time management for improved productivity
TRANSCRIPT
Time ManagementFor Improved Productivity
By – N.G.Palit
1
Problem Of Time
• In today’s fast moving world, one of the biggest problem faced by all, is how to squeeze out some additional time.
• This problem relates to
lack of time management
2
Why Time Management?
• To utilise the available
time in the best
possible manner to
achieve one’s personal
as well as professional
goals.
3
What is Time Management?
• Time management refers to managing
our time effectively so that the right
amount of time can be allocated to the
right activity.
4
What is TimeManagement?
• It means – ”Applying management
principles in maximizing the value of
time by including productive activities
and eliminating activities which are
waste of time or produce negative
results.”
5
Why do we need Time Management?
• To save time• To reduce stress• To increase our work output.• To function more effectively.
6
Time Management
• In the present generation of intense
competition, there is always a
tremendous pressure for optimal
utilization of the most valuable
resource –’Time’
7
Time Management
• The two important aspects of time
management are:
1. “Bad news is that time flies very fast.
2. But, the good news is that you are
the Pilot and you can control it, if
you want.”8
Time Management
• Time is a unique resource.
• Once used or misused,
it is gone for ever.
• Yet, it is the easiest
thing to waste, and then
to complain about shortage of time.
9
Time Management
• The supply of time is
cruelly restricted, out
of which we have to
spin health, pleasure,
money and respect.
10
Time Management
* ” Right and effective
use of time is a matter
of the highest urgency
and the most thrilling
activity.
- Armoly Bannet
11
What is Time?
12
Time
The only commodity that matters
13
What is Time?
• ‘Time’ is a continuum in which events
succeed one another from Past
through Present to Future.
Time Management
• The term ’Time Management’ leads us to
think that we can manage ’time’.
• But, time can’t be managed. Actually,
time management is about applying
techniques to manage yourself (self-
management).
14
Think of ‘time management’
more as SELF MANAGEMENT
Stephen R.Covey
Remember
• 1. Planning our time is, in fact, planning
our actions.
• 2. We are the creator of our life (time).
• 3. Everyone’s day lasts 24 hours.
• 4. Time has three dimensions:
Past, Present & Future
16
Time Management
• The unique feature of time is that each
and every person has
the same 24 hours a
day, and 365 days in a year.
17
Everyone has 2 choices:
ORGANIZE or
‘go with the flow’
(Yoder-Wise, 1999)
When we begin to MANAGE OURSELVES
we will begin toMANAGE OUR TIME!
Don’t manage time, manage activities
• Yes, everybody has the same amount
of time, regardless of who he or she is.
• Therefore, the key question arises:
how best one is making use of the
available time for productive purpose.
20
Manage Yourself - manage
your time!
Time Management
• Remember that Time is Money.
No, it is even more than Money.
- Ben Franklin (1748)
22
Time Bank
• Each morning our Time
bank is credited with
86,400 seconds.
• Whether used or misused
it carries no balance, nor
allows any overdraft.
23
Time Management
• It is rightly said that:
”Yesterday is a cancelled cheque,
Tomorrow is a promising note, only
Today is the ready cash, so use it.”
• Therefore, time must be explicitly
managed just like money.
24
Relativity Of Time
* Your time is yours alone.
You can expand or
contract it depending
upon the effectiveness of
its use.
• This is called ”The theory of relativity of Time”.
25
Managing Work Activities
• It involves the following:
• Job clarification
• Priority setting
• Planning & Organizing
• Delegation
26
Don’t Manage Time, Manage Activities
• Consciously decide how best to
utilize your time on purposeful
activities.
• Don’t waste it on useless works,
commonly known as ’Time Pass’.
27
Outline
• Why is Time Management Important?• Goals, Priorities, & Planning• TO DO Lists• Desks, paperwork, telephones• Scheduling yourself• Delegation• Meetings
28
Why Time Management is Important
• “The Time
Famine”
• Bad time management
= stress29
The Importance of Time Management
• The key is not spending
Time, but in investing
it.
- Stephen R. Covey
30
Top Time Wasters
• They are the real ’time
thieves’.
• There are two types of
’Time wasters’:
1. External – caused by
others.
2. Internal – caused by
self. 31
Eleminate Time Thieves
32
External Time Thieves
• Interruptions by
telephone or mobile
• Drop in visitors
• Visual distractions
33
Cutting Things Short
• ” I am in the middle of
something now.”• Start with - ”I have only
5 minutes”.• Clock –watching; on the wall
behind them.• Stand up, stroll to the
door, thank, shake hands. 34
Internal Time Thieves
Crisis Management• One has to resort to
crisis management
mostly when starting
a work without a
proper plan
35
Internal Time Thieves
• Too much paper work:
It can be minimized by-
* using telephone
* writing small note
on a slip.
* Preparing reports
using computer 36
External Thieves
Open-door Policy
• It is good to have an
open-door policy.
• But, sometimes we also
need to close the door
to concentrate on our
work. 37
Internal Thieves
Indecision:
* In management the act
of decision making is
like shooting a flying
duck.
”Even the right decision
is wrong, if it is made
too late”. 38
Procrastination
• ”Procrastination
is the thief of
time”. - Edward Young
39
Procrastination• It is the negative habit of putting things off
for a later time.
• Words like,- ’later’, ’not now’ are the
examples of procrastination.
• ’Do it now’ or else it may even become
obsolete.
• Don’t defer difficult decision. Delay won’t
make them easier.40
Avoiding Procrastination
• Doing things at the last minute is much more expensive than just before the last minute.
• Deadline are really important:
- ’establish them
yourselves.’ 41
Avoid Procrastination
• If you think you can
do it, begin it.
• Begin and the mind
grows heated.
• Begin, and the task
is completed.
42
Delegation Is Not Dumping
• Learn to delegate the
routine jobs, keeping
minimum supervision
and control.
* Grant authority with
responsibility
• Remember, you can accomplish a lot more with other’s help 43
Inability to say ’No’
• Don’t say ’Yes’, when
you want to say ’No’
• Learn to say ’No’,
when it is appropriate
44
Learn to say ’No’
• ”A ’no’ uttered from the deepest
conviction is better than a ’yes’ merely
uttered to please, or what is worse, to
avoid trouble”.
- Mahatma Gandhi
45
Meeting without Agenda
• Decide clear agenda
of the meeting and
allocate time to each
topic.
46
Control Time Killers
• Don’t waste time in
’idle chatting’.
• If you take more
time in the bathroom
than usual, then try to
reduce it gradually.
47
Writing Time
• Organize your ideas
before writing.
• Decide in advance
how to structure the
content.
48
Dealing With Papers
• Handle it only
once.
• Read, and decide
what you want to
do with it
49
Dealing With Papers
• Keep desk clear: focus on one thing
at a time.
• Touch each piece of paper only once.
• Touch each piece of e-mail once;
your inbox is not your ’To Do’ list.
• A good file system is essential
50
‘TOSS’ PrincipleRegarding Paperwork / E-mail
• Trim: Remove yourself from excess
E-mail, mails, memos, minutes etc
• Outsource immediately – throw it
away or pass it on ---.
• Save- file things which you must save
immediately. Regularly compress
electronic files. 80% you will not51
‘TOSS’ Principle
use never again!
• Start- Do it now. Set aside time daily to
handle E-mail and paper work.
52
How To Use Time Better
• Plan for short, medium
and long run
• Keep focus on your
priorities
• Distinguish between
’urgent and important’ work
53
How To Use Time Better?
• Equip yourself with effective time
management
• Eliminate obvious ’Time Wasters’.
• Delegate efficiently
• Maintain your ’Time Log’
• Avoid ’monkey- on -the -shoulder’
54
Plan Your Activities
• Planning is essential to convert
priorities into actions.
• Remember, ’if you fail to plan, then
you plan to fail.’
• Decide in advance:
- what needs to be done?
- by whom?
- by when? 55
Monkey –On-The- Shoulder
56
• Delegate efficiently
• Avoid - ’monkey –
on- the- shoulder’
• Maintain your
’Time Log’
Monkey on the shoulder
• Some managers pick up staff’s jobs. They
enjoy and are good at it.
• It can be explained by ’Monkey-on-the-
shoulder’ analogy.
• Once we pick up ’Monkeys’ from
suborinates we accept responsibility for his
problems. 57
Monkey- on- the- shoulder
• Sometimes, colleagues also try to pass
on their ’Monkeys’.
• These take our valuable time with no
time left to look after our own ’Monkey’.
• So, be careful and don’t accept other’s
’Monkeys’.
58
Monkey –On –The - Shoulder
• Despite busy schedule, you may get sucked
into doing things which your subordinates
are supposed to do.
• Remember, each time you say ’yes’ to these
requests, you collect another ’monkey’ (someone else’s problem)
• These ’monkeys’ eat into your valuable
time. 59
How To Handle These Monkeys?
* Deal with them immediadely.
* Never say ’leave it with me’.
* Don’t allow them to become too many.
* Feed them once or twice, then put pthe monkey back on their shoulders.
• Whatever you do, keep the monkey off your shoulder.
60
Putting Things In Writing• Write it down, don’t try
to remember.
* Always carry a pocket
diary or a jotting pad
• Start making notes of
appointments, ideas, events & goals
• Soon, you will become more organized.
61
Use Wasted Time
• Try to make good use of
the ’waiting time’
• Think, what you can do:
- When you commute in a
train or bus.
- Time you spend ’on hold’
on telephone’, etc62
Set & Achieve Goals
• Set strong goals & decide:
- What to do?
- When?
- What are the deadlines?
• Decide the task to be done,
in order of importance
• Reject unimportant time wasters
63
Priority Setting
64
Guide To Priority Setting
• Quadrant -1 – Do it now. Do it yourself
• Quadrant -2 - Do it later
• Quadrant -3 - Ask someone else to do
• Quadrant -4 - Don’t do it.65
Do It Now
• Stop keeping things pending, so,
’do it now’
• Remember, every ’done’ job is a
small goal achievement, which
motivates you to achieve further.
66
Pareto’s Law (80/20 Principle)
Vilfredo Pareto – (1843-1923), a French- Italian economist & sociologist.
• “Law” first published in 1896-97, related to taxes, i.e. 20% people paid 80% of taxes.
• Currently, observed/used in diverse settings. – e.g. ~20% patients utilize up to ~80% hospital’s resources.– 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people!
PARETO’S (80: 20 : RULE)
• 20% of what you do, produces
80% of the results.
• But, 80% of your time
spent, brings only 20% effects.
68
Pareto’s (80: 20 Rule)
• As per Pareto’s Principle
typically 80% of
unfocussed effort
generates only 20% of results.
• The remaining 80% of results
are achieved with only 20% of efforts.
69
TIPS
• So, select 3 or 4 targets which will
give you high payoff and concentrate
your efforts only on these.
• The essence of ’Time Management’
is to prioritize.
• Time management permits us to work
smarter not harder. 70
Telephone
• Keep calls short
• Start by announcing goals for the call
• Have something in view that you’re waiting to get to next
71
The Balancing Act
“Work expands so as
to fill the time
available for its
completion”Parkinson’s Law
72
Summing Up
• 1. Plan: Start the day by making a ’to-do’
list.
• 2. Prioritise: Select the task according to
their importance & urgency.
• 3. Get rid of excess baggage: Learn to say
’No’
• 4. Delegate: You can not be omnipresent.
So, delegate some work. 73
Summing Up
• 5. Organise: Maintain a reference folder,
where important things can be easily found
• 6. Act: Don’t procastrinate. Just do what
needs to be done.
• 7. Respect your time: Do’t allow your
professional life gatecrash into your
personal space, and vice versa. 74
Your future is what you make itTo Day!
• ” The best thing about
the future is that it
only comes one day
at a time”.--
Abraham Lincoln
75
Make the Best Use Of Today
* ”The only
preparation for
tomorrow, is the
right use of
TODAY
76
77
Time Management
TimeTime is a difficult concept to defineto defineTime management is event controlevent controlThe only time you can exercise any
control over is is right nowright now!!
Even More Benefits
• Work smarter,
not harder.
• Open up free time
for family, friends,
and fun.
• Enjoy peace of
mind. 78
Closing Thought
• ” A journey of a thousand miles
must begin with a single step.”
- Lao- Tzu
79
The Heart of Time Management
Concentrate on RESULTS
Not On
being BUSY
80
Achieve your Goals
Be your own judge and your
own motivator, make Time
Management your tool for
success.
81
Being successful does not make you manage your time
well
82
Managing your time well makes you successful
Manage your time & keep smiling
83
Any Question?
84
THANK YOU - N.G.Palit
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