Time Management

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Journal Overview

This Journal is mainly focused on Time Management. This journal is a reflective write-up on what the webinar was about, what was learned from it, and how the knowledge gained from it can be applied to my future career.                       

2. Time Management
2.1 Summary

Time management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific activities. Good time management enables you to work smarter – not harder – so that you get more done in less time, even when time is tight and pressures are high.

 

2.2 Learning Outcome

The purpose of time management is to manage your time. It seems that there is never enough time in the day. But, since we all get the same 24 hours, why is it that some people achieve so much more with their time than others? The answer lies in good time management.

 The highest achievers manage their time exceptionally well. By using the time-management techniques in this section, you can improve your ability to function more effectively – even when time is tight and pressures are high.

Good time management requires an important shift in focus from activities to results: being busy isn’t the same as being effective.

Spending your day in a frenzy of activity often achieves less, because you’re dividing your attention between so many different tasks. Good time management lets you work smarter – not harder – so you get more done in less time.

 

2.3 What is Time Management?

Time management is the practice of using time that you have available in a useful and effective way, especially in your work.

Time management is the analysis of how working hours are spent and the prioritization of tasks in order to maximize personal efficiency in the workplace.

2.4 Taylor’s Principles

In 1911, Frederick Winslow Taylor published the principles of Scientific Management. The main objective of Taylorism, was to improve worker productivity. His work was widely influential, reaching its apex, perhaps, in Henry Ford’s Model T assembly line (1913).Eventually, they made the assembly line so productive that it could complete a Model T in 93 minutes.

 

2.5 The Drucker Transformation

Peter Drucker’s theory of management was based on management By Objectives (MBO) and the need to manage a business by balancing a variety of needs and goals, rather than a single value. Drucker foresaw many of the developments of the late 20^th century e.g. the rise of the knowledge worker (a term he coined) and the emergence of the information society. In 1958, the first book specifically on time management was published by James Mckay.

 

2.6 What happens when we don’t practice good Time management?

Poor time management skills often make it difficult or even impossible for you to complete projects on time. That's because without proper time management, you can't properly gauge how long a job will take to complete. You'll be left rushing to finish it, or turning the work in late. Lack of time management can lead to the following problems.

Problems:

1.Feel overwhelmed

2. Always Fire Fighting

3. Don’t finish what start

4.Not able to stop things that are no longer working or relevant.

5.Easily distracted

 

2.7 Implications of Poor Time Management

Let’s also consider the consequences of poor time management.

1. Poor workflow

The inability to plan ahead and stick to goals means poor efficiency. For example, if there are several important tasks to complete, an effective plan would be to complete related tasks together or sequentially. However, if you don’t plan ahead, you could end up having to jump back and forth, or backtrack, in doing your work. That translates to reduced efficiency and lower productivity.

 2. Wasted time

Poor time management results in wasted time. For example, by talking to friends on social media while doing an assignment, you are distracting yourself and wasting time.

 3. Loss of control

By not knowing what the next task is, you suffer from loss of control of your life. That can contribute to higher stress levels and anxiety.

 4. Poor quality of work

Poor time management typically makes the quality of your work suffer. For example, having to rush to complete tasks at the last minute usually compromises quality.

 5. Poor reputation

If clients or your employer cannot rely on you to complete tasks in a timely manner, their expectations and perceptions of you are adversely affected. If a client cannot rely on you to get something done on time, they will likely take their business elsewhere

  

2.8 How to avoid common time management mistakes using concepts, tools and techniques.

Mistake 01: Failing to Keep a To-Do List

Solution: keep a To-Do List

 

Mistake 02: Not Prioritising

Solution: Prioritising the Tasks

 

  

Mistake 03: Not Setting Goals

Solution: Keep goals in mind

 

Mistake 04: Failing to Manage Distractions

Solution: Manage Distractions well.

 

Mistake 05: Procrastination

Solution: Do work in time.

 Mistake 06: Thriving on Busy

Solution: Do work in time. Work smart, not hard.

 

Mistake 07: Taking on too much

Solution: Do work ineffectively.

 

Mistake 08: Ineffectively Scheduling Tasks

Solution: Do work in time. Work smart, not hard.

 

Mistake 09: Not Taking Breaks

Solution: Get a small break to refresh the mind.

 

Mistake 10: Multitasking

Solution: Prepare a Do-To list or timetable and follow. Then easy to manage work.

 

2.9 Time Management Skills

Goal Setting

Planning

Prioritizing

Decision-making

Delegating

Scheduling

 

2.10 Benefits of Time Management

1. Stress Relief

Making and following a task schedule reduces anxiety. As you check off items on your “to-do” list, you can see that you are making tangible progress. This helps you avoid feeling stressed out with worry about whether you’re getting things done.

2. More Time

Good time management gives you extra time to spend in your daily life. People who can time-manage effectively enjoy having more time to spend on hobbies or other personal pursuits.

3. More Opportunities

Managing time well leads to more opportunities and less time wasted on trivial activities. Good time management skills are key qualities that employers look for. The ability to prioritize and schedule work is extremely desirable for any organization.

 4. Ability to Realize Goals

Individuals who practice good time management are able to better achieve goals and objectives, and do so in a shorter length of time.

  

2.11 List of Tips for Effective Time Management

After considering the benefits of time management, let’s look at some ways to manage time effectively:

1.     Set goals correctly

Set goals that are achievable and measurable. Use the SMART method when setting goals. In essence, make sure the goals you set are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

 2.     Prioritize wisely

Prioritize tasks based on importance and urgency. For example, look at your daily tasks and determine which are:

·       Important and urgent: Do these tasks right away.

·       Important but not urgent: Decide when to do these tasks.

·       Urgent but not important: Delegate these tasks if possible.

·       Not urgent and not important: Set these aside to do later.

The priority matrix is therefore key to prioritising your workload. However, time management is more than just prioritisation: it is also about being able to work more productively. There are a number of other ways in which you can improve your efficiency and productivity.

 3.     Set a time limit to complete a task

Setting time constraints for completing tasks helps you be more focused and efficient. Making the small extra effort to decide on how much time you need to allow for each task can also help you recognize potential problems before they arise. That way you can make plans for dealing with them.

For example, assume you need to write up five reviews in time for a meeting. However, you realize that you’ll only be able to get four of them done in the time remaining before the meeting. If you become aware of this fact well in advance, you may be able to easily delegate writing up one of the reviews to someone else. However, if you hadn’t bothered to do a time check on your tasks beforehand, you might have ended up not realizing your time problem until just an hour before the meeting. At that point, it might be considerably more difficult to find someone to delegate one of the reviews too, and more difficult for them to fit the task into their day, too.

 4. Take a break between tasks

When doing a lot of tasks without a break, it is harder to stay focused and motivated. Allow some downtime between tasks to clear your head and refresh yourself. Consider grabbing a brief nap, going for a short walk, or meditating.

 5. Organize yourself

Utilize your calendar for more long-term time management. Write down the deadlines for projects, or for tasks that are part of completing the overall project. Think about which days might be best to dedicate to specific tasks. For example, you might need to plan a meeting to discuss cash flow on a day when you know the company CFO is available.

 6. Remove non-essential tasks/activities

It is important to remove excess activities or tasks. Determine what is significant and what deserves your time. Removing non-essential tasks/activities frees up more of your time to be spent on genuinely important things.

  7. Plan ahead

Make sure you start every day with a clear idea of what you need to do – what needs to get done THAT DAY. Consider making it a habit to go ahead and write out your “to-do” list for the next workday at the end of each workday. That way you can hit the ground running the next morning.

   

3. Conclusion

Time management is the process of planning and controlling how much time to spend on specific activities. Good time management enables an individual to complete more in a shorter period of time, lowers stress, and leads to career success.

 Time Management makes an individual punctual and disciplined. One learns to work when it is actually required as a result of effective time management. To make judicious use of time, individuals should prepare a “TASK PLAN“ or a “TO DO“ List at the start of the day to jot down activities that need to be done in a particular day as per their importance and urgency against the specific time slots assigned to each activity.

A Task Plan gives individuals a sense of direction at the workplace. An individual knows how his day looks like and eventually works accordingly leading to increased output.

Better Time Management helps in better planning and eventually better forecasting. Individuals learn to plan things well and know where exactly they stand five years from now.

Research says that individuals who accomplish tasks on time are less prone to stress and anxiety. Remember there is no point in wasting time and cribbing later. Finish off pending work on time and then you would have ample time for your friends, relatives, and family members.

Time Management enables an individual to prioritize tasks and activities at the workplace. It is foolish to stay overburdened. Do not accept anything and everything that comes your way. Time Management helps an individual to adopt a planned approach in life.

Effective Time Management boosts an individual’s morale and makes him confident. As a result of Time Management, individuals accomplish tasks within the stipulated time frame, making them popular in their organization as well as amongst their peers. People who understand the value of time are the ones who manage to stand apart from the crowd.

Individuals who stick to a time plan are the ones who realize their goals and objectives within the shortest possible time span. Managing time effectively helps employees to meet targets way ahead of deadlines and finish off task just when it is required.

Individuals who finish off work on time are looked up to by others and are always the center of attention everywhere.