TIME MANAGEMENT

Compiled by
Dr. K.V.S. Raju
Dean Training
Dr. T. Jagannadha Swamy
Dean Career Guidance

GOKARAJU RANGARAJU
Institute of Engineering and Technology GRIET
SKILL
(Autonomous) SERIES
TIME MANAGEMENT

Dr. K.V.S.Raju
Dean Training
GRIET
Dr. T. Jagannadha Swamy
Dean Career Guidance
GRIET
 TIME MANAGEMENT
INTRODUCTION
Time Management is the process of planning and
exercising conscious control of time spent on specific
activities, especially to increase effectiveness,
efficiency, and productivity. It involves a juggling act of
various demands upon a person relating to work, social
life, family, hobbies, personal interests and
commitments with the finiteness of time. Using time
effectively gives the person "choice" on
spending/managing activities at their own time and
expediency.[1] Time management may be aided by a
range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage
time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects, and
goals complying with a due date. Initially, time
management referred to just business or work
activities, but eventually the term broadened to
include personal activities as well.
A time management system is a designed
combination of processes, tools, techniques, and
methods. Time management is usually a necessity in
any project development as it determines the project
completion time and scope. It is also important to
understand that both technical and structural
differences in time management exist due to variations
in cultural concepts of time.
The major themes arising from the literature on
time management include the following:
• Creating an environment conducive
to effectiveness
• Setting of priorities
• The related process of reduction of
time spent on non-priorities
• Implementation of goals

Benefits of Time Management

The ability to manage your time effectively is
important. Good time management leads to improved
efficiency and productivity, less stress, and more success
in life. Here are some benefits of managing time
effectively:
1. Stress relief
Making and following a task schedule reduces anxiety.
As you check off items on your “to do” list, you can see
that you are making tangible progress. This helps you
avoid feeling stressed out with worry about whether
you’re getting things done.

2. More time
Good time management gives you extra time to spend
in your daily life. People who can time manage effectively
enjoy having more time to spend on hobbies or other
personal pursuits.
3. More opportunities
Managing time well leads to more opportunities and
less time wasted on trivial activities. Good time
management skills are key qualities that employers look
for. The ability to prioritize and schedule work is
extremely desirable for any organization.

4. Ability to realize goals

Individuals who practice good time management are
able to better achieve goals and objectives, and to do so in
a shorter length of time.

For Effective Time Management

After considering the benefits of
time management, let’s look at some
ways to manage time effectively:

1. Set goals correctly

Set goals that are achievable and measurable. Use the
SMART method when setting goals. In essence, make
sure the goals you set are Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

2. Prioritize wisely
Prioritize tasks based on importance and urgency. For
example, look at your daily tasks and determine which
are:
? Important and urgent: Do these tasks right away.
? Important but not urgent: Decide when to do these
tasks.
?
Urgent but not important: Delegate
these tasks if possible.
?
Not urgent and not important: Set these
aside to do later.

3. Set a time limit to complete a task

Setting time constraints for completing tasks helps you
be more focused and efficient. Making the small extra
effort to decide on how much time you need to allot for
each task can also help you recognize potential problems
before they arise. That way you can make plans for
dealing with them.

4. Take a break between tasks

When doing a lot of tasks without a break, it is harder
to stay focused and motivated. Allow some downtime
between tasks to clear your head and refresh yourself.
Consider grabbing a brief nap, going for a short walk, or
meditating.

5. Organize yourself
Utilize your calendar for more long-term time
management. Write down the deadlines for projects, or
for tasks that are part of completing the overall project.
Think about which days might be best to dedicate to
specific tasks. For example, you might need to plan a
meeting to discuss cash flow on a day when you know the
company CFO is available.
6. Remove non-essential tasks/activities
It is important to remove excess activities or tasks.
Determine what is significant and what deserves your
time. Removing non-essential tasks/activities frees up
more of your time to be spent on genuinely important
things.

7. Plan ahead
Make sure you start every day with a clear idea of what
you need to do – what needs to get done THAT DAY.
Consider making it a habit to, at the end of each workday,
going ahead and writing out your “to do” list for the next
workday. That way you can hit the ground running the
next morning.
Implications of Poor Time Management
Let’s also consider the consequences of
poor time management.
1. Poor workflow
The inability to plan ahead and stick to goals means
poor efficiency. For example, if there are several
important tasks to complete, an effective plan would be to
complete related tasks together or sequentially.
2. Wasted time
Poor time management results in wasted time. For
example, by talking to friends on social media while doing
an assignment, you are distracting yourself and wasting
time.
3. Loss of control
By not knowing what the next task is, you suffer from
loss of control of your life. That can contribute to higher
stress levels and anxiety.
4. Poor quality of work
Poor time management typically makes the quality of
your work suffer. For example, having to rush to complete
tasks at the last minute usually compromises quality.

5. Poor reputation
If clients or your employer cannot rely on you to
complete tasks in a timely manner, their expectations and
perceptions of you are adversely affected.
Highly Effective Time Management Skills
Time management is a skill that takes
time to develop and is different for each
person. You just need to find what works
best for you. Here are 10 ways that you can
use to improve time management skills and
increase productivity:

1. Delegate Tasks
It is common for all of us to take more tasks than our
desired potential. This can often result in stress and
burnout. Delegation is not running away from your
responsibilities but is an important function of
management. Learn the art of delegating work to your
subordinates as per their skills and abilities and get more
achieved.
2. Prioritize Work
Before the start of the day, make a list of tasks that
need your immediate attention. Unimportant tasks can
consume much of your precious time. Some urgent tasks
need to be completed on that day only while other
unimportant tasks could be carried forward to next day.In
short, prioritize your important tasks to focus on those
that are more important.
3. Schedule Tasks
Carry a planner or notebook with you and list all the
tasks that come to your mind.
Make a simple ‘To Do’ list before the start of the day,
prioritize the tasks and focus on the essentials. Make sure
that these tasks are attainable too. To better manage your
time management skills, you may think of making 3 lists:
work, home and personal.
4. Set up Deadlines
When you have a task at hand, set a realistic deadline
and stick to it. Try to set a deadline few days before the
task so that you can complete all those tasks that may get
in the way. Challenge yourself and meet the deadline;
reward yourself for meeting a difficult challenge.
5. Overcome Procrastination
Procrastination is one of the things that badly affect
productivity. It can result in wasting essential time and
energy. It could be a major problem in both your career
and your personal life. Avoid procrastination at all cost.
Learn from this step-by-step guide and stop
procrastinating
5. Overcome Procrastination
Procrastination is one of the things that badly affect
productivity. It can result in wasting essential time and
energy. It could be a major problem in both your career
and your personal life. Avoid procrastination at all cost.
Learn from this step-by-step guide and stop
procrastinating
6. Deal with Stress Wisely
Stress often occurs when we accept more work than
our ability. The result is that our body starts feeling tired
which can affect our productivity.
7. Avoid Multitasking
Most of us feel that multitasking is an efficient way of
getting things done but, the truth is that we do better
when we focus and concentrate on one thing. Multitasking
hampers productivity and should be avoided to improve
time management techniques. Make use of to-do lists and
deadlines to help you stay focus! This way you can do
better at what you’re doing.
8. Start Early
Most of the successful men and women have one thing
in common — they start their day early as it gives them
time to sit, think and plan their day. Here’s the reason:
This is Why Productive People Always Wake Up So Early.
When you get up early, you are more calm, creative and
clear-headed. As the day progresses, your energy levels
starts going down which affects your productivity and you
may not perform as well.
9. Take Regular Breaks
Whenever you find yourself feeling tired and stressed,
take a break for 10 to 15 minutes. Too much stress can
take a toll on your body and affect your productivity.
And even better, schedule your break times. It helps you
to relax and gets back to work with energy again later.
Take a walk, listen to some music or do some quick
stretches. The best idea is to take off from work and spend
time with your friends and family.
10. Learn to Say No
Politely refuse to accept additional tasks if you think
that you’re already overloaded with work. Take a look at
your ‘to do’ list before agreeing to take on extra work.
Conclusion
Time management is a very important skill to be learned and
to be mastered in order to have a better lifestyle. By managing
well time, you will no longer suffer from stress and your
works/tasks will be done on time and with great quality.Good
time management 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.
GOKARAJU RANGARAJU
Institute of Engineering and Technology
(Autonomous)