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In our contemporary ever changing post-modernistic world, the temporal dimension has become more and more important. This is particularly correct in the high-tech industry, because of expending global competition and increased demands for immediate availability of innovative products and services. Also, the speed with which global communication now takes place has substantially altered our temporal and spatial horizons. Thus, we all experience the increased pace of life shown in doing things faster, contracting time expenditure (e.g. sleep less, eat faster) and compressing actions (making a phone call while having lunch). Therefore, it is essential that we will know how to manage time effectively. This is extremely important for the organization as well as for the individual. From the organizational perspective, the effective use of time via forceful scheduling, coordination between employees and business processes are critical elements equally to the profitability and the growth of the organization. This issue is extremely critical that in many organizations there are special functions dealing with time management such as project managers. From the individual perspective, the more effectively we handle time, the more we have a sense of well-being, job satisfaction, and less feelings of strain and exhaustion related to work. Managing time is important at all levels of the high-tech organization, even for software developers.

Time was considered for a long time an objective variable only. Therefore the term “time management” is misleading. That’s because time cannot be managed- it is an inaccessible factor. Only the way a person deals with time can be influenced. However, we can’t forget that time has more than one subjective dimension. This is called “psychological time”. One example of this is that when we enjoy ourselves we sense that “time flies”, and the opposite is true when we do not.

What is time management?

Time management refers to various behaviors that aim at achieving an effective use of time while performing certain goal directed activities. This definition includes three kinds of behaviors:

Time assessment behaviors Planning behaviors Monitoring behaviors

There is no clarity regarding the question: is time management a skill that one can learn or is it a part of one’s personality? One way or the other, Mangers have training programs to help them learn the skills of time management. Those programs believed to influence performance under time constrains through the perception of control of time.

How to manage time effectively?

• Organize that desk. While many people think “organized chaos” characterizes their desks, this is seldom the case. Some even say they know where to find everything. The critical issue is whether one has what one need and acts on it. On average, it has been suggested that one hour a day is spent looking for papers. If papers are handled, acted on, and then filed, forwarded to the appropriate person, or thrown away, there is less additional clutter on desk tops. The famous pile method should be avoided. Papers that are not immediately needed should be properly filed. Then once the desk is organized, it must be kept organized.
• Keep a “things-to-do” list. While: this may seem to be “low tech” in a “high tech” world, it is extremely effective in keeping people on track and focused on what has to be accomplished. The actual method of recording these tasks is not as important as the actual tracking of the list itself. So the high tech fans can use their technology and the low- tech fans can use paper and pencil.
• Set priorities before you leave the office at the end of the day. Even if you are worn out, behind schedule, or frazzled by the events of the day, go through your tasks and projects and outline the next business day. This way when you arrive at work that morning, you already know what to start on. Over the course of the previous night, your brain may even have worked out solutions to some unfinished business rather than pondering what it had to keep track of.
• Highlight important e-mails -and sort the others for later. Flag or colorize e-mails in your inbox. Many people use multiple folders to keep e-mails. Keep e-mails on screen if some action is required. “Out of sight is out of mind”.
• Set aside blocks of time for you. If you need time to get your own work done (which may include updating your project list or reviewing e-mail or voicemail), schedule time for yourself. That way no one else will schedule a meeting with you and you’ll be able to get your work done.
• Know where the time goes. Most people do not really know where their time goes and how some time may be wasted. There are usually some time wasters in everyone’s schedule. But until a time utilization study (even informally) is conducted, these are not identified. A simple tracking of time by half-hour increments can often help determine where time is wasted or used less productively. This provides an opportunity to evaluate how tasks can be re-arranged to maximize productivity. Examples may include clustering all meetings for vendors on the south side of town for one day rather than wasting precious time driving to the south side on three separate days.
• Delegate some of your tasks. In looking at your list(s) of projects, perfect candidates for delegation include:
  • Anything that could/would be a learning opportunity for someone else.
  • Something you could do in your sleep if you had time, but that you can’t do personally.
  • A task you can explain quickly and easily
  • A project for which you know the timetable(s) involved.
• Use that waiting time wisely. All those short tasks on the things-to-do list can be addressed during those waiting times. That reading file can be brought along to more effectively use that time spent waiting. People don’t always realize how much time is spent waiting- on hold on the telephone, in meetings waiting for others to arrive, or in lines. Planning for that waiting time can mean accomplishing more tasks - rather than complaining about the wait. If there is a file ready to be picked up for just such times, the wait seems to go faster and more is accomplished.
• Remember that small amounts of time add up. Too often, people think that a few minutes saved aren’t any big deal. The key is the additive effect. If just five minutes a day are saved, the effect at year’s end can be significant.

Tags: Manage time effectively, organizational psychology, Project Management, Time, Time management, Time managing, tips to manage time

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 7th, 2008 at 9:28 am and is filed under Project Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.