Transcript Time Management PPT Presentation for Managers

MANAGING YOUR TIME
BUSINESS GROWTH
IF YOUR MANAGERS COULD
HANDLE THEIR TIME BETTER
THEY’D BE HANDLING YOUR
BUSINESS BETTER ,TOO.
Nothing affects your success as a manager
as much as your ability to manage your
time . Yet of all the resources you have ,
this vital element is the least understood ,
the most ignored , and the worst managed.
The simple truth is that executives unable
to manage their time can’t manage .
Instead of acting ,they react; instead of
anticipating problems they are busy trying
to solve them. Effective managers make
thing happens – they run their jobs ; their
job don’t run them
- Dr. Alec Mackenzie
DANGER SIGNALS!?!
How can the individual manager tell
whether he has a serious problem
with time management ?
WHAT ARE THE DANGER SIGNALS ?
1.
2.
3.
4.
“ If only I had more time ” .
“ I haven’t got a thing done today ”.
“ But it’s because I need more staff you see ”.
“ Is that the time ? – just where did it go ”.
One often hears these executive bleats . They
are the early warning signals indicating that the
job needs to be reorganized.
...(cont.)
Constantly working long hours is another danger signal . This is a doubtful practice
anyway as the manager who works at night generally works at low efficiency.
Yet another warning is excessive fire fighting . Some managers like an atmosphere of
hurry and bustle . They are never happier than when putting out fires .But a lot of
fire fighting is a sign that problems are not being solved. It means that the same old
problems keep coming up again and again. Either the manager doesn’t know how
to solve the problem, or he hasn’t enough time to do it.
Some managers are encouraged, by the very nature of their job, to bad work
organization. They have trouble shooting jobs, where time fragmentation is
inevitable, so they tend to carry over a butterfly style even to the part of the job that
can be controlled .Trouble-shooters must be wary.
Other danger signals are evident when managers feel that they would like to contribute
more, and perhaps have particular projects in mind, but have not been able to get
them started.
…(cont.)
There are many reasons why a manager may feel his job needs reorganizing He
may think that he is doing a lot of work which could be done by his subordinates
.He may feel that he is not devoting his time logically between the most important
aspects of his work. He may be worried about not having enough time for creative
work , or that the event of the day seems to determine how he spends his time, or
that he is unable to get projects finished due to constant interruptions .
A manager may feel that he needs a better definition of his job objectives, and what
needs to be done to achieve them. If so, he will need to study this in detail .His
boss should participate, and also if possible his colleagues. This is beyond the
scope of his article , but it is important that objectives are clear before setting out to
improve time management. For if a manager does not have a clear idea of his job
objectives and how they are linked to the goals of his company, then he may
punish up being very good at getting the wrong things done .
Is work piled up? Am I
behind? What kind of work
is lagging? My regular
reports , the work for which
I am accountable? Or is it
high leverage new ideas, or
creative thinking? Am I
making full use of my
people through delegation?
Do I have a system for
staying informed on the
progress of a planned job?
“Pity the overworked executive!
Behind his paperwork ramparts,
he struggles bravely with a
seemingly superhuman load of
responsibilities . Burdened with
impossible assignments, beset
by constant emergencies, he
never has a chance to get
organized. Pity him – but
recognize him for the dangerous
liability that he is.”
- Rendall
TIME WASTERS
(Organizational compulsion and traditions often are a source of time
wastage. Total organizational commitment and efforts are required to
facilitate effective return of Executive Time Investment )
* Lack of dynamism/direction
* Boss
* Centralized Decision making
* Short term survival orientation
* Meeting – lack duration
- long duration
* Confusing in priorities
* Responsibilities without authority
* Tradition / Red tapism
* Telephone/communication
facilities
* poor staffing policies
*Unavailability of people
* Role confusing
( It is essential to differentiate DOING from MANAGING, ACTIVITIES from
RESULTS, being busy from being effective , and detail strategy. Planned
priorities and objectives give executives a sense of direction and aid in
purposeful utilization of various resources ,including TIME. )
* Lack of priorities
* Unclear objectives
* Inadequate policies/procedure
* Role ambiguities
* failure of delegate
* Poor filing/Information system
* Incomplete subordinate
* Lost in operating details
* Paperwork/procedure mentality
* Over management of subordinates
* Unrealistic time estimate .
“My Boss is my Chief time waster…” this
appears in every list of time wasters .
There is a basic reason for this, the
numerous contact of a subordinate with
his boss provide many occasion for time
waste.
It is extremely important for the manager
to be aware of the effect he has on his
subordinates’ time. There are three sins
that are committed with wearying
frequency- transmitting instruction
poorly, keeping subordinates waiting ,
and interrupting their work.
TIME WASTERS
(Often executives indicate the external factors to be the primary sources
of time wastage. But when a proper time analysis is made, they
discover that the !man within! Is the main source generating such
time wasters as:
* Hazy value system
* Lack of self-discipline
* Indecision
* Habits
* Procrastination
* Playing safe
* Frustrations
* Past experience
* Lack of clarity of purpose
* Insecurity
* Excuses
* Overcautious approaches
* Impatience with details
* Over socializing tendencies
(External events and happenings affect the effective use of time. Often
these external factors are projected as the chief factors of time
wastage.
External factors are blamed for one’s own lack of imaginative
endeavors. Excuses, ‘alibis’, comparison are used for reason for
ineffectiveness )
* Interruption
* Drop in visitors
* Change of events
* Social Myths on loyalty of long hour.
* Excessive public relations demands
* Expectations of personal favors
* Political affinities/influences
TIME WASTERS
TIME WASTERS
*Lack of planning
POSSIBLE CAUSE
Failure to see the benefit.
Action orientation
Success without planning
SOLUTION
Recognize that planning takes time, but
saves time in the end.
Emphasize results, not activity.
Recognize that success is often in
spite of, not because of methods.
*Lack of priorities
Lack of goals/objectives
Write down goals and objectives.
Discuss priorities with your
subordinates .
*Over commitment
Broad interests
Confusion in priorities
Failure to set priorities
Say no.
Put first things first.
Develop a personal philosophy of time
relate priorities to a schedule of
events.
TIME WASTERS
*Management by Crisis
POSSIBLE CAUSE
Lack of planning
Unrealistic time estimate
Problem Orientations
Reluctance of subordinates
to break bad news.
*Haste
Impatience with details
Responding to the urgent
Lack of planning
Attempting too much in
too little time.
*Paperwork and reading
Knowledge explosion
SOLUTION
Same solutions as for lack
of planning.
Allow more time. Allow for
“jerk inputs.”
Be opportunity-oriented.
Encourage fast transmission
of information as essential
for timely corrective action.
Take time to get it right. Save
the time of doing it over.
Distinguish between urgent
and important.
Planning pays and repays.
Attempt less. Delegate more.
Read selectively. Learn speed
reading .delegate reading to
others.
TIME WASTERS
*Routing and Rival
POSSIBLE CAUSE
Lack of priorities.
Over management of
subordinates
*Visitors
Enjoying of socializing
Inability to say no
*Telephone
*Meetings
Lack of self-discipline
Desire to be informed
and involved
Fear of responsibility
for decisions.
SOLUTION
Set and concentrate on goals.
Delegate non-essentials.
Delegate; then give them
their hand .Look to results,
not the details of methods.
Do it elsewhere. Meet
visitors outside. Suggests
lunch or breakfast meetings.
Hold stand-up conference.
Screen. Say no. Be
unavailable. Modify the
open –door policy.
Screen and group calls.
Be brief.
Stay uninvolved with all
but essentials.
Make decisions without
Meetings.
TIME WASTERS
*Indecision
POSSIBLE CAUSE
Lack of rational decisionmaking process.
Fear of making mistakes.
*Lack of delegation
Fear of subordinates
inadequacy
Fear of subordinates
competence.
Workload on subordinates.
SOLUTION
Get facts, set goals,
Investigate alternatives,
make division and
implement it. Track result.
Delegate the right to be
wrong. Use mistake as a
learning process.
Train. Allow mistakes.
Replace if necessary.
Delegate fully. Give credit.
Insure corporate growth to
maintain challenge.
Balance the workload.
Staff up. Re-order
priorities.
TIME MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLE
NEED FOR TIME MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS
Numerous articles have been written on the subject of time management, may
containing similar recommendation for the conservation of this valuable resource.
Too many of the time articles focus upon gimmicks, such as how to save time by not
having a desk in the office, or how to dictate in your car to save an hour. These tips
may be invaluable to a small sector of a business community, but their practicality for
the majority of manager is, at best, considered doubtful.
The management of time, per se, is a management process itself, which consist of the
function of planning, organizing and controlling. That is, to manage one’s time
entails planning and organizing for its efficient use as well as controlling its use.
Learning how to manage time would seem to be enhanced through
development of principles that could be applied according to the situation.
1.
PRINCIPLE APPLICABLE TO PLANNING
Planning is selecting among choices. Planning the use of one’s time involves finding
out first how it is now used, deciding how it should be used, and scheduling its
proper use in the manner described.
* principle of time analysis – Time analysis is a prerequisite to time management.
Keeping a daily log of activities which records increments of 15 to 30 minutes
duration over a span of not less than two week is essential as the basis of the
analysis
* principle of daily planning – Daily planning, formulated after business hours the
previous day or early before business hours on the same day, in consequences
with near term objectives and events, is essential to the effective utilization of
personal time.
*principle of budgeting by priority – The time available in the workday should be
budgeted for the accomplishment of those items of work having the highest
priorities.
2. PRINCIPLE APPLICABLE TO ORGANIZING
The organizing function concerns how the manager organizes his work and his
environment to become more efficient in the use of time . The first organizing
principle is:
•
Principle of Delegation – delegation of all possible work items consistent with limitations
of the managers job is essential to provide the time needed for managerial jobs.
•
Principle of activity Segmentation – Work items similar in nature and requiring similar in
nature and requiring similar environmental surroundings and resources for their
accomplishment should be grouped within divisions of the work day.
•
Principle of control and interruptions –Adequate controls and/or arrangements of
activities to minimize the number and duration of unnecessary interruptions is essential to
time managements.
•
Principle of minimization of routine Type work- Work items which are routine in
nature and which constitute little value to overall objectives shall be minimized.
3. PRINCIPLE APPLICABLE TO CONTROLLING
After planning and organizing the work in line with the applicable principles there
remains only plan implementations and daily follow up. AS MOORE STATES :
“The concept of control through plans and schedules is Fundamental to sound
management and to increasing effectiveness … To gain his objective as planned …
he compare the actual expenditure to the resource with the plan and the schedule .
The variance permits make him to make decisions about the plan, the schedule , and
the performance , and the adjust all three in tune with his objectives and conditions
he is facing. ”
This involves the use of following principles:
•
Principle of plan Implementation and follow up – Implementations of the daily follow
up is essential to time management.
•
Principle of repeated Analysis – Time usage analysis should be repeated at least semiannually to preclude reverting to poor time management habits.
TOWARDS A PERSONAL TIME
MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Most people take a haphazard approach to managing their time. They’ve heard
that such-and such a tactic will help save time , so they try it once or twice ,
then perhaps drop it and switch to another. Few people in the Frenetic world
of management actually have a time management strategy made up of a
combination of tactics .
For every individual manager there is a particular combination of principles that
would result to a particular solution to his time problem. But if he is unaware
of what these concepts are, how can he choose the mix that will lead to the
best course of action? The object of this article is first to list the most
pervasive principles of time management, and then show how a busy
executive can apply techniques based on these principles in a selective ,
custom-tailored manner.
The key concepts of time managements include at least the following:
Towards a personal Time management strategy
1.
Time analysis- A daily log of activities for at least one week, taken in 15-minute
increments , is essential as a basis of effective time analysis . It should be
repeated at least semi annually to avoid reverting to poor time managements
practices.
2.
Anticipation- anticipatory action is generally more effective then remedial action .
Since a stitch in time saves nine, expect the unexpected and plan for it.
3.
Planning- every hour spent in effective planning saves three to four in execution ,
and gets better results. Both long range and daily planning , preferably formulated
before or after business hours, essential to effective utilization of personal time.
4.
Flexibility- flexibility in scheduling personal time may be necessary to adjust to
forces beyond one’s control.
5.
Objective and priority settings – More effectives results are achieved through
purposeful pursuit of planned objectives than by chance . If time is not allocated to
tasks in ordered sequence of priority, managers will tend to spend time in amounts
inversely related to the importance of their tasks.
6.
Deadlines- Imposing deadlines and exercising self-discipline in adhering to them
aids managers in overcoming indecision , vacillation, and procrastination.
7.
Alternatives – In any given situations, failure to generate viable alternative
solutions limits the likelihood of selecting the most effective course of action.
8.
Consolidation – similar tasks should be grouped within division of the workday
to minimize interruption and to economize in the utilization of resources and
expenditure of effort.
9.
Concentration of efforts- As critical few actions generally produce the great bulk
of results . Effective managers concentrate their efforts on the critical few events.
10.
Effectiveness- Efficiency may be defined as doing any job right, effectiveness as
doing the right job right. Efforts, however efficient, will be ineffective if performed
on the wrong time, or with unintended negative consequences.
11.
Delegation- Authority for decision making should be delegated to the lowest level
consistent with good judgment and available facts. Managers tend to promote
upward delegation unwittingly by encouraging dependence of subordinates upon
them for answer s. this result in doing the work of subordinates.
12.
Visibility- Keeping them visible (those things) you intend doing increases the
certainty of achieving your objective. You can’t do what you can’t remember.
Few people can apply all these principle simultaneously .
But once a manager knows them, he can make up his
own personalized strategy, composed of certain tactics
that work best for him- and that work best in combination
with other selected tactics.
A MULTI-TACTIC STRATEGY
President Charles Hummel of Barrington College has a strategy composed of
many tactics: He practices exception managements, concentration of efforts
,consolidation, planning , priority setting and visibility. As he explained it, for
the professional manager everything starts with planning. One of thousands
of managers using a pocket diary, he records the objectives for the day in
priority order. He concentrates his efforts on the top-priority task first. He
practices interruption control through secretarial screening of calls and
visitors; “planned unavailability” is his ultimate defense. Calls-backs not
handled by others are consolidated into a period convenient to him. Visible
records of short range objectives are maintained by individual officers of his
administrative team. As a matter is being discussed and its disposition
agreed to, Hummel is noting the decision on a sheet listing all matters
discussed with each team member.
Hummel plans systematically for both the short and the long term. Planning for one to
five year is done formally with his administrative staff and board. He plans for his day
the afternoon before and the early morning of that day. He allocates an hour at the
end of the week to plan the next week, and a day at month’s end to plan the next
month. This day , whenever possible , is spent away from his office in a hotel room
without a telephone.
Hummel likens the “impulse spending” of time to the “impulse buying” practiced by most
Americans. Before getting to the item he really needs in the store , one often spends
his money on items that catch his eye on counters along the way. On arrival at his
goal his supply of money may be exhausted. “so it is with time,” says Hummel “we
are tyrannized by the urgent and by doing the things ought.” effective time
management , he concludes, is a practical imperative for the professional manger.
Most of these principles , you may have observed , are really just common sense . But it
often takes uncommon sense to put them together into a viable solution
A realistic and courageous preparation of EXECUTIVE TIME LOG or
Time Inventory, is an essential must for effective use of time.
There are two basic question :
(a)
(b)
Am I doing the right job?
Am I doing the job in EFFECTIVE way.
Time log
It’s Significance
All research on TIME MANAGEMENT highlighting the importance,
necessity and efficiency of the Time log or diary method. The time
log or inventory is necessary because the painful task of changing
our habits requires far more conviction than we can build from
learning about the experience of others.
(b) Analysis of present time usage
Time analysis on the basis of a record kept for two or three weeks is a
prerequisite for effective time management. The Manager himself or
an assistant /secretary keep the daily record of all the tasks and
activities from morning to evening in segments of 30 to 60 minutes.
It is also important to indicate “by whom the activity was initiated ”
and “under which category that particular activity falls” – such as
planning, review, meetings with individuals, group, with boss, paper
work, traveling, public relations etc.
(c) A typical record sheet
given in the next page can be modified to suit your own requirements.
TIME RECORD SHEET
TIME
8.30-9.00
9.00-9.30
9.30-10.00
10.00-11
11-11.30
AFTERNOON
DETAIL
INITIATED BY
WITH WHOM
CATEGORIES
(d) Analysis of the Time Record Sheet
Once the time record sheets have been completed for a period of three
or two weeks, it is necessary to study each activity asking the
following important question to test the relevance and utility of
each item activity:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What would happen if this weren’t done at all ?
What would happen if this were left till later ?
Could this be done by someone else just as well, if not better ?
Is this contributing to my subordinates effectiveness or is it
wasting his time ?
(e) Re-allocation of time
on the basis of the analysis and questioning one can easily reallocate
time to the significant priorities and eliminate the activities which
are not contributing to effectiveness .
(f) Some research findings
The common findings of many mangers who took the trouble to prepare a time log
to the significant priorities and eliminate the activities which are not contributing
to effectiveness.
Pin pointing and defining the priorities appear to be a difficult task. Manager tend to
feel that every task is important.
Another finding was that considerable time was spent in reading “for information”
material sent by their subordinates. Noting prepared at many levels, and make
the files bulky. Many senior managers are at a loss as how to stop this ‘passing
the buck’ approach.
Delegation by results and periodic reviews are the two missing items in many senior
mangers work life.
Time spent in meetings is abnormally high. The unscheduled meetings often
convened by top officials tend to destroy the priorities and plan of the
subordinates.
HODONTS analysis of the various type of time logs or inventories reveal the
senior managers are more often busy with day to day activities rather than
long term policies and strategies. It is pathetic to note that most managers
do not even invest one hour per week for any type of self development.
Above all, the analysis of time log usually reveals the many miscalculations in
the mind of Managers concerning the vital priorities of their jobs, where
their time is allocated and what are the areas of improvement.
Priorities need to be balanced and should cover the different aspects of one’s
life and one’s situations. In practical terms priorities should include:
(a) Job- both technical and managerial;
(b) Personal growth and development;
(c) Family concerns; and
(d) Leisure time activities.
And all effective executives control their Time Management perpetually.
They not only keep a continuing log and analyze it periodically. They
set themselves deadlines for the important activities, based on their
judgment of their discretionary time.
Time is the scariest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else
can be managed. The analysis of one’s time, moreover, is the one
easily accessible and yet systematic way to analyze one’s work and
to think through what really matters in it.
“know thyself”, the old perception for wisdom , is almost impossibly
difficult for mortal men. But everyone can follow the injection “know
thy time” if he wants to, and be well on the road towards contribution
and effectiveness .
ABC ANALYSIS
STUDY AND PLAN YOUR WORK LOAD
ESSENTIAL
Must do this work personally
rework very closely with
whoever does it.
TOP PRIORITY
IMPORTANT-IF-TIME
This item is worthy of my attention
If I can afford the time to denote it.
Second priority
BASICALLY NON-ESSENTIAL
My doing it needs more
Justification than my
Not doing it.