Time management

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

The State Higher Educational Establishment

Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

The Chair of Foreign Languages

Report

Of research theme: “Time management”.

Prepared by: The student of 31-02 group

Economics and Law Faculty Khmura M.O.

Supervisor: Panina N.A.

Moscow, 2016



Table of contents

time management control personal

Introduction

What is Time Management

Importance of Time Management

10 Common Time Management mistakes

Prioritization

Conclusion



Introduction

Time is all you have. Time management is one of those wonderful, timeless topics with so many lessons and so many great mentors.

Many people face the troubling issue of time management. In most cases the lack of time someone has to complete a task is due to the lack of prioritizing. Others have trouble tackling daily task because of the fact that they try to take on too many task at one time, and finally there are some people that just waste their time doing nothing just because of pure laziness. Now more than ever time is becoming one of our most valued resources that are wasted because people don't know how to properly manage their time wisely. In every aspect of life people are doing things that really have no value at all. Time management is a skill that can be learned, and when done so can make life less stressful and productive.

The relevance of the chosen theme is that time management is one of the simplest types of self-improvement, and it can add literal years to your life. It can also add to your own sense of well being and accomplishment, which carries over into every facet of your life. Everyone wastes time, because no one is 100 percent efficient all the time. Successful time management allows for more control over personal accomplishments, more productivity at home and work, and results in more quality time to relax and enjoy life. In addition, good time management skills help reduce stress. After all the major goal of any time management function is to avoid the stress of having everything come at you all at once in the first place.

The object of this work is time management.

Purpose - to study the characteristics and problems of the use of time management.

The objectives of this work:

- The study of the most common time management mistakes;

- Learn how to Prioritize and spend time where it's most needed;

- Finding out how much your time is worth;

- Learn core personal effectiveness skills;

-Find out how to prioritize and schedule your time for maximum impact;

-Develop and maintain focus, and motivate yourself to achieve extraordinary things.



What is Time Management

Time Management refers to managing time effectively so that the right time is allocated to the right activity. Effective time management allows individuals to assign specific time slots to activities as per their importance. Time Management refers to making the best use of time as time is always limited.

Ask yourself which activity is more important and how much time should be allocated to the same? Know which work should be done earlier and which can be done a little later.

Time Management plays a very important role not only in organizations but also in our personal lives.

Time Management includes:

ь Effective Planning

ь Setting goals and objectives

ь Setting deadlines

ь Delegation of responsibilities

ь Prioritizing activities as per their importance

ь Spending the right time on the right activity

Effective planning

Plan your day well in advance. Prepare a To Do List or a “TASK PLAN”. Jot down the important activities that need to be done in a single day against the time that should be allocated to each activity. High Priority work should come on top followed by those which do not need much of your importance at the moment. Complete pending tasks one by one. Do not begin fresh work unless you have finished your previous task. Tick the ones you have already completed. Ensure you finish the tasks within the stipulated time frame.

Setting goals and objectives.

Working without goals and targets in an organization would be similar to a situation where the captain of the ship loses his way in the sea. Yes, you would be lost. Set targets for yourself and make sure they are realistic ones and achievable.

Setting deadlines.

Set deadlines for yourself and strive hard to complete tasks ahead of the deadlines. Do not wait for your superiors to ask you everytime. Learn to take ownership of work. One person who can best set the deadlines is you yourself. Ask yourself how much time needs to be devoted to a particular task and for how many days. Use a planner to mark the important dates against the set deadlines.

Delegation of responsibilities.

Learn to say “NO” at workplace. Don't do everything on your own. There are other people as well. One should not accept something which he knows is difficult for him. The roles and responsibilities must be delegated as per interest and specialization of employees for them to finish tasks within deadlines. A person who does not have knowledge about something needs more time than someone who knows the work well.

Spending the right time on right activity.

Develop the habit of doing the right thing at the right time. Work done at the wrong time is not of much use. Don't waste a complete day on something which can be done in an hour or so. Also keep some time separate for your personal calls or checking updates on Facebook or Twitter. After all human being is not a machine.

For Effective Time Management one needs to be:

Organized - Avoid keeping stacks of file and heaps of paper at your workstation. Throw what all you don't need. Put important documents in folders. Keep the files in their respective drawers with labels on top of each file. It saves time which goes on unnecessary searching.

Don't misuse time - Do not kill time by loitering or gossiping around. Concentrate on your work and finish assignments on time. Remember your organization is not paying you for playing games on computer or peeping into other's cubicles. First complete your work and then do whatever you feel like doing. Don't wait till the last moment.

Be Focussed - One needs to be focused for effective time management.

Develop the habit of using planners, organizers, table top calendars for better time management. Set reminders on phones or your personal computers. managementstudyguide.com [electronic resource]: URL: https://www.managementstudyguide.com/time-management.htm (date of the application: 30.05.2016).

Importance of Time Management

What is time management? It is a set of principles, practices, skills, tools and systems that help you use your time to accomplish what you want.

Why is time management important? Time management is important for your personal life and career success. It teaches you how to manage your time effectively and make the most of it.

Here are a few of the reasons why it is so important, and how it can help you use and manage your time more advantageously:

1. Time is a special resource that you cannot store or save for later use. Everyone has the exact same amount of time each day. Time not well used cannot be retrieved.

2. Most people, feel like they have too much to do and not enough time. They blame lack of time for their poor finances, stress, bad relationships, and for not exercising their body.

Wise time management can help you find the time for what you desire, and for what you need to do.

3. You need time to get what you want out of life. If you wait for extra time to appear, you might lose the game of life. Through right time management, you can “create” the time you need, and not just wait for it to come. By planning your time wisely, you will have more time to do more things.

4. Time management will help you set up your priorities.

5. Time is limited to 24 hours a day, so plan your life wisely.

6. Time management helps you make conscious choices, so you can spend more of your time doing things that are important and valuable to you.

7. You can learn to find the time for the things that are important to you. Even a small amount of time once a day, or even once a week, will take you closer to your goals, and you will be surprised at the progress you make.

8. You become more productive using improved time management skills and tools, and can accomplish more with less effort and time. Time management can help you reduce wasted time and energy, help you become more creative and productive, and enable you to do the right thing at the right time. This will of course lead to more balance and fulfillment in your life.

9. Life today presents so many distractions, and therefore, it is very easy to lose time on unimportant activities. Ask yourself, is watching this or that TV program, reading this or that gossip or participating in a certain activity is going to add anything to your life. Is the time spent on a particular activity well spent, or is just a waste of time and energy?

10. Life puts in front of everyone so many choices each day, and the question is, do you follow what appears on your way, or do you consciously choose what you want to do? Do you allow external distractions to deter you from your goal, or do you use willpower and self discipline to walk toward your goal in a straight line, without wasting time and energy?

11. A certain degree of detachment and inner peace are useful in managing your time effectively. They help you avoid spending too much emotional and mental energy on what people say and think about you. They help you stay calm, despite distractions or difficulties, and this saves you a lot of time and energy, which you can spend on better and more rewarding activities.

There are many things you can do and tools to use to manage your time effectively. There is a lot of time wasted each day, which can be put to better uses. There are changes you can make, which will effectively increase the time you have at your disposal every day.

Thinking, planning, finding out how others manage their time, and reading books and articles on time management, will develop these skills and give you good ideas. successconsciousness.com [electronic resource]: URL: http://www.successconsciousness.com/blog/time-management/importance-of-time-management/ (date of the application: 30.05.2016).

10 Common Time Management mistakes

How well do you manage your time? If you're like many people, your answer may not be completely positive! Perhaps you feel overloaded, and you often have to work late to hit your deadlines. Or maybe your days seem to go from one crisis to another, and this is stressful and demoralizing.

Many of us know that we could be managing our time more effectively; but it can be difficult to identify the mistakes that we're making, and to know how we could improve. When we do manage our time well, however, we're exceptionally productive at work, and our stress levels drop. We can devote time to the interesting, high-reward projects that can make a real difference to a career. In short, we're happier!

In this chapter, we're looking at ten of the most common time management mistakes, as well as identifying strategies and tips that you can use to overcome them. These ten mistakes are:

Mistake 1. Failing to keep a To-Do List.

Do you ever have that nagging feeling that you've forgotten to do an important piece of work? If so, you probably don't use a To-Do List to keep on top of things. (Or, if you do, you might not be using it effectively!)

The trick with using To-Do Lists effectively lies in prioritizing the tasks on your list. Many people use an A - F coding system (A for high priority items, F for very low priorities). Alternatively, you can simplify this by using A through D, or by using numbers.

If you have large projects on your list, then, unless you're careful, the entries for these can be vague and ineffective. For instance, you may have written down "Start on budget proposal." But what does this entail? The lack of specifics here might cause you to procrastinate, or miss key steps. So make sure that you break large tasks or projects down into specific, actionable steps - then you won't overlook something important.

You can also use Action Programs to manage your work when you have many large projects happening at once. (Action Programs are "industrial strength" versions of To-Do Lists.)

Mistake 2. Not setting personal goals.

Do you know where you'd like to be in six months? What about this time next year, or even 10 years from now? If not, it's time to set some personal goals!

Personal goal setting is essential to managing your time well, because goals give you a destination and vision to work toward. When you know where you want to go, you can manage your priorities, time, and resources to get there. Goals also help you decide what's worth spending your time on, and what's just a distraction.

To learn how to set SMART, effective goals, read up on Locke's Goal Setting Theory. Here, you'll learn how to set clearly defined goals that will keep you motivated.

You might also enjoy our Book Insight into Long Fuse, Big Bang by Eric Haseltine. This book teaches you how to focus on your long-term goals without overlooking your short term priorities.

Mistake 3. Not prioritizing.

Your assistant has just walked in with a crisis that she needs you to deal with right now, but you're in the middle of brainstorming ideas for a new client. You're sure that you've almost come up with a brilliant idea for their marketing campaign, but now you risk losing the thread of your thinking because of this "emergency."

Sometimes, it's hard to know how to prioritize, especially when you're facing a flood of seemingly-urgent tasks. However, it's essential to learn how to prioritize tasks effectively if you want to manage your time better.

One tool that will help you prioritize effectively is the Action Priority Matrix, which will help you determine if a task is high-yield and high-priority, or low-value, "fill in" work. You'll manage your time much better during the day if you know the difference.

You might also want to go through our Bite-Sized Training session How to Prioritize, to further enhance your skills.

Mistake 4. Failing to manage distractions.

Do you know that some of us can lose as much as two hours a day to distractions? Think how much you could get done if you had that time back!

Whether they come from emails, IM chats, colleagues in a crisis, or phone calls from clients, distractions prevent us from achieving flow, which is the satisfying and seemingly effortless work that we do when we're 100 percent engaged in a task.

If you want to gain control of your day and do your best work, it's vital to know how tominimize distractions and manage interruptions effectively. For instance, turn off your IM chat when you need to focus, and let people know if they're distracting you too often. You should also learn how to improve your concentration, even when you're faced with distractions.

Additionally, our article on managing email effectively teaches you how to gain control of your email, so that it doesn't eat up your entire day.

Mistake 5. Taking on too much.

Are you a person who has a hard time saying "no" to people? If so, you probably have far too many projects and commitments on your plate. This can lead to poor performance, stress, and low morale.

Or, you might be a micromanager: someone who insists on controlling or doing all of the work themselves, because they can't trust anyone else to do it correctly. (This can be a problem for everyone - not just managers!)

Either way, taking on too much is a poor use of your time, and it can get you a reputation for producing rushed, sloppy work.

To stop this, learn the subtle art of saying "yes" to the person, but "no" to the tas. This skill helps you assert yourself, while still maintaining good feelings within the group. If the other person starts leaning on you to say "yes" to their request, learn how to think on your feet, and stay cool under pressure.

Mistake 6. Thriving on "busy".

Some people get a rush from being busy. The narrowly-met deadlines, the endless emails, the piles of files needing attention on the desk, the frantic race to the meeting... What an adrenaline buzz!

The problem is that an "addiction to busyness" rarely means that you're effective, and it can lead to stress.

Instead, try to slow down, and learn to manage your time better.

Mistake 7. Multitasking.

To get on top of her workload, Linda regularly writes emails while she chats on the phone to her clients. However, while Linda thinks that this is a good use of her time, the truth is that it can take 20-40 percent more time to finish a list of jobs when you multitask, compared with completing the same list of tasks in sequence. The result is also that she does both tasks poorly - her emails are full of errors, and her clients are frustrated by her lack of concentration.

So, the best thing is to forget about multitasking, and, instead, focus on one task at a time. That way, you'll produce higher quality work.

Our Expert Interview with Dave Crenshaw, looking at The Myth of Multitasking, will give you an enlightening look at multitasking, and will help you explore how you can manage simultaneous projects more effectively.

Mistake 8. Not taking breaks.

It's nice to think that you can work for 8-10 hours straight, especially when you're working to a deadline. But it's impossible for anyone to focus and produce really high-quality work without giving their brains some time to rest and recharge.

So, don't dismiss breaks as "wasting time." They provide valuable down-time, which will enable you to think creatively and work effectively.

If it's hard for you to stop working, then schedule breaks for yourself, or set an alarm as a reminder. Go for a quick walk, grab a cup of coffee, or just sit and meditate at your desk. Try to take a five minute break every hour or two. And make sure that you give yourself ample time for lunch - you won't produce top quality work if you're hungry!

Mistake 9. Ineffectively scheduling tasks.

Are you a morning person? Or do you find your energy picking up once the sun begins to set in the evening? All of us have different rhythms, that is, different times of day when we feel most productive and energetic.

You can make best use of your time by scheduling high-value work during your peak time, and low-energy work (like returning phone calls and checking email), during your "down" time. Our article, Is This a Morning Task? Will teach you how to do this. Mindtools.com [electronic resource]: 10 Common Time Management Mistakes.

URL: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/time-management-mistakes.htm (date of the application: 30.05.2016).

Prioritization

Prioritization is the essential skill that you need to make the very best use of your own efforts and those of your team. It's also a skill that you need to create calmness and space in your life so that you can focus your energy and attention on the things that really matter.

Simple Prioritization

At a simple level, you can prioritize based on time constraints, on the potential profitability or benefit of the task you're facing, or on the pressure you're under to complete a job:

Prioritization based on project value or profitability is probably the most commonly-used and rational basis for prioritization. Whether this is based on a subjective guess at value or a sophisticated financial evaluation, it often gives the most efficient results.

Time constraints are important where other people are depending on you to complete a task, and particularly where this task is on the critical path of an important project. Here, a small amount of your own effort can go a very long way.

And it's a brave (and maybe foolish) person who resists his or her boss's pressure to complete a task, when that pressure is reasonable and legitimate.

Prioritization tools.

While these simple approaches to prioritization suit many situations, there are plenty of special cases where you'll need other prioritization and time management tools if you're going to be truly effective. We look at some of these prioritization tools below:

Paired comparison analysis.

Paired comparison analysis is most useful where decision criteria are vague, subjective or inconsistent. It helps you prioritize options by asking you to compare each item on a list with all other items on the list individually.

By deciding in each case which of the two is most important, you can consolidate results to get a prioritized list.

The action priority matrix.

This quick and simple diagramming technique asks you to plot the value of the task against the effort it will consume.

Prioritization is particularly important when time is limited and demands are seemingly unlimited. It helps you to allocate your time where it's most-needed and most wisely spent, freeing you and your team up from less important tasks that can be attended to later... or quietly dropped.

With good prioritization (and careful management of reprioritized tasks) you can bring order to chaos, massively reduce stress, and move towards a successful conclusion. Without it, you'll flounder around, drowning in competing demands.



Conclusion

In conclusion, the aim of the report is show that time can not be managed; it can only be controlled by each individual person and the way time is directed. Scheduling is extremely important when it comes to managing the use of time. It is important to manage time wisely. When time is managed and organized wisely; it can make the difference between a productive day and a very hectic day. Using time management during an ordinary day can help reduce stress and simplifies life. Without have a plan on how to manage time, it can create stress in life and also forgetting important dates and deadlines. By not having some type of organization in life it will create chaos and will seem as if there is not enough time in one day to complete daily tasks. Every day will be a challenge to complete and it will be less productive. By not having an organized method to complete a day; it can result in frustration, stress, and not being able to accomplish much.

It seems that there is never enough time in the day. But, since we all get the same 24 hours, why is it that some people achieve so much more with their time than others? The answer lies in good time management.

“Time management” refers to the way that you organize and plan how long you spend on specific activities.

It may seem counter-intuitive to dedicate precious time to learning about time management, instead of using it to get on with your work, but the benefits are enormous:

* Greater productivity and efficiency.

* A better professional reputation.

* Less stress.

* Increased opportunities for advancement.

* Greater opportunities to achieve important life and career goals.

Failing to manage your time effectively can have some very undesirable consequences:

* Missed deadlines.

* Inefficient work flow.

* Poor work quality.

* A poor professional reputation and a stalled career.

* Higher stress levels.

Размещено на Allbest.ru