Time Management By – N.G.Palit

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Problem Of Time

• In today’s fast moving world, one common problem faced by all, is how to squeeze out some more time.

• It is the problem is of ’Time’, rather lack of time management.

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Why Time Management?

• To utilise the available

time in optimum

manner to achieve

one’s personal and

professional goals.

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What is TimeManagement?

• It means – ”Applying management

principles which help in maximizing

the value of time by including

productive activities and rejecting

activities which are waste of time or

produce negative results.”

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Time Management

• In the present generation of intense

competition, there is always a

tremendous pressure for optimal

utilization of the most valuable

resource –’Time’

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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

complain about shortage of time.

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Time Management

• The supply of time is

cruelly restricted, out

of which we have to

spin health, pleasure,

money and respect.

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Time Management

* ” Right and effective

use of time is a matter

of the highest urgency

and the most thrilling

activity.

- Armoly Bannet

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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).

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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

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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.

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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.

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Time Management

• Remember that Time is Money.

No, it is even more than Money.

- Ben Franklin (1748)

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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.

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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.

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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”.

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Managing Work Activities

• It involves the following:

• Job clarification

• Priority setting

• Planning & Organizing

• Delegation

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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’.

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Outline

• Why is Time Management Important?• Goals, Priorities, & Planning• TO DO Lists• Desks, paperwork, telephones• Scheduling yourself• Delegation• Meetings

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Why Time Management is Important

• “The Time

Famine”

• Bad time management

= stress20

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.21

Eleminate Time Thieves

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External Time Thieves

• Interruptions by

telephone or mobile

• Drop in visitors

• Visual distractions

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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. 24

Internal Time Thieves

Crisis Management• One has to resort to

crisis management

mostly when starting

a work without a

proper plan

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Internal Time Thieves

• Too much paper work:

It can be minimized by-

* using telephone

* writing small note

on a slip.

* Preparing reports

using computer26

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.27

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”.28

Procrastination

• ”Procrastination

is the thief of

time”. - Edward Young

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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.30

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.’

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Avoid Procrastination

• If you think you can

do it, begin it.

• Begin and the mind

grows heated.

• Begin, and the task

is completed.

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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

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Inability to say ’No’

• Don’t say ’Yes’, when

you want to say ’No’

• Learn to say ’No’,

when it is appropriate

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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

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Meeting without Agenda

• Decide clear agenda

of the meeting and

allocate time to each

topic.

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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.

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Writing Time

• Organize your ideas

before writing.

• Decide in advance

how to structure the

content.

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Dealing With Papers

• Handle it only

once.

• Read, and decide

what you want to

do with it

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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

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Apply ’GUTS’ Technique

• Give it away

• Use it

• Throw it

• Send it

• Decide what to do with the

incoming and outgoing mails

• Filing

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How To Use Time Better

• Plan for short, medium

and long run

• Keep focus on your

priorities

• Distinguish between

’urgent and important’ work

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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’

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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?44

Monkey –On-The- Shoulder

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• 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. 46

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’.

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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.48

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.

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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.

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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’, etc51

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

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Priority Setting

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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.54

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.

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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.

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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.57

Telephone

• Keep calls short

• Start by announcing goals for the call

• Have something in view that you’re waiting to get to next

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The Balancing Act

“Work expands so as

to fill the time available for its

completion”Parkinson’s Law

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Meetings

• Average executive: > 40% of time.

• Prepare & follow an agenda

• Think for 1 minute : an efficient way to keep track of decisions made in a meeting: who is responsible for what by when?

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.61

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.62

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

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Make the Best Use Of Today

* ”The only

preparation for

tomorrow, is the

right use of

TODAY

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Time Management Benefits

• Remember special

events.

• Have advance

preparation time.

• Have more focus

and less stress.

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Even More Benefits

• Work smarter,

not harder.• Open up free time

for family, friends,

and fun.• Enjoy peace of

mind.66

Closing Thought

• ” A journey of a thousand miles

must begin with a single step.”

- Lao- Tzu

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THANK YOU - N.G.Palit

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