© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Section II Basic Management/ Personal Skills Chapter 6 Time Management: Minute by Minute

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Time Defined Time is the period between two events or during which something exists, happens or acts. Time is finite, instant, constant and, in a sense, an illusion.

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Time Management: Planning and Organizing Time Best accomplished through organization, planning and review Involves: –Managing yourself and your daily life –Committing yourself to make quality use of your time –Planning and organizing time to accomplish your most important goals in the shortest time possible

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Value of Time Time is the greatest management resource. All other resources can be increased, but time is fixed.

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Goals and Time Management Goals are the heart of time management. Segmenting tasks –Tickler file system Goals, objectives and the Pareto principle –Identifies the (few) vital tasks and the (many) trivial tasks Setting priorities Urgent vs. important

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Organizing Time Keep a daily time log or time list. Without a time log, you don’t know –Where your time goes –How much time is spent on what duties –How frequently activities occur

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Controlling Time The Daily To-Do List –May be the single most important time management tool Important and urgent (for example, budget due next week) Important but not urgent (getting physically fit) Urgent but not important (a meeting you are expected to attend— politically important, but not task related) Busy work (cleaning files rather than starting on a project) Wasted time (sitting in traffic with no audiocassettes or cell phone)

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Scheduling Sort tasks. Purge whatever you can. Assign a time. Containerize the time needed to do the task. Equalize.

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Time Abusers Combating Unproductive Time: External Time Wasters Telephone Drop-in visitors Meetings Socializing Firefighting

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Time Abusers Combating Unproductive Time: Internal Time Wasters Meetings Drop-in employees Procrastination Failure to set goals and objectives Failure to prioritize, delegate or plan Personal errands Indecision Lack of organization

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Combating Procrastination Start with your most unpleasant task to get it out of the way. Set aside half an hour a day to work on a given project—schedule the time to do it. Do not worry about doing a task perfectly the first time through. Work briskly. Speed up your actions.

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Priorities and Posteriorities Priorities –Tasks we must do –Have a big payoff and prevent negative consequences Posteriorities –Tasks we do not have to do –Have a minimal payoff and very limited negative consequences

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Controlling the Paper Flood and the Information Load Use single handling for most items. Improve reading skills. –Skimming and scanning –Subvocalization, regression and narrow eye span Delegate. Share some reading tasks. Add less to the paper flood yourself.

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Productivity—the Bottom Line Overdoing is harmful to your health. It’s also hazardous to the quality of your work. Time is the most important and scarcest resource managers possess. Control time as you would budget dollars. You cannot make time, but you can use available time better.

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning The Physiology of Productivity Speed yourself up. Walk briskly. Talk crisply. Write rapidly.