Tips for Effective Time Management

After studying and analyzing how time is spent, why time is wasted, and where time is wasted you need to decide about the changes required for effective utilization of time. For this purpose, a large number of remedial measures can be taken by you. The first and foremost determinant of a planned and purposeful utilization of time is to develop consciousness of the value of time at all levels of the organization. Planning, goal setting, and defining priorities are concerns to addressed immediately.

The consciousness of Value of Time

The first and foremost determinant of a planned and purposeful utilization of time is to develop consciousness of the value of time at all levels of the organization. Once you have realized the value of time as a non-renewable precious resource and have developed the skill to manage your own time for better utilization, it is likely, that you will be able to inspire your team to do likewise.

The better you know yourself, the easier it is to set personal goals. If you spend some time on self-analysis you will become more aware of what you like and what you do not like; what is more important to you and what is less important. You will then be in a position to identify where to direct your efforts which itself is the foundation of a long-term personal plan. You are likely to have an opinion of how well you work. But have you ever considered this in detail? Such critical self-analysis can provide some very useful information.

Proper Planning and Setting and Prioritizing Goals

You have now spent some time considering how you work and on the underlying resources for this behavior. There will be strong points to build upon and weaker points which require some attention. Such knowledge will enable you to be more effective in managing your time.

Planning is one of the major functions of management. In the planning stage, based on objective realities, decisions are made about what needs to be done, how and by whom it has to be done, and what is the available time period within which it has to be done. You can categorize the goals to be achieved in the plan period as:

High priority (must be accomplished)
Moderate priority (should be accomplished)
Least priority (could be accomplished or abandoned temporarily)

You should also establish priorities among different goals as long term, intermediate, and short-range because the time period available may be insufficient for realizing all the goals at the same time. Consideration is needed for the probability of crisis situations demanding additional time like drought, epidemics, etc. Planning should be such that the normal time-bound activities are least disturbed. When this consideration is neglected during the planning stage, the crisis increase in its severity and you have to spend much time working on fighting measures and remains under-stress.

The goals you define should encompass both work and leisure. It is only when you have an idea of what you want to do with your life that you can decide what you have to spend your time on. It is not easy to define one's personal goals. A goal should motivate you to take action and provide some focus for your efforts. The following points are worth consideration while defining meaningful goals.

Goals should be written down.
Goals should be precise, achievable, and measurable.
Goals should have a time frame.
Goals should be compatible with one another.

Delegation of Responsibilities

You as a manager can have more time at your disposal by delegating responsibilities to subordinates. The selected subordinate should be allowed to take independent decisions while delegating authority so that valuable time-period may be gainfully used by you for more important works.

Conducting Productive Meetings

Meetings are necessary as part of work. But as explained earlier, unproductive meetings are responsible for wastage of valuable working period. To reduce such wastage of time, the number of such unproductive meetings must be kept to a bare minimum. The purpose of any meeting should be clear and well communicated to the participants beforehand. Meetings should be scheduled at such places and time that facilitates prompt attendance by the greatest number of participants.

Controlling the time that discussions, deliberations, and questions take constitutes an important part of conducting a meeting. You as a convener or the chairperson have to be very cautious not to allow irrelevant or unscheduled points in the discussion process. The meeting should start and finish within a definite time period.

Managing Problem of Visitors

Managers should not use an 'always open door' policy to accommodate visitors in order to successfully control their working time. Fixed-hours are to be set to meet visitors and even subordinates. It is always helpful to fix an hour on a day in a week for the concerned subordinate staff to discuss their problems and progress of the undergoing activities.

Using Effective Devices for Improving Time Utilization

The habit of practicing some simple yet effective means to plan purposeful utilization of time can help you. Keeping a pocket-calendar facilitates accurate and efficient scheduling of appointments, assignments, and time-bound obligations. Maintaining a list of tasks to be done today on a notebook will enable you to discharge your day to day duties smoothly without unnecessary last-minute rushes or to avoid keeping other people waiting for your arrival or instruction.

To develop time-saving practices in-office procedures for routine and recurring situations 'standard forms or formats' could be used.

Planning Time Arrangements

In an organization, various types of activities are performed to achieve definite time-bound objectives. Proper planning is essential to co-ordinate the activities and for purposeful and efficient utilization of the working hours of the employees.