Time Management

Lecture - 4
TIME as a Philosophical Concept

• Time flies when you are having fun.

• That is a waste of time.
• Time is money.
• We have all the time in the world.
• The time is right.
• I’m having the time of my life.
• Time heals all wounds.
• Time is precious.
• The time is now.

• What do these sayings about time mean to you?

Warming up the concept

• Close your eyes for 30 seconds.

• How is it different?

• Do you think time has same meaning for everyone?

NO
 Introduction

• Do you know what is interesting about the concept of

Time?

– It is absolutely uncontrollable.
– Every person has only twenty four hours in a day
and no force on earth can alter that.
– We can think about alternate sources of energy for
fossil fuels like electricity, fuel cells, solar energy and
the research goes on
– So in order to get the cutting edge what you have to do
is to be able to manage your time in the most effective
 Time Management
• The process of planning and exercising
conscious control of time spent on specific
activities, especially to increase effectiveness,
efficiency, and productivity.
• It involves a juggling act of various demands
upon a person relating to work, social life,
family, hobbies, personal interests, and
commitments with the finiteness of time
 HOW YOU RELATE TO TIME

• Read the following list, then choose five words

that you feel best apply to time.
hollow
ready
busy relentless
handy
effective tense
Mountaino valley-like
us
spent available
white
friendly empty
opportunity energetic
lively restless
unclaimed bumpy
exhausting jammed
blank
exciting
HOW YOU RELATE TO TIME
• How can you interpret your choices?
• If you selected valley-like, white, hollow, available,
unclaimed, ready, blank, or empty, you view time as
something to be filled. This can be positive: you’re
probably not under very great time pressures.
• If the following terms dominate your choices—spent,
exhausting, mountainous, jammed, relentless, restless,
tense, or bumpy—you view time as an enemy. This is
dangerous. It can mean that you’re presently overstressed
by environment and responsibilities or that you feel that
time controls you.
• Words you have chosen like opportunity, busy, energetic,
 Symptoms of Poor Time
Management

The following are some of the indicators of poor time management:

• Constant rushing: e.g. between meetings or tasks

• Frequent delays: e.g. in attending meetings, meeting deadlines

• Low productivity, energy and motivation: e.g. ‘I can’t seem to get worked up about
anything’

• Frustration: e.g. ‘Oh, things just don’t move ahead

• Impatience: e.g. ‘where the hell is that information I’ve asked him for?’

• Chronic uncertainty between alternatives: e.g. ‘whichever option I choose it is going

to put me at a big disadvantage. I don’t know which way to jump’

• Difficulty setting and achieving goals : e.g. ‘I’m not sure what is expected of me’
Knowing Your
Time Management Style

1. The Organizer
Always very organized and has neatly written plans and checklists.
Needs: Allow for flexibility in your planning. Find time to relax.
Create more balance in your life.

2. The Juggler
Usually juggling several tasks and projects at once.
Needs: Focus on what's important, learn the art of planning and set
time limits for tasks and better boundaries
Knowing Your
Time Management Style

3. The Helper

Keen, capable and always eager to help.

Needs: Learn the importance of boundaries and when to say 'no'. Allow time for
yourself and create more balance.

4. The Perfectionist
Enjoys the detail and getting stuck in but not so good at the bigger picture.
Needs: look at priorities, be more realistic - understand the 80/20.

5. The Delayer
Leaves most things to the last minute but somehow usually manages to gets things
done.
Needs: Plan and prioritize your workload to avoid last minute rushes and stress.
Think ahead, set time limits, avoid distractions and interruptions.
 ‘Time Killers’

They are things that most of us encounter. But apart from these,
each one of us may have unique time killers that are particular
to our style of living and way of work.
Seven terrible Time Killers
• Telephone calls
• Social Media
• Traffic jams
• Finding parking spaces
• Unneccesary Meetings
• Bad machinery
• Long queues
• Not being able to say ‘No
• Negative people
 Procrastination

• Have you ever told yourself that if you ignore an assignment

that's due, maybe it will go away?
• Have you ever told yourself, "I'll just watch TV (or do
something else enjoyable) for just 5 minutes and then get
back to my homework?"
• Have you ever underestimated the amount of work or time
an assignment was going to take?
• Have you ever done something else "very important" to avoid
working on an assignment?
• Have you ever done part of an assignment, the part you were
good at, and not done the part you had problems with?
 Procrastination

• Answering "yes" to any or all of these questions is a good sign

that you know how to procrastinate.

Procrastination means putting things off until a future time,

postponing or deferring something. Most people have
procrastinated at some time in their lives.
Procrastination
 Procrastination

• You are overwhelmed by too many things to do, and we know that we
can't get them all done.
• You don't think that you have the skills or knowledge to handle the task.
• You are not clear about what is expected.
• The task seems irrelevant; it has no meaning for you.
• You are not interested in the task.
• You are afraid of getting a low grade or of failing.
• You give yourself unreachable goals -- you are a perfectionist.
Dealing with Procrastination

1. Set realistic goals. Don't try to do too much and don't try to do everything perfectly.

2. Do school work when your energy level is at its highest. If you are a morning
person, do school work in the morning. If you are a night person, do school work at
night.

3. Break large tasks into smaller ones: You don't want to be overwhelmed by the work
you need to do so create smaller tasks from bigger ones. Then focus on completing the
smaller tasks one at a time until you are finished.
Dealing with Procrastination

4. Work for realistic periods of time. If you work best at 1 hour

intervals, don't try to cram in 2 hours of study. Or if 1/2 hour at a time
is best for you, then follow your own needs; do not study for long
periods just because your friends do.

5. Avoid study marathons (like all-nighters).

6. Mix activities. Switch subjects after a while, or try to alternate

between doing things you enjoy with things that you find challenging
or boring.
Dealing with Procrastination

7. Create an effective place to do your school work. Make

your work place comfortable but not TOO comfortable.

8. Try to keep distractions to a minimum (like phones, TV,

and friends). Don't forget the importance of good lighting
and make sure that you have access to the materials and
equipment you need.
Dealing with Procrastination

9. Schedule time for yourself -- for exercise, relaxation, and

socializing. Don't forget that "all work and no play makes Jack
and Jill dull people," not to mention frustrated, bored, and
stressed out.

9. Use your free time wisely. Make effective use of the time
between classes or while you are waiting -- for buses or friends,
at the doctor's office, etc.

10. Reward yourself when you have finished tasks on time. Make
sure that the reward is suitable for the difficulty of the task and
the time you spent on it.
IDENTIFY YOUR TIME
MANAGEMENT PERSONALITY
ASSESSMENT
Step 3
Prioritize Your Activities
Actions to be taken

Q1: Important & Urgent Q2: Important + not urgent

Do it Schedule it

Q3: Urgent + not important Q4: Not urgent/important

Delegate it Delete it
Time Management Matrix

Quadrant 1: Important and Urgent

– Represents things which are both urgent and
important – labeled “firefighting”.
– These tasks are the ones that must be done right away,
else consequences may result.

• Example: Bills that are due today. If you don’t pay your bills on
time, you would incur additional charges or they might cut off
their services to you. Activities belonging to this category need to
be acted upon without delay. You should give them the highest
priority.
Quadrant 2:
Important but Not Urgent

– Represents things which are important, but not urgent - labeled

“Quality Time”.
– Although the activities here are important, and contributes
towards achieving the goals and priorities - they do not have to
be done right now.
– As a result, they can be scheduled when they can be given quality
thought to them.
• Example: Preparation of an important talk, or mentoring a key
individual. Family time and personal relaxation/recreation are also part
of Quadrant 2.
Quadrant 3
Urgent but Not Important

– Represents “distractions”
– They must be dealt with right now, but are not important.
• Example: When a person answers an unwanted phone call, - he/she has
had to interrupt whatever he/she is doing to answer it.
Quadrant 4
Not Important and Not Urgent

– Represents “Time Wasting”

– You might think activities in this section are not worth people’s
time, so they won’t engage in these activities much. You would
be surprised to know that people spend most of their time
doing things that are both unimportant and non-urgent,
• Example: Watching TV and movies, playing video games, senseless
chatting for hours on the phone, etc.
Class Activity
Look at the list of action items and use the time management matrix to prioritize them using Matrix.
• Go to the dentist for a check-up
• Helping a Neighbor fix a car while leaving for school.
• Get a new mobile phone top-up card.
• Visit the store to buy tomorrow’s breakfast.
• Start the assignment that is due next Friday
• Finish and print the assignment that is due in two days
• Check cinema times for tomorrow night
• Dropping laundry
• Get a haircut
• Last date to pay the electricity bill.
• Create detailed notes for a class
• Decide which restaurant you will go to on the weekend with family.
• Complete a scholarship application form for 50,000 rupees due this Friday.
• Handling a last-minute group project crisis.
• Participating in club meetings or activities that don't align with your goals.
 Group Activity
Time to Invest

A quick group activity that highlights the importance of planning and prioritizing to
manage time properly.

Directions:
1- Write a number of fake blank cheques of Rs. 86,400 each.
2- Split yourself in 6 teams.
3- Issue one check to each team and you have 24 hours to spend the total amount
written on the check.
4- Using a chart, each team has to plan exactly how they will spend the given amount,
any amount left that they fail to plan for will be taken away from them.
5- Give the teams 15 minutes to start their plans and once done, each team’s
spokesperson has to present their plan.
Thank You!