“Time is totally
inelastic, perishable and cannot be replaced"(Peter Drucker, The Effective
Manager)
Due to lack of correct
time management many individuals face the consequences of not being able to
manage the workload in their day to day work routine. As we all know for the
correct method to occur, the capacity should be properly managed and as this is
done the capacity of time can be managed without any difficulty.
Time management can
also be identified as one of the gifts that humans have, called common-sense.
When common-sense is used in the appropriate manner, this skill would enable an
individual to manage tasks well and order in a effective and productive manner.
What can you gain
from time management?
- Determine the least important and the most important.
- Managing and utilizing time in an effective manner.
- More free time.
- Able to control distractions and increase the smooth flow of work.
- Reduce work stress due to unnecessary pressures of not being able to complete the dead line at the appropriate time.
- Able to enjoy the work you do.
- Able to relax and enjoy quality time.
According to Mind
Tools(2007), in the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule it states
that typically 80% of unfocused effort generates only 20% of results, and that
the remaining 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the effort.
Therefore it can be gathered that to get a high result an individual should
focus more on the effort.
What can crisis management lead to?
- High level of stress
- Tiredness
- Disrupted private life
- Failure to projects
Mind tools
- Evaluating the working hours
- Focusing on priorities
- Planning usage of time
- Avoid distractions
- Creating free time
Tools to Aid Time Management
- SWOT Analysis
- Activity log
- Phone skills
- Reading skills
- Writing skills
- TO DO Lists
- PERT
- Delegation
- Time assessment
- Prioritization
Management
Strategies
- Keep track of due dates
- Keeping track of long term reminders
- Keep a clean desk
- Keep current work in one area
- Purge unwanted files and documents
- Backup online files and purge unwanted junk
Time Management Activities
- Mark the average hours per day or hours per
week spent doing the activities on the left. While filling this out, think
about where most of your time is wasted. The time remaining total will
automatically update to show the amount of time that could be used for studying
per week. (Adopted from http://pennstatelearning.psu.edu/resources/study-tips/time-mgt/exercise).
- Prioritize your daily activities. This can be a powerful method of identifying your main goals in life and prioritizing your activities accordingly.
1st Priority ~ Urgent & Important:
Mainly this priority can be identified as "Important Goals". These activities will be mainly activities which have been not foreseen or neglected to the last minute.
2nd Priority ~ Not Urgent & Important:
Aids in achieving professional and personal goals. Helps deal with work stress due to these activities not being urgent. These priorities can be identified as "Critical Activities"
3rd Priority ~ Urgent & Not Important:
These activities may stop an individual from achieving his/ her goals. Prevents completion of work. Reschedule tasks and concentrate on the more important priorities. This priority can be identified as "Distractions"
4th Priority ~ Not Urgent & Not Important
These can be only known as distracting activities. Should be avoided and ignored completely. These activities can be identified as "Interruptions".
- Which person are you? The main focus
would be to shift from being a Doer, Slob and a Perfectionist to being a Time
Manager.
Perfectionist:
- Spends a lot of time prioritizing
Slobs:
Doers:
Time Managers:
- Knows the important tasks to accomplish
