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TIME MANAGEMENT
Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals. This set encompasses a wide scope of activities, and these include planning, allocating, setting goals, delegation, analysis of time spent, monitoring, organizing, scheduling, and prioritizing. Initially, time management referred to just business or work activities, but eventually the term broadened to include personal activities as well. A time management system is a designed combination of processes, tools, techniques, and methods. Usually time management is a necessity in any project development as it determines the project completion time and scope.
Time management is not a peripherial activity or skill. It is the core skill upon which everything else in life depends. --Brian tracy
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are going to spend for each activity. Once decided you need to adhere to that routine like bible and then only you can manage mange your time and lead a successful and satisfactory life. Time Management is more than just managing time. It is about controlling the use of the most valuable - and undervalued - resource. It is managing oneself in relation to time. It is setting priorities and taking charge of the situation and time utilization. It means changing those habits or activities that cause waste of time. It is being willing to adopt habits and methods to make maximum use of time. With good time management skills one is in control of ones time, stress and energy levels. One can maintain balance between ones work and personal life. One finds enough flexibility to respond to surprises or new opportunities. It is not how much time one has, but rather the way one uses it. The bottom line is how well one manages time. One cannot control time as one can control other resources like financial resources, physical capital, human capital, information etc. one can only control how one uses it. In the world in which we live, time cannot be replaced or recreated. It is therefore not for us to choose whether we spend or save time but to choose only how we spend it.
Time is the scarcest resource; and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed.
" Peter F. Drucker
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Once you apply skills, techniques and strategies, youll find that they only work in conjunction with qualities that we all have, but dont all use. Patience, persistence, self discipline and learning how to be assertive - all
get developed. As you develop your awareness of time, your ability to manage it improves, too. For example, if you are career minded, this is one of the fundamental basic management skills to develop.
The importance of time management depends on the value we place on our time. How much do you value your days, hours and minutes? I guess your answer would be 'quite a lot', otherwise you probably wouldn't be on this website! Value, however, can usually be increased. Developing self awareness in terms of time is the first step. Learning time management skills is the next. When we appreciate the importance of time, learn how to manage it, maximise it and actually apply those skills, we can genuinely say our time has been well spent.
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It is not we are short of time__it is the way that we treat time,even the way that we think about it. A time revolution is the fastest way to make a giant leap in both happiness and effectiveness.
Richard koch
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Time management takes away the fun and freedom of spontaneity:- Is working under stress, forgetting appointments, making constant excuses and apologies to be fun? Would it not be much more fun if by better organization one had one or two more hours every day to spend with the family, to play games, read a good book, plan for tomorrow and the day and week after or just relax?
money Money can be regain by effort but time cannot be regain any how.
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less willing to automatically give away their time just because they demand it. They should learn to avoid distractions if they are to get work done. They should work in areas where they are less likely to be disturbed and tell people when they are busy and cannot be disturbed. 5. Not Delegating: Wanting-to-do-all by oneself is yet another thief that could let the managers lose control. They feel that employees can never do anything as well as they can. They fear that something will go wrong if someone else takes over a job. They lack time for long-range planning because they are bogged down in day-to-day operations. 6. Unnecessary Meetings: If a meeting is held without a specific agenda and nothing productive comes out of it, clearly that meeting was unnecessary. Obviously, such meetings are thieves as the time is wasted and things just do not get started. 7. The shuffling blues: Managers often waste much time because of disorganization. Keeping things that they need in a specific place, eliminating clutter, making sure that they have all the materials or information that they need before starting on the task and following a dayplanner or schedule will help keep the shuffling blues away at the work place. 8. Poor Physical Setup: Not having the things that the managers need frequently within easy reach and having a lot of the things that they seldom require close-by results in wastage of a lot of time, wearing out the carpet, retrieving what they frequently need. And of course, as they pass others they will often pull them aside to steal some of their time. 9. Poor Networking: Quality relationships with employees and others can be a substantial time-saver as they open doors for the managers with all kinds of opportunities. Failing to develop a good network base will cause them to waste time creating what they might have had through their network.
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10. Bad Attitude: Nothing sinks a day more effectively than having a poor attitude. It causes the managers to dwell on the problems and not the solutions and makes it possible to throw the day away. When they are burdening others with their problems and complaints they are forfeiting their valuable time. 11. Negative People: Being surrounded by negative people could mean the managers are spending a lot of their time listening to them but getting nothing much or purposeful from them. Obviously, avoiding such people will help the managers to minimize wasted hours and get some of their productive time back.
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Developing Zone 4 Commitment: The fourth time zone is the zone of commitment, in which managers correct any tendencies they might have towards procrastination. Procrastination can be overcome by identifying why one is procrastinating, breaking the mental blocks and visualizing the successful completion of a task while in a relaxed state. One way to do this it to identify the real reason for the procrastination personal, logical, emotional or ethical barrier to action. Once this has surfaced from the subconscious to the conscious, strategies can be brought into play to deal with it. Developing Zone 5 Energy: The final factor that keeps the chain together is zone five, the energy zone. Managers must check their office surroundings, as the environment they work in can sap or strengthen their energy levels. They must also identify the prime time - the time of day when they are most energetic and alert they can schedule high-priority, high-payoff tasks or activities for these times. a. Find your prime time b. Internal and external prime time c. Cognitive tasks for the morning d. Complete high-energy tasks in high-energy periods e. Take energy breaks
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Tasks can be categorized as urgent/ not urgent or as important/ not important as shown below. Each of a managers activities can be distinguished as one of four types, represented by the four quadrants of the time management matrix. Categorizing a managers activities in these quadrants helps him identify what is important and avoid unimportant tasks and activities. It also helps him prioritize important tasks and activities. The activities in Quadrant 1 are both important and urgent. These include deadline-driven tasks and important daily chores. The results of operating in this Quadrant are stress, burnout and crisis management The activities in Quadrant 2 are important but not urgent. These activities are characterized as preparation, planning, crisis prevention, and deadline-avoiding tasks. Operating in this Quadrant will mean a manager having a proper perspective, vision, balance, discipline, control and few crises. The activities in Quadrant 3 are not important but urgently press upon us and interrupt our more important activities. These include responding to drop-in visitors, phone calls, meetings, and mail that do not increase productivity and effectiveness. Operating in this Quadrant will mean short-term focus, crisis management, worthlessness of goals and plans, feeling of victimization and broken relationships. The activities in Quadrant 4 are neither important nor urgent. Busywork, time wasters, junk mail, and some phone calls are the type of activities that are a part of this quadrant. Operating in this Quadrant will mean total irresponsibility and over-dependence on others in addition to outcomes in Quadrant 3.
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1. Goal-Setting
Why is goal-setting so important in time management? From the time management perspective, a persons life is a sequence of big and small choices and decisions. It is those choices that a person really manages, not the flow of time. A key difference between successful and unsuccessful managers is the quality and practicality of the goals they set for themselves. Goals state clearly the measurable and specific results to be accomplished by the managers and the timeframe to attain them. Goal-setting is the wisdom that comes from practical experience that helps managers direct their conscious and subconscious decisions towards success. The process of setting goals helps managers choose where they want to go in personal and professional life. By being aware of precisely what they want to achieve, they know the efforts required for it. Goals help in monitoring the day to day activities and ensure the activities are progressing in the right direction. There are two types of goals managers can set for themselves rational goals and directional goals. Rational goals are specific, short-time goals focusing on the questions What do I want to accomplish? Why am I doing this task? Who are all involved in the task? What are the expected outcomes of this task?
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When can this task be expected to be completed? Directional goals (also known as domain planning) are long-term goals with no predictable outcomes, focusing on the question - What do I want to accomplish? To stay focused, managers should aim and visualize these goals. They should identify possible quarters from where they can pool up the support and required resources needed to put together and accomplish those goals. 2. Know How You Spend Your Time Keeping a time log is a helpful way to determine how you are using your time. Start by recording what you are doing for 15-minute intervals for a week or two. Evaluate the results. Ask if you did everything that was needed; determine which tasks require the most time; determine the time of day when you are most productive; and analyze where most of your time is devoted job, family, personal, recreation, etc. Identifying your most time consuming tasks and determining whether you are investing your time in the most important activities can help you to determine a course of action. In addition, having a good sense of the amount of time required for routine tasks can help you be more realistic in planning and estimating how much time is available for other activities 3. Set Priorities Managing your time effectively requires a distinction between what is important and what is urgent (MacKenzie, 1990).Experts agree that the most important tasks usually arent the most urgent tasks. However, we tend to let the urgent dominate our lives. Covey, Merrill, and Merrill (1994) categorize our activities into four quadrants in their Time Management Matrix: urgent, not urgent, important and not important. While activities that are both urgent and important must be done, Covey et.al. suggests that we spend less time on activities that are not important (regardless of their urgency) in order to gain time to focus on activities that are not urgent but important. Focusing on these important activities allows you to gain greater control over your time and possibly reduce the number of important tasks that do become urgent. One of the easiest
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ways to prioritize is to make a to do list. Whether you need a daily, weekly or monthly list depends on your life style. Just be careful not to allow the list-making to get out of control and do not keep multiple lists at the same time. Rank the items on your to do list in order of priority (both important and urgent). You may choose to group items in categories such as high, medium and low, number them in order, or use a color coding system. Keep in mind that your goal is not to mark off the most items; rather you want to mark off the highest priority items (MacKenzie, 1990). Having a prioritized to do list allows you to say no to activities that may be interesting or provide a sense of achievement but do not fit your basic priorities. 4. Use a Planning Tool Time management experts recommend using a personal planning tool to improve your productivity. Examples of personal planning tools include electronic planners, pocket diaries, calendars, computer programs, wall charts, index cards and notebooks. Writing down your tasks, schedules, and memory joggers can free your mind to focus on your priorities. Auditory learners may prefer to dictate their thoughts instead. The key is to find one planning tool that works for you and use that tool consistently. Some reminders when using a planning tool are: Always record your information on the tool itself. Jotting notes elsewhere that have to be transferred later is inefficient. Review your planning tool daily. Carry your planning tool with you. Remember to keep a list of your priorities in your planning tool and refer to it often. Synchronize electronic planners with your computer and recharge the batteries in your planner on a regular basis. Keep a back-up system. 5. Get Organized Most people find that disorganization results in poor time management. Professional organizers recommend that you first get rid of the clutter. A frequently used method is to set up three boxes (or corners of a room)
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labeled Keep Give Away Toss.Separate the clutter by sorting items into these boxes. Immediately discard items in your Toss box. Your Give Away box may include items you want to sell, delegate, or discontinue so find a method to eliminate these items such as a yard sale, charitable donation, or gifts to friends or family members outside your home. With the clutter gone, the next step is to implement a system that allows you to handle information (e.g., tasks, papers, e-mail, etc.) less, only once, when possible. Basically you have 5 options for handling information: a. Throw it away, delete it, or otherwise get rid of it. b. Delegate it: give it to someone else to do, file, or respond. c. Act on it yourself. Then throw it away or file it. d. File it temporarily until it needs action or until additional information is received. Follow-up: a tickler file can be useful for holding temporary information. e. File it permanently where you can easily find it later.
6. Schedule Your Time Appropriately Even the busiest people find time for what the want to do and feel is important. Scheduling is not just recording what you have to do (e.g., meetings and appointments), it is also making a time commitment to the things you want to do. Good scheduling requires that know yourself. Using your time log, you should have determined those times during the day when you are most productive and alert. Plan your most tasks for when you have the most energy. Block out time for your high priority activities first and protect that time from interruptions. waiting time or commuting time, schedule small tasks such as writing a letter, list, reading or listening to educational audio tapes to capitalize on the time loss (Lakein, 1973). Try to limit scheduled time to about 3/4ths of your day, leaving time for creative activities such as planning, dreaming, thinking, and reading. Block out time for your high priority activities first and protect that time from interruptions
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7. Delegate: Get Help from Others Delegation means assigning responsibility for a task to someone else, freeing up some of your time for tasks that require your expertise. Delegation begins by identifying tasks that others can do and then selecting the appropriate person(s) to do them. You need to select someone with the appropriate skills, experience, interest, and authority needed to accomplish the task. Be as specific as possible in defining the task and your expectations, but allow the person some freedom to personalize the task. Occasionally check to determine how well the person is progressing and to provide any assistance, being careful not to take over the responsibility. Finally, dont forget to reward the person for a job well done or make suggestions for improvements if needed. Another way to get help is to buy time by obtaining goods or service that save you a time investment. For example, paying someone to mow your lawn or clean your house, using a computerized system, or joining a carpool to transport your children to their extracurricular activities can allow you free time to devote to other activities. Delegation begins by identifying tasks that others can do and selecting the appropriate person(s) to do them
8. Stop Procrastinating You may be putting off tasks for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the task seems overwhelming or unpleasant. Try breaking down the task into smaller segments that require less time commitment and result in specific, realistic deadlines. If youre having trouble getting started, you may need to complete a preparatory task such as collecting materials or organizing your notes. Also, try building in a reward system as you complete each small segment of the task.
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9. Avoid Multi-tasking Recent psychological studies have shown that multi-tasking does not actually save time. Infact, the opposite is often true. You lose time when switching from one task to another, resulting in a loss of productivity (Rubinsteim, Meyer, and Evans, 2001). Routine multi-tasking may lead to difficulty in concentrating and maintaining focus when needed. 10. Stay Healthy The care and attention you give yourself is an important investment of time. Scheduling time to relax, or do nothing, can help you rejuvenate both physically and mentally, enabling you to accomplish tasks more quickly and easily. Learn to manage time according to your biological clock by scheduling priority tasks during your peak time of day, the time your energy level and concentration are at their best. Poor time management can result in fatigue, moodiness, and more frequent illness. To reduce stress, you should reward yourself for a time management success. Take time to recognize that you have accomplished a major task or challenge before moving on to the next activity.
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Case study
Rena, a junior partner with a large firm, hired time management expert to help her resolve time management and organizational challenges. She told me that she had never developed strong skills in these areas and that since assuming the additional responsibilities of partnership, she found her skills to be woefully insufficient. She described her office as cluttered and a "dump" in which papers were routinely lost.We worked together for only two months, during which time we focused on creating blocks of time for discrete tasks such as writing a brief. Rena also learned not to look at her email first thing in the morning, and she discovered that she'd wasted a lot of time by waiting to start a project until she knew she'd have sufficient time to finish it. Rena created systems that allowed her assistant to manage her calendar, to docket her upcoming deadlines, and to review schedules with her to help her stay on track. She also enlisted her assistant's help in creating a filing system that matched her preferences in lieu of keeping documents in her office. In the months before we worked together, Rena had missed two filing deadlines. In the approximately eight months since we worked together, she has not missed any deadlines, nor has she worked all night to complete a filing at the last minute. She was also able to take her first vacation in several years and succeeded in returning to the office with a plan to get back into the regular schedule. Having dreaded her return after a 2-week absence (so much so that she declined vacations), Rena returned to a heavier-than usual work schedule that she cleared within 3 weeks. When we last spoke, she was planning a 1-week vacation.
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Conclusion
After study that case thoroughly we make the conclusion that rena before considering with time management expert she faces lots of problem in dealing with the organizational goals becoz she avoid delegation, not set the priorities, there is no proper schedule and planning, doing more then work at a time etc. which is responsible for improper time management. After met with expert she manage their time effectively becoz she make the schedule and planning for their work, taking help of their assistant, set the priorities and avoid multi-tasking which is responsible for the work that is completed on time by her and she saves their time for vacation also. This case study shows the importance of delegation, making schedule and planning, priorities, avoid multitasking in time management. Every successful person follow these methods of time management then only he saves time for everything and every unsuccessful person do not follow these methods and say I dont have time to do this thing so only difference between successful and unsuccessful person is time management.
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Reference
Essential of management- Harold koontz Google.com Wikipedia.com Several other Books on time management.
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