Time Management
Time management is the effective managing of time to have the right allocation of time to the right activity. Time management is not limited to the managing of time, as it requires individuals to have proper organization in relation to time (Management Study Guide 1). Effective management of time should therefore allow the individual to have a specific time slot to an activity according to its level of importance. In this manner, time management is the best use of time as a resource. The need for effective time management arises from the fact that, it is a limited resource that is valuable, since it is perishable, irreplaceable, and cannot be saved in any manner. Time is can only be transformed or evolves by its continuous reallocation from one essential activity to another, or from an activity with a low value to a higher value activity.
Time management plays an important role in various principles and disciplines of management like project management. However, given the varied references to time management, this research finds there is not specific scientific and academic definition given to time management. However, it is generally the range of techniques, tools, skills, and ideas, that when used t control time accomplish a specific goal (Management Study Guide 1). These set of activities that assist an individual to accomplish their goal in a specific time allowance involve planning, setting goals, allocating, delegation, monitoring, organizing, analysis of time spent, prioritizing, and scheduling. However, despite the lack of agreed upon definition of time management, scholars, academics, and individuals alike agree that time management is a core skill required by persons in every aspect of their lives.
Effective time management calls for proper planning of time and tasks to have a sustainable synchronized plan. Tasks are planned through prioritizing and ordering them according to the level of importance using various methods like the WADE’s formula (Hignet et al. 3). This entails the writing down of tasks in the planner, the addition of an estimate of time for each task, the making of a decision on when to carry out the task, and the execution of the plan.
The prioritization of activities and tasks in time management can make use of different methods proposed in literature. These are the ABC method, which is an important and common time setting technique often applicable in the business field. The approach categorizes activities according to their importance marked as A, B, and C. the method calls for the individual to have discipline in completing the tasks, since it requires the completion of tasks in category A, prior to attending to activities in category B (Hignet et al. 4). Category A represents all primary, basic, and urgent tasks, which can cause serious consequences to the organization by failing to complete them. Category B are all the tasks considered secondary, as they have less serious consequences to the organization by failing to complete them (Hignet et al. 4). Category C represents tasks that are neither urgent nor important, which have no consequence to the organization.
The second method in the prioritization of tasks to be allocated time is the POSEC method. The method calls for the “Prioritizing by Organizing, Stream-lining, Economizing, and Contributing” (Hignet et al. 5). This method is founded on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as it calls for self-realization and has found wide application in the business field. The method requires the prioritizing of tasks by ordering goals based on the level of importance. This step calls for the ascertaining of responsibilities and time to be spent on each task, to enable the individual to reach personal efficiency in the work environment. The second step calls for organizing, where goals are ordered in an efficient and effective manner (Hignet et al. 5). The third step is the streamlining of tasks that need to be done like chores and work. The forth step is the economizing which involves the saving of time by proficiently assessing tasks that are not urgent or with low priority like socializing. The fifth step is “contribution,” which involves social activities that change the individual and the organization on a long-term basis and call for the individual to participate in by making a contribution (Hignet et al. 5).
The third method for organizing tasks is the Pareto Analysis approach. This method entails the 80 to 20 rule, where 80% of the issues in time management are the result of 20% of the causes (Hignet et al. 6). The interpretation of this method implies that 80% of the tasks can be accomplished within the 20% of the time, and 20% of the productive tasks can be completed in 80% of the time. The method first calls for the identification of productive and non-productive activities or obstacles, a review of daily schedule to identify periods on passes without having met any productivity.
Pareto’s method was applied by Dwight Eisenhower, and is identified as applicable to individuals as well as organizations. The method calls for the evaluation of daily activities and their prioritization according to the level of urgency or importance, leading to the Eisenhower time management method (Hignet et al. 7). In this method, tasks are divided into two broad categories, the first is important or urgent tasks. This is where all tasks that must be accomplished immediately and take up most of the time, must be fulfilled in this category. The second quadrant is the important and not urgent tasks, which are tasks that have a priority but do not require immediate attention. The third quadrant is the unimportant and urgent tasks, which are tasks with the lowest priority and which are not urgent, hence can be delegated to others to handle them (Hignet et al. 7). The last quadrant is the unimportant and not urgent tasks that are not a priority and not urgent, therefore require the least amount of attention and time resource, and should be considered as obstacles.
The last method is the “Fit Method,” that first allots all resources to any given tasks like equipments, location, skills, and financing based on their availability in reference to the resource of time. Therefore, this implies that an individual’s activities are limited by external constraints, which dominate their resources. To achieve maximum productivity, the fit method assists in the allocation of resources efficiently.
This is because various obstacles and challenges in the life and work of an individual causing serious impact to their work, and the organizations success hinder effective time management. There are many reasons associated with ineffective time management. These reasons can be categorized into three broad obstacles of time management as given by Morgenstern Julie (Hignet et al. 3). These are external realities, technical errors, and psychological factors.
Technical errors refer to the lack of a particular skill required in splitting time. The lack of such a skill can cause serious problems like the allocation of the wrong time, where time is allocated to the wrong energy cycle of an individual making them loose energy and concentration (Hignet et al. 3). Poor skills in splitting of time cause a person to miscalculate the amount of time required to complete a task, assigning the wrong person to a certain task, creating disorganization, and a complex overly of tasks. External realities refer to the challenges to the management of time that are beyond the power and control of an individual. External realities cause serious problems in the execution of tasks since they prevent an individual’s energy like the lack of sleep, unrealistic workload, disorganized partner, and an environment full of interruptions (Hignet et al. 3). The third set of challenges to time management are psychological obstacles identified as those internal forces and fears within individuals that make them shift their plans in a direction not within their goals. Psychological obstacles are like procrastination, or the continuous postponement or deterrence of tasks by distractions like laziness, irresponsibility, or indiscipline (Hignet et al. 3). This category of obstacles also entails challenges like fears of downtime, fear of failure or success, and the lack of clear goals and priorities.
Works Cited
“Time Management-Meaning and Importance,” Management Study Guide, 2012. Web. http://www.managementstudyguide.com/time-management.htm. 5 December 2012.
Hginet, Babakhanlou, Neda Behzadigohar, Frank Kurnik, Hediyeh Rousta, and Hasti Zand. Time Management: Take Control of Life. Carlifornia State University of Northridge, 2009.
