TIME MANAGEMENT

Overview..............................................................................................................................2
Task list................................................................................................................................2
Task list organization.......................................................................................................3
Software applications.......................................................................................................3
Resistors...........................................................................................................................4
Drivers.............................................................................................................................4
Caveats.............................................................................................................................4
The four generations of time management..........................................................................6
Techniques for setting priorities..........................................................................................7
Procrastination.....................................................................................................................9
Why do we Procrastinate?...............................................................................................9
Key points:.....................................................................................................................11
How to Use the Tool.......................................................................................................12
To-Do Lists........................................................................................................................15
How to Use the Tool......................................................................................................15
Using Your To-Do Lists.................................................................................................16
Key points......................................................................................................................16
Strategies on using time.....................................................................................................19
Develop blocks of study time........................................................................................19
Time Tips.......................................................................................................................20
Weekly agenda...................................................................................................................23
A little test of time management........................................................................................24
Five Steps to Successful Time Management.....................................................................26
Inspirational quotes on time management.........................................................................26
Learn to see the difference between urgent and important................................................28
Know how you spend your time....................................................................................28
The "Eff" words.............................................................................................................29
What is Personal Time Management?...........................................................................29
Current Practice.............................................................................................................30
Waste Disposal...............................................................................................................31
Doing Subordinate's Work.............................................................................................31
Doing the work of Others..............................................................................................32
External Appointments..................................................................................................33
Scheduling Projects.......................................................................................................33
Time Management: Motivation.....................................................................................36
Time Management: Chronos and Kairos.......................................................................37
Myths About Time Management.......................................................................................42
Specific Techniques...........................................................................................................42

Concentrate on results, not on being busy

 Time management is the management of time in order to make the
most out of it.
Time management includes tools or techniques for planning and
scheduling time, usually with the aim to increase the effectiveness and/or
efficiency of personal and corporate time use. These are embodied in a
number of books, seminars and courses, which may offer conflicting advice.
The common denominators of these strategies are a to-do-list, setting
priorities and goal management. Some of the best known examples of time
management strategies are tied to specific lines of time management
products.
Time management for personal use is a type of self-management. In a
corporate setting, time management software can satisfy the need to control
employees, make it easier to coordinate work and increases accountability of
individual employees.
Planning time and writing to-do-lists also consumes time and needs to be
scheduled. This is one of the major criticisms of time management

Overview

Time management strategies are usually associated with the

recommendation to set goals. These goals are written down and broken
down into a project, an action plan or a simple To do list. Deadlines are set
and priorities are assigned to the individual items on the to-do-list. This
process results in a daily plan with a to-do-list. Some authors recommend a
weekly instead of a daily perspective.

Task list

A task list (also to-do list) is a list of tasks to be completed, such as

chores or steps toward completing a project. It is an inventory tool that
serves as an alternative to memory.
Task lists are used in self-management, grocery lists, business management,
project management, and software development. It may involve more than
one list.
When you accomplish one of the items on a task list, you check it off
or cross it off. The traditional method is to write these on a piece of paper
with a pen or pencil, usually on a note pad or clip-board. Numerous software
equivalents are now available, and many popular e-mail clients include task
list applications, as do most PDAs. There are also several web-based task list
applications, many of which are free.

Task list organization

Task lists are often tiered. The simplest tiered system includes a
general to-do list (or task-holding file) to record all the tasks the person
needs to accomplish, and a daily to-do list which is created each day by
transferring tasks from the general to-do list.
Task lists are often prioritized:
An early advocate of "ABC" prioritization was Alan Lakein (See
Books below.). In his system "A" items were the most important ("A-1" the
most important within that group), "B" next most important, "C" least
important.
A particular method of applying the ABC method[2] assigns "A" to
tasks to be done within a day, "B" a week, and "C" a month.
To prioritize a daily task list, one either records the tasks in the order
of highest priority, or assigns them a number after they are listed ("1" for
highest priority, "2" for second highest priority, etc.) which indicates in
which order to execute the tasks. The latter method is generally faster,
allowing the tasks to be recorded more quickly.

Software applications

Modern task list applications may have built-in task hierarchy (tasks
are composed of subtasks which again may contain subtasks), may support
multiple methods of filtering and ordering the list of tasks, and may allow to
associate arbitrarily long notes for each task.
Task list applications may be thought as lightweight personal
information manager or project management software.
Task list is also a synonym for process list i.e. the list of program
instances (processes) the computer is currently executing.
Resistors

Fear of change: Change can be daunting and one may be afraid to

change what's proven to work in the past.
Uncertainty: Even with the change being inevitable, one may be
hesitant as being not sure where to start. Uncertainty about when or how to
begin making a change can be significant.
Lack of time: To save time, one has to invest time, and this time
investment may be a cause of concern. Fearing that changing may involve
more work at the start is a common resistor.
Lack of will power: Why change if one really not need to? The
greatest problem is a lack of will.

Drivers

Increased effectiveness: One may feel the need to make more time so
as to be more effective in performing the job and carrying out
responsibilities.

Performance improvement: Time management is an issue that often

arises during performance appraisals or review meetings.
Personal development: One may view changing the approach to time
management as a personal development issue and reap the benefit of
handling time differently at work and at home.
Increased responsibilities: A change in time-management approach
may become necessary as a result of a promotion or additional
responsibilities. Since there is more work to do, and still the same amount of
time to do it in, the approach must change.

Caveats

Dwelling on the lists

According to Sandberg, task lists "aren't the key to productivity [that] they're
cracked up to be". He reports an estimated "30% of listers spend more time
managing their lists than [they do] completing what's on them".
This could be caused by procrastination: by prolonging the planning activity,
the individual avoids the tasks he should be doing by creating the illusion
that he's still necessarily preparing for them. This is akin to analysis
paralysis. As with any activity, there's a point of diminishing returns. For a
task system to be efficient and effective, the user must recognize this,
conquer his or her procrastination, and focus on completing the tasks.

Rigid adherence

Hendrickson asserts that rigid adherence to task lists can create a

"tyranny of the to-do list" that forces one to "waste time on unimportant
activities".
Again, the point of diminishing returns applies here too, but toward
the size of the task. Some level of detail must be taken for granted for a task
system to work. Rather than put "clean the kitchen", "clean the bedroom",
and "clean the bathroom", it is more efficient to put "housekeeping" and
save time spent writing and reduce the system's administrative load (each
task entered into the system generates a cost in time and effort to manage it,
aside from the execution of the task). The risk of consolidating tasks,
however, is that "housekeeping" in this example may prove overwhelming or
nebulously defined, which will either increase the risk of procrastination, or
a mismanaged project.
Listing routine tasks wastes time. If you are in the habit of brushing
your teeth every day, then there is no reason to put it down on the task list.
The same goes for getting out of bed, fixing meals, etc. If you need to track
routine tasks, then a standard list or chart may be useful, to avoid the
procedure of manually listing these items over and over.
To remain flexible, a task system must allow adaptation, in the form
of rescheduling in the face of unexpected problems and opportunities, to
save time spent on irrelevant or less than optimal tasks.
To avoid getting stuck in a wasteful pattern, the task system should
also include regular (monthly, semi-annual, and annual) planning and
system-evaluation sessions, to weed out inefficiencies and ensure the user is
headed in the direction he or she truly desires.
If some time is not regularly spent on achieving long-range goals, the
individual may get stuck in a perpetual holding pattern on short-term plans,
like staying at a particular job much longer than originally planned.
The four generations of time management

Stephen R. Covey offers a categorization scheme for the hundreds of

time management approaches that are on the market today.

First generation: reminders

Second generation: planning and preparation

People in the second generation use calendars and appointment books. They
will note where meetings are held and identify deadlines; this is sometimes
even done on a computer. As opposed to the first generation, the second
generation plans and prepares, schedules future appointments, and sets
goals. This in turn saves their time.

Third generation: planning, prioritizing, controlling

Third generation time managers prioritize their activities on a daily basis.

They tend to use detailed forms of daily planning on a computer or on a
paper-based organizer. This approach implies spending some time in
clarifying values and priorities.

Fourth generation: being efficient and proactive

Author Stephen R. Covey refers to his approach in First Things First as the
4th generation of time management and emphasizes the difference between
urgency and importance in planning. For example: some people may go their
entire lives completely missing out on important things (like spending time
with their children before they have grown up) because it was never
"urgent." The point is not to ignore urgent things, but to embrace important
things without waiting for them to become urgent.
Urgency can be deceptive. It can make some unimportant things appear to be
important. Also, making time for important things may require spending less
time on unimportant things, regardless of their urgency.

Techniques for setting priorities

ABC analysis
A technique that has been used in business management for a long time is
the categorization of large data into groups. These groups are often marked
A, B, and Chence the name. Activities that are perceived as having
highest priority are assigned an A, those with lowest priority are labeled C.
ABC analysis can incorporate more than three groups. ABC analysis is
frequently combined with Pareto analysis.

Pareto analysis
This is the idea that 80% of tasks can be completed in 20% of the
disposable time. The remaining 20% of tasks will take up 80% of the time.
This principle is used to sort tasks into two parts. According to this form of
Pareto analysis it is recommended that tasks that fall into the first category
be assigned a higher priority.
The 80-20-rule can also be applied to increase productivity: it is
assumed that 80% of the productivity can be achieved by doing 20% of the
tasks. If productivity is the aim of time management, then these tasks should
be prioritized higher.

Fit
The concept of fit is simple yet profound. Essentially, fit is the
congruence of the requirements of a task (location, financial investment,
time, etc.) with the available resources at the time. Often people are
constrained by externally controlled schedules, locations, etc., and "fit"
allows us to maximize our productivity given those constraints. For
example, if one encounters a gap of 15 minutes in their schedule, it is
typically more efficient to complete a task that would require 15 minutes,
than to complete a task that can be done in 5 minutes, or to start a task that
would take 4 weeks. This concept also applies to time of the day: free time
at 7am is probably less usefully applied to the goal of learning the drums,
and more productively a time to read a book. Lastly, fit can be applied to
location: free time at home would be used differently from free time at work,
in town, etc.

POSEC METHOD
POSEC is an acronym for Prioritize by Organizing, Streamlining,
Economizing and Contributing.
The method dictates a template which emphasises an average
individual's immediate sense of emotional and monetary security. It suggests
that by attending to one's personal responsibilities first, an individual is
better positioned to shoulder collective responsibilities.
Inherent in the acronym is a hierarchy of self-realization which
mirrors Abraham Maslow's "Hierarchy of needs".
PRIORITIZE-Your time and define your life goals by.
ORGANIZING-Things you have to accomplish regularly to be successful.
(Family and Finances)
STREAMLINING-Things you may not like to do, but must do. (Work and
Chores)
ECONOMIZING-Things you should do or may even like to do, but they're
not pressingly urgent. (Past-times and Socializing)
CONTRIBUTING-By paying attention to the few remaining things that
make a difference. (Social Obligations)

Eisenhower-Method
This method was used by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
All tasks are evaluated using the criteria important/unimportant and
urgent/not urgent and put in according quadrants. Tasks in unimportant/not
urgent are dropped, tasks in important/urgent are done immediately and
personally, tasks in unimportant/urgent are delegated and tasks in
important/not urgent get an end date and are done personally.

The 80:20 Rule

This is neatly summed up in the Pareto Principle, or the '80:20 Rule'.
This argues that typically 80% of unfocussed effort generates only 20% of
results. The remaining 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the
effort. While the ratio is not always 80:20, this broad pattern of a small
proportion of activity generating non-scalar returns recurs so frequently as to
be the norm in many areas.
If youve found yourself putting off important tasks over and over
again, youre not alone. In fact, many people procrastinate to some degree -
but some are so chronically affected by procrastination that it stops them
achieving things they're capable of and disrupts their careers.

The key to controlling and ultimately combating this destructive habit

is to recognize when you start procrastinating, understand why it happens
(even to the best of us), and take active steps to better manage your time and
outcomes.

Procrastination
Why do we Procrastinate?

In a nutshell, you procrastinate when you put off things that you should be
focusing on right now, usually in favor of doing something that is more
enjoyable or that youre more comfortable doing.

Procrastinators work as many hours in the day as other people (and

often work longer hours) but they invest their time in the wrong tasks.
Sometimes this is simply because they don't understand the difference
between urgent tasks and important tasks, and jump straight into getting on
with urgent tasks that aren't actually important.

They may feel that they're doing the right thing by reacting fast. Or
they may not even think about their approach and simply be driven by the
person whose demands are loudest. Either way, by doing this, they have little
or no time left for the important tasks, despite the unpleasant outcomes this
may bring about.

Another common cause of procrastination is feeling overwhelmed by

the task. You may not know where to begin. Or you may doubt that you have
the skills or resources you think you need. So you seek comfort in doing
tasks you know you're capable of completing. Unfortunately, the big task
isn't going to go away - truly important tasks rarely do.

Other causes of procrastination include:

Waiting for the right mood or the right time to tackle the important task
at hand;
A fear of failure or success;
Underdeveloped decision making skills;
Poor organizational skills; and
Perfectionism ("I don't have the right skills or resources to do this perfectly
now, so I won't do it at all.")
How to Overcome Procrastination:
Whatever the reason behind procrastination, it must be recognized, dealt
with and controlled before you miss opportunities or your career is derailed.

Step 1: Recognize that you're Procrastinating

If you're honest with yourself, you probably know when you're
procrastinating.

But to be sure, you first need to make sure you know your priorities. Putting
off an unimportant task isn't procrastination, it's probably good
prioritization. Use the Action Priority Matrix to identify your priorities, and
then work from a Prioritized To Do List on a daily basis.

Some useful indicators which will help you pull yourself up as soon as
you start procrastinating include:
- Filling your day with low priority tasks from your To Do List;
- Reading an e-mail or request that you've noted in your notebook or on
your To Do List more than once, without starting work on it or deciding
when you're going to start work on it;
- Sitting down to start a high-priority task, and almost immediately going
off to make a cup of coffee or check your e-mails;
- Leaving an item on your To Do list for a long time, even though you know
it's important;
- Regularly saying "Yes" to unimportant tasks that others ask you to do, and
filling your time with these instead of getting on with the important tasks
already on your list.

Step 2: Work out WHY You're Procrastinating

Why you procrastinate can depend on both you and the task. But it's
important to understand what the reasons for procrastination are for each
situation, so that you can select the best approach for overcoming your
reluctance to get going.

Common causes of procrastination were discussed in detail above, but

they can often be reduced to two main reasons:
You find the task unpleasant; or
You find the task overwhelming

Step 3: Get over it!

If you are putting something off because you just don't want to do it,
and you really can't delegate the work to someone else, you need to find
ways of motivating yourself to get moving. The following approaches can be
helpful here:
Make up your own rewards. For example, promise yourself a piece of
tasty flapjack at lunchtime if you've completed a certain task.
 Ask someone else to check up on you. Peer pressure works! This is
the principle behind slimming and other self-help groups, and it is widely
recognized as a highly effective approach.
Identify the unpleasant consequences of NOT doing the task.
Work out the cost of your time to your employer. As your employers
are paying you to do the things that they think are important, you're not
delivering value for money if you're not doing those things. Shame yourself
into getting going!

If you're putting off starting a project because you find it

overwhelming, you need to take a different approach. Here are some tips:
Break the project into a set of smaller, more manageable tasks. You
may find it helpful to create an action plan.
Start with some quick, small tasks if you can, even if these aren't the
logical first actions. You'll feel that you're achieving things, and so perhaps
the whole project won't be so overwhelming after all.

Key points:

To have a good chance of conquering procrastination, you need to spot

straight away that you're doing it. Then, you need to identify why you're
procrastinating and taken appropriate steps to overcome the block.

Part of the solution is to develop good time management, organizational and

personal effectiveness habits, such as those described in Make Time for
Success! This helps you establish the right priorities, and manage your time
in such a way that you make the most of the opportunities open to you.
How long do you spend each day on unimportant things; Things that don't
really contribute to your success at work? Do you KNOW how much time
you've spent reading junk mail, talking to colleagues, making coffee and
eating lunch? And how often have you thought, "I could achieve so much
more if I just had another half hour each day."

And are you aware of when in the day you check your e-mail, write
important articles or do your long-term planning?

Most people find they function at different levels of effectiveness at different

times of day as their energy levels fluctuate. Your effectiveness may vary
depending on the amount of sugar in your blood, the length of time since
you last took a break, routine distractions, stress, discomfort, or a range of
other factors.

Activity logs help you to analyze how you actually spend your time. The
first time you use an activity log you may be shocked to see the amount of
time that you waste! Memory is a very poor guide when it comes to this, as
it can be too easy to forget time spent on non-core tasks.

How to Use the Tool

Keeping an Activity Log for several days helps you to understand how you
spend your time, and when you perform at your best. Without modifying
your behavior any further than you have to, note down the things you do as
you do them on this template. Every time you change activities, whether
opening mail, working, making coffee, gossiping with colleagues or
whatever, note down the time of the change.

As well as recording activities, note how you feel, whether alert, flat, tired,
energetic, etc. Do this periodically throughout the day. You may decide to
integrate your activity log with a stress diary.
Learning from Your Log
Once you have logged your time for a few days, analyze your daily activity
log. You may be alarmed to see the amount of time you spend doing low
value jobs!

You may also see that you are energetic in some parts of the day, and flat in
other parts. A lot of this can depend on the rest breaks you take, the times
and amounts you eat, and quality of your nutrition. The activity log gives
you some basis for experimenting with these variables.

Your analysis should help you to free up extra time in your day by applying
one of the following actions to most activities:
Eliminate jobs that your employer shouldn't be paying you to do. These may
include tasks that someone else in the organization should be doing, possibly
at a lower pay rate, or personal activities such as sending non-work e-mails.
Schedule your most challenging tasks for the times of day when your energy
is highest. That way your work will be better and it should take you less
time.
Try to minimize the number of times a day you switch between types of
task. For example, read and reply to e-mails in blocks once in the morning
and once in the afternoon only.
Reduce the amount of time spent on legitimate personal activities such as
making coffee (take turns in your team to do this - it saves time and
strengthens team spirit).

Key points:
Activity logs are useful tools for auditing the way that you use your time.
They can also help you to track changes in your energy, alertness and
effectiveness throughout the day.

By analyzing your activity log you will be able to identify and eliminate
time-wasting or low-yield jobs. You will also know the times of day at
which you are most effective, so that you can carry out your most important
tasks during these times.
Action Plans - Small Scale Planning
So, you know that you need to produce a newsletter, organize a team-
building session, put together a bid for a new piece of work, or organize
moving Jenny's team up to the second floor. Exactly what do you need to do
to achieve this?

None of these are major projects. In fact, you can probably think of all the
steps in your head right now. But how do you ensure that you really have
covered everything? Would anyone else know where you'd got to with the
work if you were unexpectedly off sick for a few days? And are you quite
clear about when you need to start if everything is to be done and dusted by
the deadline?

An Action Plan is a simple list of all of the tasks that you need to carry out to
achieve an objective. It differs from a To Do List in that it focuses on the
achievement of a single goal.

How to Use the Tool:

Wherever you want to achieve something significant, draw up an Action
Plan. This helps you think about what you need to do to achieve that thing,
so that you can get help where you need it and monitor your progress.
To draw up an Action Plan, simply list the tasks that you need to carry out to
achieve your goal, in the order that you need to complete them. This is very
simple, but is still very useful!

Keep the Action Plan by you as you carry out the work and update it as you
go along with any additional activities that come up.

If you think you'll be trying to achieve a similar goal again, revise your
Action Plan after the work is complete, by changing anything that could
have gone better. Perhaps you could have avoided a last-minute panic if
you'd alerted a supplier in advance about when and approximately what size
of order you would be placing. Or maybe colleagues would have been able
to follow up on the impact of your newsletter on clients if you have
communicated with them about when it would be hitting clients' desks. (If
you're doing the job often, it can be incredibly powerful to turn your Action
Plan into an Aide Memoire.)
Tip:
Action Plans are great for small projects, where deadlines are not
particularly important or strenuous, and where you don't need to co-ordinate
other people.

As your projects grow, however, you'll need to develop project management

skills. This is particularly the case if you need to schedule other people's
time, or complete projects to tight deadlines. Visit the Mind Tools Project
Planning section to learn these skills, and in particular, see our article on
Gantt Charts.

Key points:
An Action Plan is a list of things that you need to do to achieve a goal. To
use it, simply carry out each task in the list!

To-Do Lists

Your first step in beating work overload.

:
How to Use the Tool
Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to do? Do you
face a constant barrage of looming deadlines? And do you sometimes just
forget to do something important, so that people have to chase you to get
work done?

All of these are symptoms of not keeping a proper "To-Do List". To-Do Lists
are prioritized lists of all the tasks that you need to carry out. They list
everything that you have to do, with the most important tasks at the top of
the list, and the least important tasks at the bottom. And starting to keep a
To-Do List effectively is often the first personal productivity/time
management breakthrough that people make as they start to make a success
of their careers.

By keeping a To-Do List, you make sure that you capture all of the tasks you
have to complete in one place. This is essential if you're not going to forget
things. And by prioritizing work, you plan the order in which you'll do
things, so you can tell what needs your immediate attention, and what you
can quietly forget about until much, much later. This is essential if you're
going to beat work overload. Without To-Do Lists, you'll seem dizzy,
unfocused and unreliable to the people around you. With To-Do Lists, you'll
be much better organized and much more reliable. This is very important!

Whilst To-Do Lists are very simple, they are also extremely powerful, both
as a method of organizing yourself and as a way of reducing stress. Often
problems may seem overwhelming or you may have a seemingly huge
number of demands on your time. This may leave you feeling out of control,
and overburdened with work.
Preparing a To-Do List
The solution is often simple: Firstly, download our free To Do list template.

Start by writing down the tasks that face you, and if they are large, break
them down into their component elements. If these still seem large, break
them down again. Do this until you have listed everything that you have to
do, and until tasks are will take no more than 1 - 2 hours to complete.

Once you have done this, run through these jobs allocating priorities from A
(very important) to F (unimportant). If too many tasks have a high priority,
run through the list again and demote the less important ones. Once you
have done this, rewrite the list in priority order.
 You will then have a precise plan that you can use to eliminate the problems
you face. You will be able to tackle these in order of importance. This allows
you to separate important jobs from the many time-consuming trivial ones.

Using Your To-Do Lists

Different people use To-Do Lists in different ways in different situations: if

you are in a sales-type role, a good way of motivating yourself is to keep
your list relatively short and aim to complete it every day.

In an operational role, or if tasks are large or dependent on too many other

people, then it may be better to keep one list and 'chip away' at it.

It may be that you carry unimportant jobs from one To-Do List to the next.
You may not be able to complete some very low priority jobs for several
months. Only worry about this if you need to - if you are running up against
a deadline for them, raise their priority.

If you have not used To-Do Lists before, try them now: They are one of the
keys to being really productive and efficient.

:
Key points
Prioritized To-Do Lists are fundamentally important to efficient work. If you
use To-Do Lists, you will ensure that:
You remember to carry out all necessary tasks
You tackle the most important jobs first, and do not waste time on trivial
tasks.
You do not get stressed by a large number of unimportant jobs.
To draw up a Prioritized To-Do List, download our template and use it to list
all the tasks you must carry out. Mark the importance of the task next to it,
with a priority from A (very important) to F (unimportant). Redraft the list
into this order of importance.

Now carry out the jobs at the top of the list first. These are the most
important, most beneficial tasks to complete.
So far in this section of Mind Tools, we have looked at your priorities and
your goals - these define what you aspire to do with your time. Scheduling is
where these aspirations meet reality.
Scheduling is the process by which you look at the time available to you,
and plan how you will use it to achieve the goals you have identified. By
using a schedule properly, you can:
Understand what you can realisticaly achieve with your time;
Plan to make the best use of the time available;
Leave enough time for things you absolutely must do;
Preserve contingency time to handle 'the unexpected'; and
Minimize stress by avoiding over-commitment to yourself and others.

A well thought-through schedule allows you to manage your commitments,

while still leaving you time to do the things that are important to you. It is
therefore your most important weapon for beating work overload.

How to Use the Tool:

Scheduling is best done on a regular basis, for example at the start of

every week or month. Go through the following steps in preparing your
schedule:
Start by identifying the time you want to make available for your work. This
will depend on the design of your job and on your personal goals in life.
Next, block in the actions you absolutely must take to do a good job. These
will often be the things you are assessed against.

For example, if you manage people, then you must make time available for
dealing with issues that arise, coaching, and supervision. Similarly, you must
allow time to communicate with your boss and key people around you.
(While people may let you get away with 'neglecting them' in the short-term,
your best time management efforts will surely be derailed if you do not set
aside time for those who are important in your life.)
Review your To Do List, and schedule in the high-priority urgent activities,
as well as the essential maintenance tasks that cannot be delegated and
cannot be avoided.
Next, block in appropriate contingency time. You will learn how much of
this you need by experience. Normally, the more unpredictable your job, the
more contingency time you need. The reality of many people's work is of
constant interruption: Studies show some managers getting an average of as
little as six minutes uninterrupted work done at a time.

Obviously, you cannot tell when interruptions will occur. However, by

leaving space in your schedule, you give yourself the flexibility to rearrange
your schedule to react effectively to issues as they arise.
What you now have left is your "discretionary time": the time available to
deliver your priorities and achieve your goals. Review your Prioritized To
Do List and personal goals, evaluate the time needed to achieve these
actions, and schedule these in.
By the time you reach step 5, you may find that you have little or no
discretionary time available. If this is the case, then revisit the assumptions
you used in the first four steps. Question whether things are absolutely
necessary, whether they can be delegated, or whether they can be done in an
abbreviated way.

Remember that one of the most important ways people learn to achieve
success is by maximizing the 'leverage' they can achieve with their time.
They increase the amount of work they can manage by delegating work to
other people, spending money outsourcing key tasks, or using technology to
automate as much of their work as possible. This frees them up to achieve
their goals.

Also, use this as an opportunity to review your To Do List and Personal

Goals. Have you set goals that just aren't achievable with the time you have
available? Are you taking on too many additional duties? Or are you treating
things as being more important than they really are?

If your discretionary time is still limited, then you may need to renegotiate
your workload. With a well-thought through schedule as evidence, you may
find this surprisingly easy.

Key points:
Scheduling is the process by which you plan your use of time. By scheduling
effectively, you can both reduce stress and maximize your effectiveness.
This makes it one of the most important time management skills you can
use.

Before you can schedule efficiently, you need an effective scheduling

system. This can be a diary, calendar, paper-based organizer, PDA or a
software package like MS Outlook. The best solution depends entirely on
your circumstances.

Scheduling is then a five-step process:

Identify the time you have available.
Block in the essential tasks you must carry out to succeed in your job.
Schedule in high priority urgent tasks and vital "house-keeping" activities.
Block in appropriate contingency time to handle unpredictable interruptions.
In the time that remains, schedule the activities that address your priorities
and personal goals.
If you have little or no discretionary time left by the time you reach step
five, then revisit the assumptions you have made in steps one to four.

Strategies on using time:

Develop blocks of study time

About 50 minutes? How long does it take for you to become restless?
Some learners need more frequent breaks for a variety of reasons
More difficult material may also require more frequent breaks
Schedule weekly reviews and updates
Prioritize assignments
When studying, get in the habit of beginning with the most difficult
subject or task
Develop alternative study places free from distractions
to maximize concentration
Got "dead time"?
Think of using time walking, riding, etc. for studying bits
Review studies and readings just before class
Review lecture material immediately after class
(Forgetting is greatest within 24 hours without review)
Schedule time for critical course events
Papers, presentations, tests, etc.

Time Tips

1.Count all your time as time to be used and make every attempt to get
satisfaction out of every moment.
2.Find something to enjoy in whatever you do.
3.Try to be an optimist and seek out the good in your life.
4.Find ways to build on your successes.
5.Stop regretting your failures and start learning from your mistakes.
6.Remind yourself, "There is always enough time for the important things."
If it is important, you should be able to make
time to do it.
7.Continually look at ways of freeing up your time.
8.Examine your old habits and search for ways to change or eliminate them.
9.Try to use waiting time-review notes or do practice problems.
10.Keep paper or a calendar with you to jot down the things you have to do
or notes to yourself.
11.Examine and revise your lifetime goals on a monthly basis and be sure to
include progress towards those goals on a
daily basis.
12.Put up reminders in your home or office about your goals.
13.Always keep those long term goals in mind.
14.Plan your day each morning or the night before and set priorities for
yourself.
15.Maintain and develop a list of specific things to be done each day, set
your priorities and the get the most important
ones done as soon in the day as you can. Evaluate your progress at the end
of the day briefly.
16.Look ahead in your month and try and anticipate what is going to happen
so you can better schedule your time.
17.Try rewarding yourself when you get things done as you had planned,
especially the important ones.
18.Do first things first.
19.Have confidence in yourself and in your judgement of priorities and stick
to them no matter what.
20.When you catch yourself procrastinating-ask yourself, "What am I
avoiding?"
21.Start with the most difficult parts of projects, then either the worst is done
or you may find you don't have to do all the
other small tasks.
22.Catch yourself when you are involved in unproductive projects and stop
as soon as you can.
23.Find time to concentrate on high priority items or activities.
24.Concentrate on one thing at a time.
25.Put your efforts in areas that provide long term benefits.
26.Push yourself and be persistent, especially when you know you are doing
well.
27.Think on paper when possible-it makes it easier to review and revise.
28.Be sure and set deadlines for yourself whenever possible.
29.Delegate responsibilities whenever possible.
30.Ask for advice when needed.
DIRECTIONS: Read all of these directions before you make up your weekly
schedule. Check off each direction as you complete it.

1st Record class and lab times in appropriate day/hour blocks on a time
schedule sheet.

2nd Record meal times.

3rd Record all regularly scheduled personal activities such as meetings,

employment and athletics.

4th Record any special activities you need to do or want to do on a regular

basis.

5th Review the information on the other side of this sheet about the Learning
Cycle before you add any more
information to your schedule.

6th Schedule a preview time (5-30 minutes) immediately before each class
whenever possible. During the preview,
review all or some of your notes in preparation for the upcoming class. If
you have two or three classes in a row,
preview from last to first class. Thus, if you have Chemistry and Art at 10
and 11, you might write "P: Art/Chem"
in the block before your 10 o'clock class.

7th Schedule a review time immediately after your classes (5-30 minutes)
whenever possible. Use this time to edit
and summarize your notes. You could also look over any assignments that
were given and begin to plan when
and how you will do them. Thus for the schedule described above, you
might write "R: Art/Chem" in the 12 noon block.
8th Schedule your intensive study/ review time for each class. Try to
schedule some study time each day for each
class. Learning is more effectively and efficiently accomplished in shorter
regular sessions than in longer irregular
sessions. Also, use more of the day (i.e. morning, afternoon) for studying.
Evening is often an ineffective time to study. When you schedule study
time, be task-oriented rather than time-oriented. Think in terms of "blocks of
time" and what specifically needs to be accomplished, not hours of study
time. Start your study period with the
courses you like least or that you're not doing well in. Try to study the same
subjects at the same time each study
day. Although this seems to be a mechanical way of scheduling, you will
find that such a routine can help you
develop a pattern for efficient and effective learning.

9th Schedule a weekly review (WR) for each course. Do it at the end of the
week if possible. This weekly review gives
you an opportunity to spread out all of the past week's notes along with the
reading assignments to see what you
have been learning in the past week during class and study time for each
course. You can also look ahead to plan
the next week and determine how much reading you need to do, what
projects are due, and if any tests are
scheduled.

10th Keep open some day or evening time for daily physical activity.
Remember, research indicates that regular
exercise will not only give you a general sense of well-being, but can reduce
tension and help you accomplish a
tough class, study, and work schedule.

11th Label some empty blocks of time as OPEN for academic or personal
needs.

12th Schedule some time during Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for you to
play, relax, or do whatever you want to do.
This is your reward for sticking to your schedule. In addition, you'll enjoy
your free time more.
Weekly agenda

MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

7-8

8-9

9-10

10-
11 ----- ----- -----
11- 11:15------ 11:15------ 11:15------
12
12-1 ----- ----- -----
12:30------ 12:30------ 12:30------
1-2
----- ----- -----
2-3

3-4

4-5

5-6

6-7

7-8

8-9

9-10

10-
11
11-
12
Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001
DIRECTIONS: FOR EACH QUESTION, CIRCLE THE NUMBER THAT
BEST DESCRIBES YOU.

A little test of time management

Never Seldom Sometimes Often Always

How often
do you
plan in an
effort to 1 2 3 4 5
keep life
from
running
out of
control?
Do you put
daily plans 1 2 3 4 5
on paper?
Do you
allow
flexibility 1 2 3 4 5
in your
plans?
How often
do you ac-
complish 1 2 3 4 5
all you
plan for
a given
day?
How often
do you
plan time 1 2 3 4 5
for what
matters
most
to you?
How often
is your
daily plan 5 4 3 2 1
de-stroyed
by urgent
in-
terruptions
?

SEE OTHER SIDE FOR SCORING AND INTERPRETATION

Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001

SCORING: Add the numbers next to your answers.

INTERPRETATION:

6-10: Terrible Planner.

You should consider using new tools and processes to help you plan
effectively. A great first step would be to take a time management course.

11-15: Below average planner.

You may already have a planning system, but using it more effectively will
help to reduce the stress and lack of control you feel in your life.

16-20: Average planner.

Your planning system is working, but you can do better. You may need help
focusing on priorities, dealing with urgent interruptions or writing your daily
plan.

21-25: Above-average planner.

Your planning system is working well. Keep up the good work, with
periodic reviews to be sure youre planning around what matters most in
your life.

26-30: Excellent planner--or candidate for burnout?

You have mastered planning and should experience the serenity that comes
from taking charge of your life. But make sure youre in control of your
planning rather than letting it control you.
 Quiz written for USA WEEKEND by time management expert Hyrum
Smith, chairman of the Franklin Covey Co., whose Franklin Planners,
agendas and planning software are used by 15 million Americans.

Five Steps to Successful Time Management

1. Set specific academic and personal goals.

2. Create a term calendar, recording major events.

3. Create a weekly schedule of your classes, labs, drill, meetings, etc.

4. Decide on specific times to work on each course.

5. Make a to-do list for each day the night before or during breakfast.

Inspirational quotes on time management

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number
of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo,
Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."
-- H. Jackson Brown
"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot."
-- Michael Altshuler
"A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. Both do the same
thing; only at different times."
-- Baltasar Gracian
"Many people seem to think that success in one area can compensate for
failure in other areas. But can it really?...True effectiveness requires
balance."
-- Stephen Covey
"Never let yesterday use up today."
-- Richard H. Nelson
Motivational quotes on goal setting and achieving
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off
your goal."
-- Henry Ford
"Heaven on Earth is a choice you must make, not a place we must find."
-- Dr. Wayne Dyer
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important
than any other one thing."
-- Abraham Lincoln
"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt
"It's never too late to be what you might have been."
-- George Eliot
"No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"More men fail through lack of purpose than lack of talent."
-- Billy Sunday
Success driving motivational posters
Keep your vision of success in your sight with specially selected
motivational posters and artworks.
Quotes on procrastination
"One worthwhile task carried to a successful conclusion is worth half-a-
hundred half-finished tasks."
-- Malcolm S. Forbes
"To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing."
-- Eva Young
"A year from now you will wish you had started today."
-- Karen Lamb
"The surest way to be late is to have plenty of time."
-- Leo Kennedy

Learn to see the difference between urgent and important

The important tasks are those that lead you to your goals, and give you most
of the long term progress and reward. Those tasks are very often not urgent.
Many urgent tasks are not really important.
Know and respect your priorities
Aim to do the important things first. Remember the 80-20 rule: 80 percent of
reward comes from 20 percent of effort. One of the aims of time
management tips is to help you refocus your mind to give more attention and
time to those most important 20 percent.
Plan your actions for achieving your goals
Convert your goals into a system of specific actions to be done. The first
significant point of planning is the planning process itself. It is a known fact,
and you will see it for yourself, that the planning process stimulates your
brain to come up with new efficient solutions. It programs your
subconscious mind to search for shortcuts. It makes you much more
prepared for each specific action. Besides, planning will help you to identify
potential conflicts and crises, minimizing the number of urgent tasks.
Planning can also significantly lower the time spent on routine maintenance
tasks, leaving you more time on what you like to do or for what you think is
important for your long term success.
Also remember that planning and related time management tips work best
when you review your plans regularly.
Schedule time for your tasks
Your concentration can be easily lost in the sea of many boring or less
important things waiting to be done in your head. Undone things circulating
in your mind are also a big drain of your mental energy. Most often, there is
no way to get those things out of your mind except of either doing them or
scheduling them in a trustable system, convincing your mind that they will
be done in due time.

Know how you spend your time

Keep a time log during some time interval, like a week, and then analyze it
to see where your time goes. For example, what percentage of time you
spend on urgent and on important activities, what people you devote most
time to. You are likely to be surprised, and you will see much better if you
could use more time management tips. This is also an effective way to get a
feedback on how well time management tips and techniques are working for
you, and where you need some adjustments.

The "Eff" words

The three "Eff" words are [concise OED]:

Effective - having a definite or desired effect
Efficient - productive with minimum waste or effort
Effortless -
seemingly without effort; natural, easy
Personal Time Management is about winning the "Eff" words: making them
apply to you and your daily routines.
What is Personal Time Management?

Personal Time Management is about controlling the use of your most

valuable (and undervalued) resource. Consider these two questions: what
would happen if you spent company money with as few safeguards as you
spend company time, when was the last time you scheduled a review of your
time allocation?
The absence of Personal Time Management is characterized by last minute
rushes to meet dead-lines, meetings which are either double booked or
achieve nothing, days which seem somehow to slip unproductively by, crises
which loom unexpected from nowhere. This sort of environment leads to
inordinate stress and degradation of performance: it must be stopped.
Poor time management is often a symptom of over confidence: techniques
which used to work with small projects and workloads are simply reused
with large ones. But inefficiencies which were insignificant in the small role
are ludicrous in the large. You can not drive a motor bike like a bicycle, nor
can you manage a supermarket-chain like a market stall. The demands, the
problems and the payoffs for increased efficiency are all larger as your
responsibility grows; you must learn to apply proper techniques or be
bettered by those who do. Possibly, the reason Time Management is poorly
practised is that it so seldom forms a measured part of appraisal and
performance review; what many fail to foresee, however, is how intimately
it is connected to aspects which do.
Personal Time Management has many facets. Most managers recognize a
few, but few recognize them all. There is the simple concept of keeping a
well ordered diary and the related idea of planned activity. But beyond these,
it is a tool for the systematic ordering of your influence on events, it
underpins many other managerial skills such as Effective Delegation and
Project Planning.

Personal Time Management is a set of tools which allow you to:

eliminate wastage
be prepared for meetings
refuse excessive workloads
monitor project progress
allocate resource (time) appropriate to a task's importance
ensure that long term projects are not neglected
plan each day efficiently
plan each week effectively
and to do so simply with a little self-discipline.
Since Personal Time Management is a management process just like any
other, it must be planned, monitored and regularly reviewed. In the
following sections, we will examine the basic methods and functions of
Personal Time Management. Since true understanding depends upons
experience, you will be asked to take part by looking at aspects of your own
work. If you do not have time to this right now - ask yourself: why not?

Current Practice

What this article is advocating is the adoption of certain practices which will
give you greater control over the use and allocation of your primary
resource: time. Before we start on the future, it is worth considering the
present. This involves the simplistic task of keeping a note of how you spend
your time for a suitably long period of time (say a week). I say simplistic
since all you have to do is create a simple table, photocopy half-a-dozen
copies and carry it around with you filling in a row every time you change
activity. After one week, allocate time (start as you mean to go on) to
reviewing this log.

Waste Disposal

We are not looking here to create new categories of work to enhance

efficiency (that comes later) but simply to eliminate wastage in your current
practice. The average IEE Chartered Engineer earns about 27,000 pounds
per annum: about 12.50 pounds per hour, say 1 pound every 5 minutes; for
how many 5 minute sections of your activity would you have paid a pound?
The first step is a critical appraisal of how you spend your time and to
question some of your habits. In your time log, identify periods of time
which might have been better used.
There are various sources of waste. The most common are social: telephone
calls, friends dropping by, conversations around the coffee machine. It
would be foolish to eliminate all non-work related activity (we all need a
break) but if it's a choice between chatting to Harry in the afternoon and
meeting the next pay-related deadline ... Your time log will show you if this
is a problem and you might like to do something about it before your boss
does.
In your time log, look at each work activity and decide objectively how
much time each was worth to you, and compare that with the time you
actually spent on it. An afternoon spent polishing an internal memo into a
Pulitzer prize winning piece of provocative prose is waste; an hour spent
debating the leaving present of a colleague is waste; a minute spent sorting
out the paper-clips is waste (unless relaxation). This type of activity will be
reduced naturally by managing your own time since you will not allocate
time to the trivial. Specifically, if you have a task to do, decide before hand
how long it should take and work to that deadline - then move on to the next
task.
Another common source of waste stems from delaying work which is
unpleasant by finding distractions which are less important or unproductive.
Check your log to see if any tasks are being delayed simply because they are
dull or difficult.
Time is often wasted in changing between activities. For this reason it is
useful to group similar tasks together thus avoiding the start-up delay of
each. The time log will show you where these savings can be made. You
may want then to initiate a routine which deals with these on a fixed but
regular basis.

Doing Subordinate's Work

Having considered what is complete waste, we now turn to what is merely

inappropriate. Often it is simpler to do the job yourself. Using the stamp
machine to frank your own letters ensures they leave by the next post;
writing the missing summary in the latest progress report from your junior is
more pleasant than sending it back (and it lets you choose the emphasis).
Rubbish!
Large gains can be made by assigning secretarial duties to secretaries: they
regularly catch the next post, they type a lot faster than you. Your
subordinate should be told about the missing section and told how (and why)
to slant it. If you have a task which could be done by a subordinate, use the
next occasion to start training him/her to do it instead of doing it yourself -
you will need to spend some time monitoring the task thereafter, but far less
that in doing it yourself.

Doing the work of Others

A major impact upon your work can be the tendency to help others with
their's. Now, in the spirit of an open and harmonious work environment it is
obviously desirable that you should be willing to help out - but check your
work log and decide how much time you spend on your own work and how
much you spend on others'. For instance, if you spend a morning checking
the grammar and spelling in the training material related to you last project,
then that is waste. Publications should do the proof-reading, that is their job,
they are better at it than you; you should deal at the technical level.
The remaining problem is your manager. Consider what periods in your
work log were used to perform tasks that your manager either repeated or
simply negated by ignoring it or redefining the task, too late. Making your
manager efficient is a very difficult task, but where it impinges upon your
work and performance you must take the bull by the horns (or whatever) and
confront the issue.
Managing your manager may seem a long way from Time Management but
no one impacts upon your use of time more than your immediate superior. If
a task is ill defined - seek clarification (is that a one page summary or a ten
page report?). If seemingly random alterations are asked in your
deliverables, ask for the reasons and next time clarify these and similar
points at the beginning. If the manager is difficult, try writing a small
specification for each task before beginning it and have it agreed. While you
can not tactfully hold your manager to this contract if he/she has a change of
mind, it will at least cause him/her to consider the issues early on, before
you waste your time on false assumptions.

External Appointments

The next stage of Personal Time Management is to start taking control of

your time. The first problem is appointments. Start with a simple
appointments diary. In this book you will have (or at least should have) a
complete list of all your known appointments for the forseeable future. If
you have omitted your regular ones (since you remember them anyway) add
them now.
Your appointments constitute your interaction with other people; they are the
agreed interface between your activities and those of others; they are
determined by external obligation. They often fill the diary. Now, be ruthless
and eliminate the unnecessary. There may be committees where you can not
productively contribute or where a subordinate might be (better) able to
participate. There may be long lunches which could be better run as short
conference calls. There may be interviews which last three times as long as
necessary because they are scheduled for a whole hour. Eliminate the
wastage starting today.
The next stage is to add to your diary lists of other, personal activity which
will enhance your use of the available time. Consider: what is the most
important type of activity to add to your diary? No:- stop reading for a
moment and really, consider.
The single most important type of activity is those which will save you time:
allocate time to save time, a stitch in time saves days. And most importantly
of all, always allocate time to time management: at least five minutes each
and every day.
For each appointment left in the diary, consider what actions you might take
to ensure that no time is wasted: plan to avoid work by being prepared.
Thus, if you are going to a meeting where you will be asked to comment on
some report, allocate time to read it so avoiding delays in the meeting and
increasing your chances of making the right decision the first time. Consider
what actions need to be done before AND what actions must be done to
follow-up. Even if the latter is unclear before the event, you must still
allocate time to review the outcome and to plan the resulting action. Simply
mark in your diary the block of time necessary to do this and, when the time
comes, do it.

Scheduling Projects

The most daunting external appointments are deadlines: often, the handover
of deliverables. Do you leave the work too late? Is there commonly a final
panic towards the end? Are the last few hectic hours often marred by errors?

If so, use Personal Time Management.

The basic idea is that your management of personal deadlines should be
achieved with exactly the same techniques you would use in a large project:
check the specification - are you sure that you agree on what is to be
delivered
break the task down into small sections so that you can estimate the time
needed for each, and monitor progress
schedule reviews of your progress (e.g. after each sub-task) so that you
can respond quickly to difficulties

Like most management ideas, this is common sense. Some people, however,
refute it because in practise they find that it merely shows the lack of time
for a project which must be done anyway. This is simply daft! If simple
project planning and time management show that the task can not be done,
then it will not be done - but by knowing at the start, you have a chance to
do something about it.
An impossible deadline affects not only your success but also that of others.
Suppose a product is scheduled for release too soon because you agree to
deliver too early. Marketing and Sales will prepare customers to expect the
product showing why they really need it - but it will not arrive. The
customers will be dissatisfied or even lost, the competition will have
advanced warning, and all because you agreed to do the impossible.
You can avoid this type of problem. By practising time management, you
will always have a clear understanding of how you spend your time and
what time is unallocated. If a new task is thrust upon you, you can estimate
whether it is practical. The project planning tells you how much time is
needed and the time management tells you how much time is available.

There are four ways to deal with impossible deadlines:

Get the deadline extended
Scream for more resources
Get the Deliverable redefined to something practical
State the position clearly so that your boss (and his/her boss) have fair
warning
If this simple approach seems unrealistic, consider the alternative. If you
have an imposed, but unobtainable, deadline and you accept it; then the
outcome is your assured failure. Of course, there is a fifth option: move to a
company with realistic schedules.
One defence tactic is to present your superior with a current list of your
obligations indicating what impact the new task will have on these, and ask
him/her to assign the priorities: "I can't do them all, which should I slip?".
Another tactic is to keep a data base of your time estimates and the actual
time taken by each task. This will quickly develop into a source of valuable
data and increase the accuracy of your planning predictions.
There is no reason why you should respond only to externally imposed
deadlines. The slightly shoddy product which you hand-over after the last
minute rush (and normally have returned for correction the following week)
could easily have been polished if only an extra day had been available - so
move your personal deadline forward and allow yourself the luxury of
leisured review before the product is shipped.
Taking this a step further, the same sort of review might be applied to the
product at each stage of its development so that errors and rework time are
reduced. Thus by allocating time to quality review, you save time in rework;
and this is all part of project planning supported and monitored by your time
management.
Finally, for each activity you should estimate how much time it is worth and
allocate only that amount. This critical appraisal may even suggest a
different approach or method so that the time matches the task's importance.
Beware of perfection, it takes too long - allocate time for "fitness for
purpose", then stop.
Monitoring Staff
Your Personal Time Management also effects other people, particularly your
subordinates. Planning projects means not only allocating your time but also
the distribution of tasks; and this should be done in the same planned,
monitored and reviewed manner as your own scheduling.
Any delegated task should be specified with an (agreed) end date. As a
Manager, you are responsible for ensuring that the tasks allocated to your
subordinates are completed successfully. Thus you should ensure that each
task is concluded with a deliverable (for instance, a memo to confirm
completion) - you make an entry in your diary to check that this has arrived.
Thus, if you agree the task for Tuesday, Wednesday should have an entry in
your diary to check the deliverable. This simple device allows you to
monitor progress and to initiate action as necessary.
Long term Objectives
There are many long term objectives which the good Manager must achieve,
particularly with regard to the development, support and motivation of
his/her work-team. Long term objectives have the problem of being
important but not urgent; they do not have deadlines, they are distant and
remote. For this reason, it is all too easy to ignore them in favour of the
urgent and immediate. Clearly a balance must be struck.
The beauty of Time Management is that the balance can be decided
objectively (without influence from immediate deadlines) and self-imposed
through the use of the diary. Simply, a manager might decide that one hour a
week should be devoted to personnel issues and would then allocate a
regular block of time to that activity. Of course if the factory is on fire, or
World War III is declared, the manager may have to re-allocate this time in a
particular week - but barring such crises, this time should then become
sacrosanct and always applied to the same, designated purpose.
Similarly, time may be allocated to staff development and training. So if one
afternoon a month is deemed to be a suitable allocation, then simply
designate the second Thursday (say) of each month and delegate the choice
of speakers. The actual time spent in managing this sort of long term
objective is small, but without that deliberate planning it will not be
achieved.
Once you have implemented Personal Time Management, it is worth using
some of that control to augment your own career. Some quiet weekend, you
should sketch out your own long term objectives and plan a route to them.
As you would any long term objective, allocate time to the necessary sub-
tasks and monitor your progress. If you do not plan where you want to go,
you are unlikely to get there.

...
Time Management: Motivation
You've set goals, written lists, chosen priorities, and identified what's
important to do right now, but you don't feel like doing it.
Here are some ideas to help with motivation.
In the book "Feeling Good," David Burns points out that it's not necessary to
"feel like" doing something in order to do it. You can just start. Usually, once
you've started, you begin feeling more motivated to continue doing it.
I started feeling more in control when I started giving myself permission to
cross things off lists. Deciding not to do something and putting an "X" next
to it gives a feeling of relief, almost as satisfying as checking it off as done.
Sometimes I graph the total number of check marks per day. This feels good
and gives me motivation to finish lots of things on my to-do lists.
Plan rewards and celebrations for yourself, such as special snacks after
getting certain things done. Just taking a few seconds to admire the finished
work, such as a tidy table or pile of clean laundry, is an excellent reward.
Smile and tell yourself what a good job you did.
Even if you're in a hurry, you can plan rewards that take a few seconds, like
standing up and stretching, looking out the window for 10 seconds, or
tossing a pen in the air and catching it. If you plan them as rewards, they feel
like rewards, and give you time to congratulate yourself on getting
something done.

Time Management: Chronos and Kairos

In Greek there are two words for time. Chronos means amounts of time, like
"20 minutes" or "two days". Kairos means the time when something occurs,
like "at two o'clock" or "next Sunday".
We can think of time like money and budget it. We can decide to "spend" an
hour on one thing or another. This is valid, but there's a big difference
between time and money.
With money, you don't usually ask "should I spend this dollar, or that
dollar?" All the dollars are the same. But two different hours are never the
same. Different stuff is happening. You're at a different level of tiredness and
hunger, and the level of daylight is different. Certain people or businesses
are available by phone during one hour but not during another.
So if you're going to do something, it does matter which bit of time you
select to do it in.
It can be confusing to try to figure out what's the most important thing to do
at a given time. It works out better if you think more in terms of kairos time.
Rather than "which of these things will I do now?", look at one of them and
ask "What's a good time to do that?" and then schedule it.
Examples: A good time to phone someone is on their birthday. A good time
to play with the children is when it's daylight outside. The best time to pay
the phone bill is the first time you see it.
The idea of thinking in terms of kairos time is from "The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey.
Myths of Time Management ...[top]
Myth #1: There's too much to do; I can't handle it all.
This can't be the real reason why I have a messy house. After all, other
people manage. It's encouraging to hear that there are others who also have
trouble with the "little" things in life. That means that it isn't just that there
are too many things for one person to handle: rather, it's possible,
theoretically at least, for me to organize my time in a way that gets it all
done.
Myth #2: There's plenty of time; I can do that later.
Funny. This is the exact opposite of myth #1. Yet both myths contribute to
procrastinating. Rather than switch from one myth to the other, I need a
consistent, realistic view of how much my time is worth and how much of it
there is.
Myth #3: I'm busier than usual right now, so it makes sense to shift some
tasks off to another time.
A tricky one. Occasionally it's really true, of course. But usually, I'm about
equally busy all the time, really. My time is worth the same all the time, with
a few exceptions like if I'm trying to be on time for a job interview or
something.
It SEEMS that I'm unusually busy at any given moment, because at that
moment, I'm AWARE of the things impinging one my time right then. A
person can only be aware of so many things at once. The detail of the
moment seems complex; the future seems simple, free and clear. But really
life is always that complex.
I may think, "This is an unusually busy day because I have library books
due." It seems reasonable; I know I only have books due on a small
percentage of all days. But really, there are so many other aspects to life:
dentist appointments, parties, holiday celebrations, bike repairs, etc etc etc
that taking all into consideration, the other days are really just as busy.
I also tend to think I'll "have plenty of time" later the same day, too. And of
course I don't.
Myth #4: Re-scheduling something to a later time is procrastinating.
No, re-scheduling is taking control and responding to new information about
priorities and time available.
It's only procrastinating if you don't schedule it at all, or if you re-schedule
for the wrong reasons -- which will become apparent when you find yourself
re-scheduling the same thing more than about 3 times. In that case, stop and
think about whether you really want to do the thing. If it's important, go
ahead and start.
Myth #5: This little task is not important.
Example: I cut open a package of food and leave the little bit of plastic I cut
off on the kitchen counter. Question: Shall I put the bit of plastic in the
garbage right now? It seems that doing so is not important. The plastic isn't
doing any harm where it is. It won't hurt me if I leave it there. I can always
put it in the garbage later.
But actually it is important to put it in the garbage. I ask myself, "Is it
important not to have it sitting there on the counter all year?" Yes. I don't
want it there that long. OK, then I have to put it in the garbage -- now or
some time in the next few days. Next question: Is my time more valuable
now than it will be, say, tomorrow? I seem in a hurry now, but I will
tomorrow, too. (See myth #3.) Really it's best to put it in the garbage right
now. It's important enough to be worth the few seconds of my time.
The myth really means, "It's not important to do it RIGHT NOW." However,
it is important. Either it's important or it isn't. When it's done doesn't affect
that. It's important to wash the dishes before eating on them again; therefore
it's important to wash the dishes. If it's important, it's probably worth doing
now.
Below, we examine time management issues in more detail
1. Shifting priorities and crisis management. Management guru Peter
Drucker says that "crisis management is actually the form of management
preferred by most managers" The irony is that actions taken prior to the
crisis could have prevented the fire in the first place.
2. The telephone. Have you ever had one of those days when you thought
your true calling was in Telemarketing. The telephone-our greatest
communication tool can be our biggest enemy to effectiveness if you don't
know how to control its hold over you.
3.Lack of priorities/objectives. This probably the biggest/ most important
time waster. It affects all we do both professionally and personally. Those
who accomplish the most in a day know exactly what they want to
accomplish. Unfortunately too many of us think that goals and objectives are
yearly things and not daily considerations. This results in too much time
spent on the minor things and not on the things which are important to our
work/lives
4. Attempting too much. Many people today feel that they have to
accomplish everything yesterday and don't give themselves enough time to
do things properly. This leads only to half finished projects and no feeling of
achievement.
5.Drop in visitors. The five deadliest words that rob your time are "Have you
got a minute". Everyone's the culprit-colleagues., the boss, your peers.
Knowing how to deal with interruptions is one of the best skills you can
learn .
6.Ineffective delegation. Good delegation is considered a key skill in both
managers and leaders. The best managers have an ability to delegate work to
staff and ensure it is done correctly. This is probably the best way of
building a teams moral and reducing your workload at the same time. The
general rule is -this; if one of your staff can do it 80% as well as you can,
then delegate it.
7. The cluttered desk. When you have finished reading this article look at
your desk. If you can see less than 80% of it then you are probably suffering
from 'desk stress'. The most effective people work from clear desks.
8.Procrastination. The biggest thief of time; not decision making but
decision avoidance. By reducing the amount of procrastinating you do you
can substantially increase the amount of active time available to you.
9. The inability to say "no!". The general rule is; if people can dump their
work or problems on to your shoulders they will do it . Some of the most
stressed people around lack the skill to 'just say no' for fear of upsetting
people.
10. Meetings. Studies have shown that the average manager spends about 17
hours a week in meetings and about 6 hours in the planning time and untold
hours in the follow up. I recently spoke to an executive who has had in the
last 3 months 250 meetings It is widely acknowledged that about as much of
a third of the time spent in meetings is wasted due to poor meeting
management and lack of planning If you remember your goal is to increase
your self management, these are the best ways to achieve this;
There are many ways we can manage our time. We have listed some
strategies you can use to manage your time.
1. Always define your objectives as clearly as possible.
Do you find you are not doing what you want because your goals have not
been set. One of the factors which mark out successful people is their ability
to work out what they want to achieve and have written goals which they
can review them constantly. Your long term goals should impact on your
daily activities and be included on your "to do" list. Without a goal or
objective people tend to just drift personally and professionally
2. Analyse your use of time.
Are you spending enough time on the projects which although may not be
urgent now are the things you need to do to develop yourself or your career.
If you are constantly asking yourself "What is the most important use of my
time, right now?" it will help you to focus on 'important tasks' and stop
reacting to tasks which seem urgent (or pleasant to do) but carry no
importance towards your goals.
3. Have a plan.
How can you achieve your goals without a plan. Most people know what
they want but have no plan to achieve it except by sheer hard work. Your
yearly plan should be reviewed daily and reset as your achievements are
met. Successful people make lists constantly. It enables them to stay on top
of priorities and enable them to remain flexible to changing priorities. This
should be done for both personal and business goals.
4. Action plan analysis.
Problems will always occur, the value of a good plan is to identify them
early and seek out solutions. Good time management enables you to measure
the progress towards your goals because "What you can measure, you can
control". Always try to be proactive.
Time management (or self management) is not a hard subject to understand,
but unless you are committed to build time management techniques into
your daily routine you'll only achieve partial (or no) results and then make
comments such as "I tried time management once and it doesn't work for
me". The lesson to learn is that the more time we spend planning our time
and activities the more time we will have for those activities. By setting
goals and eliminating time wasters and doing this everyday you may find
you will have extra time in the week to spend on those people and activities
most important to you.
Planning is written about and talked about more than it is done. Here are
some ideas that will encourage you to plan your activities in advance.
Force yourself to plan.
If you fail to plan, you are by default planning to fail.
Schedule uninterrupted time every day to do your planning.
Anticipate possible problems you could encounter in your project because of
people, material, or mechanical failures. Purposely provide preventive
actions and contingency plans in important high risk situations.
When planning a project, plan in thinking time.
Plan for tomorrow, tonight. Your subconscious will help organize while you
sleep.
Each day anticipate the sequence of activities that you will do to attain the
objectives you are after.
Think about your entire week. How will important projects be sequenced?
Do your planning on paper to capture all of your ideas and to be sure none of
them get lost. We can only work mentally with about seven pieces of
information without losing some- thing. Write your thoughts down and you
will be able to utilize everything you think of during your planning process.
When developing a specific plan, list the activity steps individually on small
pieces of paper and then sequence the pieces of paper. Then write the whole
plan out in sequential order.
If you must, leave your office and get away to do your planning in a quiet
place where you can think.
Don't hurry the process. Something will get overlooked.

Myths About Time Management

Before exploring specific time-management techniques, consider several

common myths which contribute to poor time management, especially
undermining your efforts to establish and follow your priorities:
MYTH: My life is completely controlled by external events.
FACT: You can have some control over many aspects of your life, but you
and you alone are responsible for initiating that control. Learn to recognize
what you can and can't control before making your choices. Anticipate the
future and clarify the external demands that must be faced. From there, it is
easier to determine what can be done, and within what time frame, despite
the demands.
MYTH: I should meet everyone's expectations.
FACT: The needs and demands of others may be inappropriate for you and
your lifestyle. They may be poorly timed, highly questionable, or simply
unattainable. They may be of a different priority than your own. By trying to
meet the expectations of others, you may be shortchanging yourself and your
needs. First become clear about what your needs are and then you consider
what others expect of you.
MYTH: I should have no limits.
FACT: We all have limits . . . failure to acknowledge this may cause you to
become perfectionistic in your expectations. Perfectionists are especially
prone to procrastination because the perfection they demand is impossible.
For example, no paper will ever be perfect in all ways. The immediate
consequence of turning in an imperfect paper may be brief, acute anxiety,
but the long-term consequences of procrastination--e.g., inconveniences,
academic or career losses and lingering self doubts--are usually more
devastating.

Specific Techniques

While it is important to develop your own style for managing your time and
work, consider how the following techniques might help you.
FIRST, STACK THE CARDS IN YOUR FAVOR. For example:
--Use your biological rhythms to your advantage. Identify the times of day
when your energy levels are at their highest and do your most important
work at those times. For example, if you work best in the morning, do not
plan all your studying for the evening.
--Optimize your work environment. Keep things you need in your work area
and make sure the physical environment is conducive to concentration, not
just comfort. You may need to experiment to determine the right work
environment. For example, some work best in a quiet setting while others
work best with background music; some work best amidst clutter, while
others need a cleared desk or table; some work best at a place reserved only
for study while others work best at the kitchen table; etc. Find what works
best for you!
--Safeguard blocks of work time. Protect your time by saying "no" to various
interruptions, activities, requests, or persons. Interruptions are a two-fold
problem: the interruption itself, and the expectation of further interruptions.
Both reduce your effectiveness considerably. Some interruptions can be
avoided by keeping in mind the following:
**Arrange your work area so that your back is to the traffic flow.
**Close your door; open it selectively.
**Find and use a special space such as a library carrel or an office where
friends will be unable to find you.
**Unplug your phone, or install an answering machine. Return telephone
calls when it is more convenient for you, perhaps when you take a study
break.
SECOND, PRIORITIZE THE THINGS YOU WISH TO DO:
STEP 1: Develop an overview of everything that you want to accomplish.
Start by determining the time frame you'd like to work with (a semester, a
month, a week, a day?). Five goals for the week, for example, might include
studying for an exam on Friday, spending more time with a friend you've
been neglecting, exercising three times for half an hour each time, attending
Wednesday's clothing sale, and watching a few "soaps." Notice that the goals
include not only academic responsibilities but also personal and social
activities. Write each of your goals on a separate index card.
STEP 2: Organize your goals according to their priority. Stephen Covey
(1989) suggests using the following Table and thinking of priorities in terms
of two dimensions, urgency and importance. First, determine how urgent
each of the goals is and separate your index cards into urgent and non-urgent
piles. From our examples, studying for the exam and attending the clothing
sale may be more urgent than socializing or exercising because they have
deadlines coming up soon.
Next separate the pile of urgent items into important and non-important
items, and similarly the pile of non-urgent items into important and non-
important items. Then refer to the Table below. From our examples, studying
for the exam may be both urgent and important and would fall under
Quadrant I in our Table. Attending the sale may end up in Quadrant III--i.e.,
urgent and non-important. Of the three non-urgent goals, let's say socializing
with the friend and exercising feel important; they would fall into Quadrant
II.
Finally, if you considered watching the "soaps" to be both non-urgent and
non-important, that activity would fall into Quadrant IV.
Urgency
High Low

Importance High I II
Low III IV
By placing your goals in each of these quadrants, you can get a better sense
of how to prioritize, and thus how to distribute your time and energy.
Obviously, Quadrant I goals go high on the list. Less obvious, however, poor
time managers give too little time and energy to Quadrant II activities (e.g.,
the research paper which is due "later!") and/or too much time and energy to
Quadrant III & Quadrant IV activities.
An additional hint for Step 2: While you may find it easy to distinguish
between urgent and non-urgent goals, distinguishing according to
importance may be harder. If so, try adding a "middle step," using an
approach suggested by Alan Lakein (1989). Here you would assign the
categories "A," "B," or "C" to each goal. Assign "A" to those items which
are most important to you, "B" to those of moderate importance, and "C" to
those of low importance. Having identified the extremes--the "A's" and the
"C's"--you may now find it easier to address the "middle' items--the "B's"--
and to reclassify them to either "A" or "C" categories. Then you can place
them into their appropriate quadrants of the above Table. If, ultimately,
certain "B" items are truly intermediate in their importance, you may have to
give them intermediate levels of time and energy. (Not all jobs that are worth
doing are worth doing exceedingly well!)
Throughout, the point is to devote your time and energy according to your
priorities, and to avoid getting bogged down by low priority tasks.

THIRD, PLAN AHEAD ACCORDING TO YOUR PRIORITIES--

ESPECIALLY THOSE IN QUADRANTS I & II.
--Make a long range timetable: Identify academic goals and deadlines (e.g.,
dates of exams, dates papers are due, etc) and make target dates for your
non-academic goals. Next, determine the steps you need to follow to reach
these goals. Segment the larger activities into a series of smaller units. Then,
make a reasonable timetable for accomplishing your goals on time.
--Remember your day to day personal maintenance: Certain activities--if
neglected-- will throw your life out of balance and undermine your high
priority efforts (i.e., activities such as sleeping, eating, socializing,
exercising, doing the laundry, etc.). Include them in your planning.
--Plan each day and week as you go through the timetable: Consider each
week as a subcategory to be planned, and similarly each day within a given
week. Each day and each week, review your time table. New, unexpected
items will come up; adjust your plans accordingly. (Hint: To avoid
frustration, expect some unexpected things to happen--e.g., things like
problems with your computer. Plan in extra time and/or be ready to adjust
your plan, still keeping your high priority goals in mind.)

FOURTH, AVOID OVER-PLANNING!

This may seem to contradict the preceding, but we mean it: avoid over-
organizing. Beyond a certain point, adding techniques may simply create
additional time problems rather than solving previous ones.