INTRODUCTION TO TIME MANEGEMENT
Using your time
Each of us has the same amount of time in a day. However, how we use those twenty-four hours is entirely up to us. Utilizing your time effectively requires some forethought — and you must be realistic about your own unique strengths and weaknesses.
Your ability to manage your time effectively with colleagues, as well as with internal and external customers, will have a direct influence on how others perceive your credibility. Why is this the case? For instance, if you often answer ‘yes,’ people would first like your ‘can-do attitude’ and desire to help. However, what if you are unable to fulfill all of your promises? Over time, people will conclude that you are incapable of doing anything efficiently because you are always overwhelmed.
Guidelines for responding to requests
One of the most difficult aspects of time management is properly dealing with individuals who make demands on your time. You may refer to the following recommendations to assist you in responding to these requests:
• Make no apologies for saying ‘no.’
• When responding to individuals face-to-face, always adopt a slow, calm tone of voice. If you’re responding through email, keep your response brief.
• Before responding, ensure that you understand the question. Assist with any request by listening, paraphrasing, and empathizing. As quickly as feasible, ascertain the source of the observed issue.
• Regardless of how you answer, always express yourself succinctly. If required, repeat your response many times in the same language.
• Use objective language such as ‘The situation is…’ rather than ‘I believe…’ Prevent the matter from devolving into a possible personal confrontation.
• Keep in mind that even though you’ve previously said ‘yes,’ you may later change your mind and say ‘no,’ if your circumstances alter.
BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT
Being in control
Consider this. How do you feel when you believe you lack sufficient time? Stressed, if not frightened! However, knowing what has to be done, when it needs to be done, and by whom enables you to feel tranquility. You have a sense of control over your time and duties. Additionally, you broaden your horizons in terms of job ideas and difficulties.
When you have control over your time, you are better equipped to protect it from those who would deliberately squander it for you.
Earning a reputation
Indeed, you develop a reputation as someone who gets things done. People respect your ability to manage your time and complete your duties. This puts you in a better position to pursue advancement. Additionally, this favorable reputation offers a number of advantages. For instance, peers like working with you because of your professional achievement.
Getting more done
With effective time management, you can do more in less time. This results in more free time and enables you to concentrate on what is really essential, rather than on what seems to be urgent. You may then put your newly acquired time to good use by engaging in more training and learning or taking other efforts to advance your profession. All of these advantages also contribute to your general well-being.
PRIORITIZING TASKS AND SETTING GOALS
Urgent versus important
Effective time management requires prioritizing work and defining targets. To do so, you must first be able to tell the difference between what is important and what is urgent.
Eisenhower’s Decision Matrix was created by Dwight D. Eisenhower, a former military and president of the United States. Eisenhower said, “What is significant is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is rarely important.” We respond differently to ‘urgent’ and ‘important’ assignments. We respond reactively to pressing jobs. This mode tends to make us pessimistic, impatient, and, most importantly, defensive. If something is urgent, we feel compelled to act immediately.
On the other hand, we approach critical jobs in a responsive manner. This mode teaches us to be reasonable, collected, and accessible to new possibilities. Our critical duties contribute to the long-term values, objectives, and purpose of our organization.
There is a distinction between urgent and important. However, the majority of individuals believe that all urgent actions are likewise necessary.
In today’s ‘always-on’ environment, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the feeling that everything is essential and must be completed quickly. As media theorist Douglas Rushkoff asserts, we are now undergoing a state of ‘present shock.’ In other words, we lose our sense of long-term story and direction when we live in a constant, always-on ‘now.’
As a result, we get trapped in silos of tension, weariness, and disintegration. Over time, we lose our ability to identify and analyze our priorities effectively.
The Decision Matrix
Q1 — Do! (Urgent and Important)
Quadrant 1 is made up of tasks that are important and urgent. Crisis, deadline, and urgent problems are some of the things here. Do situation or Q1 includes things like feeling like you have to respond to an email within 24 hours or not being able to finish a task because of something that is out of your control. Make sure to pay your rent or mortgage if the due date has passed. This is a task that you should “Do.” With a lot of planning, you can lessen the sense of urgency. There are a lot of ways you can start working on your Annual Report now, rather than waiting until the week before it is due to start. People who do a lot of job №1 can move some of them to №2.
Q2 — Decide ! (Not urgent but Important)
Quadrant 2 is made up of tasks that are important but not urgent. These are relationships, planning, and fun. People should be able to spend most of their time on important things without feeling like they have to hurry. This is the second quadrant of the map. This is a list of tasks that don’t have a deadline but that help you reach your goals. This is a list of things that you should do to build relationships at work and at home, plan for the future (medium to long term), and have fun (such as hobbies or studying). It’s important for you to understand that there is never a “right time” to do something. If you want to be successful, you can’t wait for the “right time.” You have to live and plan your life to do well.
Q3 — Delegate ! (Urgent but not important)
Quadrant 3 contains jobs that are important but not urgent. These are the chores that demand immediate attention but are not crucial to achieving our objectives. Frequently, duties are relegated to your Quadrant 3 as a result of the activities of others. They are putting their own job ahead of yours. These may involve interruptions and meetings, as well as minor yet necessary tasks. Emails may also be classified in this quadrant if you struggle to differentiate between the urgent and the important.
According to Covey, individuals spend the majority of their time doing Quadrant 3 chores while believing they are performing Quadrant 1 duties. In other words, they are focusing their efforts on activities that are not nearly as critical as they believe. While you are responding to the needs of others in Quadrant 3, you feel good about your engagement in these chores. However, this does not imply that you are doing anything. While you may feel accomplished by crossing tasks off your list, you are also aware that you are making little progress toward your own long-term objectives. Quadrant 3 might be aggravating on a personal level.
Q4 — Delete! (Not Urgent and Not Important)
This section contains jobs that are neither urgent nor important. These activities do not contribute to your short- or long-term objectives. For instance, consider visiting the web or perusing television and social media. Obviously, if you devote all of your time, energy, and concentration to Quadrant 4, your professional career and work-life balance will suffer. This quadrant, however, has some benefit since it enables you to focus on activities that help you relax and decompress.
The quadrants in action
So how does all this discussion about quadrants assist you in managing your time more effectively? You must comprehend the difference between urgency and importance. Begin filtering and prioritizing what is really vital above what is just urgent. Choosing which chores should be completed in which quadrant demands ongoing awareness, discipline, and candor.
Consider the following example. Each month, you establish a strategy for paying a large cost, such as rent or a mortgage. After then, this becomes a Quadrant 2 work, since it is critical but not urgent. You’ve established a system in which your pay is deposited in your bank account and the lender withdraws an agreed-upon amount at the same time each month.
What happens if this system is unable to complete the transaction because you do not have sufficient money in your account to cover the payment? Then this critical duty becomes urgent as well! If prompt and decisive action is not taken, severe repercussions may result. It is more preferable to arrange for a systemized payment inside Quadrant 2.
After you’ve selected and prioritized your tasks, you may create objectives to aid in their completion. Regardless of the industry in which you operate, objectives provide direction and purpose for your everyday actions.
Best practices
Put your goals in trying to write. They won’t be able to talk them out. It takes longer to write down your goals with pen and paper than with an electronic device. This is a good thing, because it allows you to clearly picture your goals and put them in your subconscious mind as the first step.
Dig into each goal, and write down and describe all the specifics. In this, we talk about when and who and how many and cost and colors and so on. To reach your goals, you need to be as specific as you can be.
As you complete each step, mark it off. This will give you a better picture of how far you’ve come and what’s next.
Make sure your goals are a good fit for you. Can you do this? Do you need any help? It will cost what. It will take how long? A year from now, imagine that your goal is to become rich. That’s wonderful! But if you already make $80,000 a year, your goal isn’t a good one, right?
Start with the goal in mind. Start with where you want to go and work backwards to figure out how to get there. It’s called “Roadmap”.
SAVING AND CREATING TIME
Take use of the Pareto Principle
Setting time limitations and using the Pareto Principle are two effective strategies. In 1895, this was given the name Vilfredo Pareto after the Italian economist. Pareto observed that 80% of Italy’s wealth was concentrated in the hands of 20% of the people. He observed that his approach applied to practically every economic activity. Pareto’s 80/20 rule may be used in business today to determine how to prioritize work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
According to this theory, just two out of every 10 tasks on a to-do list will be more valuable than the other eight. That is, 20% of their jobs are worth as much as the other 80% combined. Ironically, individuals prefer to delay on the 10% to 20% of activities that are critical to their success and instead concentrate on the other 80%.
According to time management specialist Brian Tracey, “the guideline is to resist the desire to resolve minor issues first.” If you begin each day by doing low-value chores, you will quickly create the habit of always beginning and completing low-value things. It is preferable to begin your day by doing the most difficult, most vital activity. Plan your daily recurring duties.
Make a list of tasks.
This enables you to develop enthusiasm for the activity, organize yourself, delegate, and establish goals. To begin, create a list of all of your tasks and subtasks. Purpose to break down bigger jobs into sub-tasks so that neither the person nor the team is suddenly overwhelmed with work.
When defining tasks, be specific, include the whole team, and keep the timetable in mind. Bear in mind which individuals and processes cooperated in the past and which did not. Prioritize your tasks and assign responsibilities in accordance with their importance.
Utilizing colors enables you to rapidly review your work list: red indicates’must do’ chores; yellow indicates’should do’ tasks; and green indicates low-priority jobs that may be delegated or postponed. Finally, when you finish tasks, cross them off. This will assist you in remaining motivated and provide you with a feeling of accomplishment.
Think about the future.
Make a concerted effort to prepare strategically and realistically. Collaborate with others to leverage their strategic ideas.
Delegate
This is a critical tool for leveraging the activities of others to assist you in accomplishing your goals. Before delegating, consider if the work is acceptable for delegation or whether it would be preferable to do it yourself. Therefore, how can you effectively delegate?
Step 1 : Choose the appropriate person or group.
You should distribute authority and empower a team to make choices on its own, taking into account the team’s capabilities. When working with your team, you might use a progressive spectrum of delegated freedom.
Step 2: Capability assessment
Consider how you will advise the other person when assigning a job. Are they equipped with the abilities and expertise essential to do the job? Is job-specific training required?
Step 3 : Fully explain
Justify your delegation by stating why the work is being delegated. Consider what would happen if I approached you and asked you to do a critical assignment. I could argue that no one else with your skill set could accomplish it and, more crucially, that I trust you to perform this assignment for me. Isn’t that a very motivating factor for you?
Step 4 : Agree on the necessary resources
Confirm and agree in advance on the resources necessary for the individual to execute the allocated job. Discuss and agree on the necessary steps to complete the task. Consider available resources, assistive personnel, equipment, and further support.
Step 5: Specify the outcomes that must be obtained.
Get input from the other person to clarify your perspective. How will you and your colleagues monitor the progress of this task?
Step 6 : Confirm Deadlines
Ascertain that the individual to whom you are delegating knows what you want accomplished, when you want it accomplished, and at what degree. Additionally, invite them to approach you if they have any concerns or are hesitant. Ascertain that all parties understand what is required from the start.
Step 7 : Communicate often
It is your responsibility to educate this individual’s peers about the assignment they have been assigned, particularly if internal politics are involved. Establish regular check-ins throughout the early phases of the delegation, which may be reduced as the project proceeds. Arrange a last set of check-ins just before completion.
Step 8: Feedback the outcome
Following completion of the assignment, all stakeholders must be informed of performance and whether or not the objectives were met. Additionally, any pertinent concerns must be resolved. Accept shortcomings, express gratitude to the individual, and ensure they get credit for their efforts.
Your jobs in batches
Contrary to popular belief, multitasking is the most inefficient way to spend your time! Attempting to do many tasks concurrently — and failing to finish any of them completely — is a bad habit to develop. According to time management specialist Brian Tracey’s book Eat That Frog!, “it is estimated that the inclination to start and stop an activity — to pick it up, set it down, and return to it — may increase the time required to finish that work by up to 500 percent.” To prevent this detrimental ‘pick it up, put it down’ mentality, try batching your duties. By grouping your jobs, you allow your brain to operate at maximum efficiency and concentrate on a single activity at a time. For instance, create a batch of emails or make a batch of phone calls. You optimize your process through batching.
Ensure that you do not procrastinate.
Frequently, the primary reason for postponing on critical chores is that they first seem to be so enormous and tough. Has the Salami Method ever occurred to you? This is the point at which you can’slice’ the work. And then, by finishing one slice at a time, you gradually deplete the project’s resources. How are elephants consumed? At a bite’s worth!
PERSONAL TIME STEALERS MUST BE ELIMINATED
• Ineffective internal communication
• Excessive email viewing
• Interruptions
• Meetings
• Procrastination
• Distractions
• Perfectionism
• Inadequate planning
• Stress