effectively manage time and stay on top of one’s work and life. Apart from habituating oneself to chalk out a schedule, one should also keep in mind the importance of maintaining good health and fitness because only a well-kept horse can stand a chance to gallop through a race.

Abiding by a set of rules for time management offers many benefits. People always remain in control of their activities and are able to generally complete tasks within deadlines. They can strike a better work-life balance and can sustain hobbies and other leisure activities. Better time management also helps improve productivity and efficiency as people are more focused and less stressed out. There is room to learn new skills and improve one’s knowledge, and so after an interval, one becomes a better professional or student resulting in improved career opportunities. Being able to systematically assign time to tasks also helps in better decision making since there is reduced pressure and uncertainties.

Time management has become so integral to modern lives that not only has it become a field of study but also a common training area for professionals. This is more so because with every passing day, the complexity of life is increasing and people are crossing boundaries within hours to get to places they never thought they would have to. There are ever-increasing perplexities too. And this set-up leads us to people who feel dragged into the whirlpool, and those who feel at the driver's seat most of the time. Among other virtues, time management skills make this huge difference.

Coherence and Cohesion

• There is a nice (and some might say ‘poetic’) introduction to this candidate’s response. Be sure that whatever language you use is not overly abstract and focuses on the task at hand. This candidate laid out their answer well - paragraph one has a philosophical assessment of our relationship with time; paragraph two provides some helpful advise for better time management; paragraph three relays the benefits of managing your time well; while paragraph four wraps up with an assessment of time management and its place in our future.

• And because of this reason… - some ‘over-wording’ here, as the word ‘reason’ is redundant (i.e. not necessary, or without purpose) when preceded by ‘because’. The simple alternative here is ‘And because of this…’. Note also that starting a sentence with (the conujnction) ‘And’ can be frowned upon by some of the more pedantic proponents of the English language. It is possible that you could be marked down for doing this. In saying that, it is becoming more and more acceptable in informal writing, and especially within literary fiction.

• A short note on economy of language. As mentioned above, be sure that you are able to incorporate everything you want to say in the time given. This candidate has managed to maintain their style while also answering the question and remaining on point. However, given that you are against time, there are more economic ways of saying the same thing. Here is an example:

  • Written: …most important element that governs human life…

  • Suggested: …most important elements governing human life…

Lexical Resource

• systematically - following a process; or doing something step by step, based on a logical plan or framework

• perplexities - things which confuse (or perplex) us; complex or complicated things