Time Management

OUTLINE
I. Introduction
II. Time Management Assessment
III. Objectives and Definition
IV. Importance / Benefits
V. Key Skills
A. Key Skill 1: Goal Setting
a. SMART Objectives
B. Key Skill 2: Prioritizing
a. Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix
C. Key Skill 3: Planning and Scheduling
VI. Tips/Techniques
VII. Summary
VIII. Quiz

Module/
PICTURE CONTENT
Page
How does the rest of your day go?

Upon getting to work, do you need to take a few moments to compose yourself? Maybe you get a coffee and relax by
chatting with a friend while on your way to your station. When you sit down, you see five items that need your
immediate attention, three of those are left over from the day before. Then you see another high important email.
Introductio
Are you constantly finding yourself behind your work? Do you arrive at the end of the day and realize you
n
accomplished nothing on your to-do list?

Regardless of whether you work at home, an office, a store, or a branch, or if you work for someone or yourself,
getting a grip on time seems like a daily struggle for millions of people.

http://alcwebmarketing.com/Time_Management/
Time To start this Time Management course, let us have a short assessment to determine how good are we when it comes to
Manageme effectively managing our time.
nt
Assessment But first, you will need a piece of paper where you can write down your answers.

In this short assessment, you will be given a number of statements. You must decide if you do each statement:
- Always
- Sometimes
 - Never

Are you ready? 

1. I do things in order of priority.
2. I accomplish what needs to be done during the day.
3. I always get assignments done on time.
4. I feel I use my time effectively.
5. I tackle difficult or unpleasant tasks without procrastinating.
6. I force myself to make time for planning.
7. I spend enough time planning
8. I prepare a daily or weekly “to do” list.
9. I prioritize my list in order of importance, not urgency.
10. I am able to meet deadlines without rushing at the last minute.
11. I keep up-to-date on my reading and research assignments.
12. I prevent interruptions from distracting me from my high priority tasks.
13. I avoid spending too much time on trivial matters.
14. I spend enough time on work-related activities.
15. I plan to relax and be with my friends in my weekly schedule.
16. I have a weekly schedule on which I record fixed commitments such as work hours.
17. I try to do the most important tasks during my most energetic periods of the day.
18. I make constructive use of my commuting time.
19. I periodically re-assess my activities in relation to my goals.
20. I have discontinued any wasteful or unprofitable activities or routines.
21. I screen and group my telephone calls to allow for control over telephone interruptions.
22. I judge myself by accomplishments of tasks rather than by amount of activity.
23. My actions are determined primarily by me, not by circumstances or by other people’s priorities.
24. I have a clear idea of what I want to accomplish during the forthcoming quarter.
25. I am satisfied with the way I use my time.
Let us now tally your total points by scoring your answers with:

Always – 2 points
Sometimes – 1 point
Never – 0 point

After tallying your points, let us now look at the equivalent interpretation of your scores.
45 to 50 points: You have outstanding time management skills
38 to 44 points: You have strong time management skills
30 to 37 points: You are managing your time fairly well, but sometimes, you feel overwhelmed
25 to 36 points: Your work career is likely to be stressful and less than satisfying unless you take steps to begin to
manage your time more effectively
 Less than 25 points: You need to work on your time management skills

The result of the short test may not actually tell us whether we are really good or bad at managing our time because
the test is not the only basis to measure that. But, no matter how we rated ourselves, we can still all learn how to
effectively manage our times better.
Objectives In this online course, the meaning and importance of time management will be explained. Then, three time
and management skills will be introduced. Lastly, to help you manage your use of time more effectively, some tips will
Definition also be given.

To start, let us first have a brief background of what time management is, and what benefits can we get by effectively
managing our use of time.

Generally, time management refers to the development of processes and tools that increase efficiency and productivity
- a desirable thing in business because good time management supposedly improves the bottom line. It is the process
of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific activities. Good time management enables you to
work smarter – not harder – so that you get more done in less time, even when time is tight and pressures are high.
Failing to manage your time damages your effectiveness and causes stress.

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.

Source: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_00.htm and https://www.thebalance.com/time-

management-2948668
Importance The benefit of time management is not just important for development of the career. It has significant impact on one’s
/ Benefits personal life. A wise scheduling decision is involved and leads to self-discipline as there are many advantages of
punctuality.

So how can good time management skills benefit you?

1. Reduction in stress level

When you don’t have control of your time, it’s easy to end up feeling rushed and overwhelmed and when that
happens, it can be hard to figure out how long it’s going to take to complete a task. Once you learn how to manage
your time, you no longer subject yourself to that level of stress. You’re better able to estimate how long a given task
will take you to complete.

2. Provides focus on the task

The time management skills initially provide relief from stress and later help you in focusing your target and
performance in the task. A focused person becomes successful in less time as compared to those who do more struggle
for getting their target in life.
 3. You can accomplish more with less effort
When you learn to take control of your time, you improve your ability to focus. And with increased focus comes
enhanced efficiency, because you don’t lose momentum.

4. Improved decision-making ability

When you feel pressed for time and have to make a decision, you’re more likely to jump to conclusions without fully
considering every option. Through effective time management, you can eliminate the pressure that comes from feeling
like you don’t have enough time. You’ll start to feel more calm and in control.
5. You become more successful
Time management is the key to success. It allows you to take control of your life rather than following the flow of
others. As you accomplish more each day, make more sound decisions, and feel more in control, people notice.

6. Free time is necessary

Everyone needs time to relax and unwind. Unfortunately, though, many of us don’t get enough of it. Having good time
management skills helps you find that time. You accumulate extra time throughout your day that you can use later to
relax, unwind, and prepare for a good night’s sleep.

7. Self-discipline is valuable
When you practice good time management, you leave no room for procrastination. The better you get at it, the more
self-discipline you learn. This is a valuable skill that will begin to impact other areas of your life where a lack of
discipline has kept you from achieving a goal.

Source: https://www.appointment-plus.com/blog/why-time-management-is-important
Key Skills When we think of time management, most of us think of personal time management, loosely defined as managing our
time to waste less of it on doing the things we have to do so we have more to do the things we want to do.

Time management is often presented as a set of skills; the theory is that once we master the skills, we'll be more
organized, efficient, and happier.

Whether you believe this or not, any working person can certainly benefit from honing any or all of their time
management skills.

The key skills involved in time management are the following:

1. Goal Setting
2. Prioritizing
3. Planning and Scheduling

Source: http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/timemanagement/g/timemanagement.htm
Key Skill 1: Let us start with the first key skill, the Goal Setting.
Goal
Setting Before trying to manage or plan your time, you should think about what you really want to achieve or accomplish
within a given period of time.

In doing so, you may use the SMART acronym in goal setting.

SMART stands for:

S-pecific
M-easurable
A-ttainable
R-elevant
T-ime bound

While SMART goals are generally recognized as a goal management best-practice, writing them is not easy. It takes
some practice, but especially vigilance, to ensure that an employee's goals are effective.

When managers and employees know how to write SMART goals, it helps take the subjectivity out of goal setting,
and ensures they have a shared set of expectations. The real aim is to specify the who, what, where, when and why for
the goal and ensure shared understanding and expectations. All of these elements are critical for helping align goals
throughout your organization.
Specific – Your goal should be clear and specific, otherwise you won't be able to focus your efforts or feel truly
motivated to achieve it. A keen examination of organizational goals reveals the possibility of breaking them further
into separate and more specific goals. However, to do these, you need to:
 Know who is involved.
 Know what you want to accomplish.
 Identify the where; location.
 You need to establish the when; time frame.
 You should identify which requirements and constraints will affect your progress.
 You should know why you need to achieve the goal.

For instance, a company’s goal can be:

“Sell more insurance.”

This goal lacks specificity. The quantity of increase and deadline are also missing. Instead, an example of a SMART
objective would be:

“Sell 2,000 pieces of insurance every month.”

Measurable – This term stresses the need for concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the
goal. The thought behind this is that if a goal is not measurable, it is not possible to know whether a team is making
progress towards successful completion.

A concrete criterion for measuring progress toward an attainment of a goal is essential. Indeed, if a goal is not
measurable, ascertaining your team’s progress towards achieving a goal is difficult. Measuring progress is necessary
to keep the team on track and help it beat deadlines.

It's important to have measurable goals, so that you can track your progress and stay motivated. Assessing progress
helps you to stay focused, meet your deadlines, and feel the excitement of getting closer to achieving your goal.

A measurable goal should address questions such as:

 How much?
 How many?
 How will I know when it is accomplished?

Using our same goal “Sell 2,000 pieces of insurance every month,” we can measure it using the number of insurance
sold in one month.
Attainable – Your goal needs to be realistic and attainable to be successful. In other words, it should stretch your
abilities but still remain possible. When you set an achievable goal, you may be able to identify previously overlooked
opportunities or resources that can bring you closer to it.

To attain a goal, there should be the capacity to deliver it. What’s more, you should avail the necessary resources, and
the workload should accommodate the new requirements. If resources are limited or the workload non-stretchable,
then lowering the goal or addressing resource constraints is essential.

An achievable goal will usually answer questions such as:

 How can I accomplish this goal?
 How realistic is the goal, based on other constraints, such as financial factors?

In our goal, what are the actions that we can take to achieve our target of 2,000 pieces of insurance sold every month?

We can help achieve the goal by doing the following:

- Offer insurance to all our clients.
- Inquire with the clients if they want to convert their 24K points to COC or ACP.
- Every BP should have a minimum target of sales per day or per week.
 Relevant – This step is about ensuring that the goal is relevant to the employee's role, skills and qualifications. We all
need support and assistance in achieving our goals, but it's important to retain control over them. So, make sure that
your plans drive everyone forward, but that you're still responsible for achieving your own goal.

A relevant goal can answer "yes" to these questions:

 Does this seem worthwhile?
 Is this the right time?
 Does this match our other efforts/needs?
 Am I the right person to reach this goal?
 Is it applicable in the current socio-economic environment?

Time-bound –Having a timeframe for attaining a particular goal is important. Indeed, a commitment to a deadline
helps a team focus their efforts towards completion of the goal. Even more, this prevents overriding of unrelated
routine tasks that may arise to the disadvantage of the goal. A time-restrained goal establishes a sense of urgency that
inspires action.

A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:

 When will I have this completed?

A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it, there’s no sense of urgency. If you want
to sell 2,000 pieces of insurance, when do you want to achieve it? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within
a timeframe, “by next month”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.

Sources: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm
https://www.makingbusinessmatter.co.uk/blog/create-smart-objectives/
http://topachievement.com/smart.html
SMART For us to practice the use of SMART goals, we can use the worksheet below to help us in establishing our objectives.
Goals
Worksheet
Key Skill 2: Let’s now move to the second key skill, Prioritizing.
Prioritizing
Not every task is equally important. The most important tasks move the work closer to long term goals. Prioritizing
allows you to identify the most important tasks at any moment and give those tasks more of your attention, energy,
and time. It allows you to spend more time on the right things.

Prioritization helps everyone to plan. It is a good way to ensure that deadlines are met and stress is minimized.

The first step is to make a list. Write down all the tasks or items you need to complete. For large projects, identify
individual tasks that move the project forward. These should be small enough to be completed in a few days or a few
 hours. One source suggests keeping each task to something that can be accomplished in 1-2 hours. Depending on the
application, your list may be focused on what can be accomplished in a single day, in the course of a week, or even
longer.

The next step is to identify due dates. Which tasks are long-range, midrange, due next month, or next week?

Once the list is completed, assign priorities to each task, from most urgent to not very important.

Source: https://www.alnmag.com/article/2011/04/time-management-organization-and-prioritizing
Stephen To help us prioritize our tasks, let us have a look on the time management matrix introduced by Stephen Covey.
Covey’s
Time Stephen Covey is the author of acclaimed books including the international best seller “The 7 Habits of Highly
Manageme Effective People,” and popularized the concept of a time management matrix for prioritizing by advocating the use of
nt Matrix four quadrants to determine the tasks you “need” to do and deciding what should be made a priority.

In Quadrant 1, we have important, urgent items – items that need to be dealt with immediately.

In Quadrant 2, we have important, but not urgent items – items that are important but do not require your immediate
attention, and need to be planned for. This quadrant is highlighted because Covey emphasizes that this is the quadrant
we should focus on for long term achievement of goals.

In Quadrant 3, we have urgent, but unimportant items – items which should be minimized or eliminated. These are the
time pressured distractions.

In Quadrant 4, we have unimportant and also not urgent items – items that don’t have to be done anytime soon,
perhaps add little to no value and also should be minimized or eliminated. These are often trivial time wasters.

Source: https://sidsavara.com/coveys-time-management-matrix-illustrated/
Quadrant 1 Now that we already have an overview of what Covey’s Time Management Matrix is, let us now discuss each
quadrant thoroughly. The first quadrant is for “Crisis Quadrant,” the urgent and important matters.

Quadrant 1: Urgent and Important

The first quadrant contains tasks and responsibilities that need immediate attention.

The activities in quadrant 1 can be differentiated into items that could not have been foreseen, and those items that
could. The latter can be avoided by developing plans and paying close attention to their execution.

The first quadrant should only contain those activities and responsibilities that require your immediate attention. The
space is reserved for emergencies and extremely important deadlines. Should a major crisis arise you will have to
 postpone other tasks.

Quadrant 1 is characterized by:

 Crises
 Pressing problems
 Projects that are deadline driven
 Emergencies
 Last-minute preparations
Quadrant 2 The second quadrant is the “Productivity Quadrant,” which is for the not urgent but important tasks.

Quadrant 2: Not Urgent but Important

The second quadrant is for items that are important without requiring immediate action. Covey points out that this
quadrant should be used for long-term strategizing.

The items found in quadrant 2 do not have a high urgency but can play an important role in the future. This quadrant is
not only reserved for strategic planning, but also to items related to health, education, exercise, and career. Investing
time in these areas might not be urgent at the present day, but in the long term, it will be of the greatest importance.

Pay close attention that you have scheduled enough time for quadrant 2 activities, in order to avoid them to become
quadrant 1 items. Doing so will allow you to increase your capability of finishing your tasks in time.

Quadrant 2 is characterized by:

 Business planning
 Goal-setting
 Professional development
 Holidays and recreation time
 Exercise, health, and recreation
Quadrant 3 Next is the “Distraction Quadrant” which deals with the urgent but not important matters.

Quadrant 3: Urgent but Not Important

The third quadrant is reserved for tasks that are urgent, without being important. Covey recommends minimizing or
even eliminating these tasks as they do not contribute to your output. Delegation is also an option here.

Quadrant 3 summarizes items that appear to have a high urgency, but are not at all important. Some of these activities
might be entirely ego-driven, without contributing any value. In fact, these activities are obstacles that stand in-
 between you and your goals. If possible, try to delegate these items or consider rescheduling them.

If another person is causing you quadrant 3 tasks it could be appropriate to decline their request politely. If this is not
an option, try to avoid being constantly interrupted by appointing timeslots to those that often need your help. This
way, you can address all their issues at once, without regularly interrupting your concentration.

Quadrant 3 is characterized by:

 Interruptions
 Unimportant meetings
 Meaningless reports
Quadrant 4 The last quadrant, the “Waste Quadrant,” deals with the not urgent and not important tasks.

Quadrant 4: Not Urgent and Not Important

The fourth and last quadrant focuses on tasks and responsibilities that do not yield any value - items that are
unimportant and not urgent. These time wasters should be eliminated at any costs.

The fourth and last quadrant contains all those activities that do not contribute any value at all - the obvious time
wasters. All the activities contained therein are nothing more than distractions; avoid them as much as you can. You
should also try to eliminate all the items in this list, no matter how entertaining.

Quadrant 4 is characterized by:

 Workplace gossip
 Time wasters
 Aimless internet surfing
 Irrelevant phone calls
 Watching TV for hours

Source: http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2015/stephen-coveys-time-management-matrix-explained/
Key Skill 3: Let us now discuss the last time management key skill – Planning and Scheduling.
Planning
and Planning and scheduling go hand-in-hand. You need both to actually accomplish things in an efficient manner.
Scheduling
Scheduling is the art of planning your activities so that you can achieve your goals and priorities in the time you have
available. When it's done effectively, it helps you:
 Understand what you can realistically achieve with your time.
 Make sure you have enough time for essential tasks.
  Avoid taking on more than you can handle.
 Work steadily toward your personal and career goals.
 Have enough time for family and friends, exercise and hobbies.
 Achieve a good work-life balance.

Source: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_07.htm
One critical key to your organization should be the use of a planner or calendar. Using a planner or calendar will help
you visualize the commitments you have made, and it will also aid you in keeping track of them.

One type of calendar to consider using is an online calendar. This type of calendar can generally be accessed as an
application, or through websites and emails.

One major benefit of the online calendar is that it can be shared across devices. Once you add something to the
calendar on your phone, it will automatically sync so that the event shows up on your computer, tablet, or any other
device you might access it from.

Of course, online calendars and planners aren’t the only option available. Sometimes, you might find that a physical
planner or calendar is a better choice for you.

Physical planners or calendars exist in nearly every format imaginable. You might have one that shows one day per
page, or you might have one that shows an entire month.

While a physical planner or calendar won’t allow you to sync between electronic devices or share virtually with other
users, it does offer at least two major advantages.

First, a physical planner can be accessed anywhere, including during classes when phones or other devices are not
allowed. You can use your planner as an assignment book, bringing it along with you to every class and adding
assignments or other important commitments immediately as they arise.

Second, a physical planner requires that you handwrite each commitment. While this might not seem like a big deal,
studies show that students who write their notes by hand are more likely to commit them to memory than students who
type notes during a lecture.

Source: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-using-a-planner-or-calendar-can-make-your-life-easier/
Tips / Now that we have learned the importance of time management, as well as the key actions involved, here are some tips
Techniques that will help us manage our time more effectively:

Set clear goals

It’s important that you know what your short-term and long-term goals are – this will enable you to differentiate
between what’s important and what’s not. It’s only when you know where you want to go and what you want to
 achieve that you can figure out exactly what needs to be done, and in what order. Once you are clear about your goals,
you can plan and prepare a sequence of action steps to achieve them.

Understand your body’s timetable

It’s important to organize your day around your body’s natural rhythms. Tackle complex tasks when your energy’s at
its highest level. For many, this may mean first thing in the morning, after you’ve rested and eaten. Save low-intensity,
routine tasks for periods when your energy regularly drips, like late afternoon.

Establish routines
Our brains are wired to be very good at executing patterns. Establishing routines around the way you carry out regular
tasks makes you more efficient and productive.

Batch together similar tasks

The brain also learns and executes complex tasks by lumping together similar items. Tedious or redundant tasks can
be grouped for increased efficiency.

Take breaks
Complex tasks, like writing or strategizing, take a lot mental effort, and your brain can only focus for a limited amount
of time. That means it’s crucial to take breaks and let your brain rest. Take a little break and once you get back to
work, you’re energized again.

Learn how to say “no”

At times, requests from others may be important to them, but conflict with our most important goals. Even if it is
something we would like to do, but simply don’t have the time for, it can be very difficult to say no. While it’s great to
be a team player, it’s also important to know when and how to be assertive, and let the person know you can’t handle
their request at the moment. Negotiate a deadline that helps them achieve their goals without sacrificing your own.

Eliminate distractions
Start paying attention to the number of times someone interrupts you when you’re in the midst of an important task.
Track self-induced interruptions, too, particularly those of the social media variety. Your smartphone is extremely
useful, but it’s also addictive and among the most insidious time-wasters.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/pictures/fekg45ejlm/understand-your-bodys-timetable/#2353ff0b5ca6 and

https://www.careerfaqs.com.au/news/news-and-views/11-top-tips-for-effective-time-management
Summary You are done with the course! Let us have a brief summary of what you have learned about Time Management.

Time management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific activities. It is
important because it allows you to accomplish more in a shorter period of time, which leads to more free time, which
lets you take advantage of learning opportunities, lowers your stress, and helps you focus, which leads to more career
success. Each benefit of time management improves another aspect of your life.
 There are three key skills involved in time management, and those are Goal Setting, Prioritizing, and Planning and
Scheduling.

The first key skill is Goal Setting, which stresses that before trying to manage or plan your time, you should think
about what you really want to achieve or accomplish within a given period of time. And in order to do this, we may
use the acronym SMART in setting our goals. SMART stands for S-pecific, M-easurable, A-ttainable, R-elevant, and
T-ime bound.

The second key skill is Prioritizing, because not every task is equally important. Prioritizing allows you to identify
the most important tasks at any moment and give those tasks more of your attention, energy, and time. It allows you to
spend more time on the right things.

Stephen Covey popularized the concept of a time management matrix for prioritizing by advocating the use of four
quadrants to determine the tasks you “need” to do and deciding what should be made a priority.

Quadrant 1 is for the important and urgent matters;

Quadrant 2 is for the important, but not urgent matters;
Quadrant 3 is for the urgent, but unimportant matters; and
Quadrant 4 is for the unimportant and not urgent matters.

The last key skill is Planning and Scheduling, and they go hand-in-hand. You need both to actually accomplish
things in an efficient manner. Scheduling is the art of planning your activities so that you can achieve your goals and
priorities in the time you have available.

Do not forget to take the knowledge check! 

Quiz 1. The process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific activities. (a)
a. Time Management
b. Task Management
c. Self Management

2. The three skills involved in time management are: (a)

a. Goal Setting, Prioritizing, and Planning and Scheduling
b. Goal Setting, SMART, and Scheduling
c. Goal Setting, 4 Quadrants, Planning

3. He popularized the concept of a time management matrix for prioritizing by advocating the use of four quadrants to
determine the tasks you “need” to do and deciding what should be made a priority. (b)
a. Franklin Covey
b. Stephen Covey
c. Sean Covey

4. What is the meaning of A in the acronym SMART? (c)

a. Artistic
b. Amenable
c. Attainable

5. The quadrant contains tasks and responsibilities that need immediate attention. (a)
a. Quadrant 1
b. Quadrant 2
c. Quadrant 3

6. True or False. Good time management enables you to work smarter – not harder – so that you get more done in less
time, even when time is tight and pressures are high. (a)
a. True
b. False

7. True or False. Quadrant 3 is not only reserved for strategic planning, but also to items related to health, education,
exercise, and career. (b)
a. True
b. False

8. True or False. One benefit that we can get from good time management is reduction in stress level. (a)
a. True
b. False

9. True or False. Quadrant 1, the important and urgent matters, is used for long-term strategizing. (b)
a. True
b. False

10. Tedious or redundant tasks can be grouped for increased efficiency. (a)
a. True
b. False