Time_Management

Time Management Tina Cullors Axia University of Phoenix Time Management Time is on our side. We have heard this statement throughout our lives. We all know that in the new fast-paced society that we live in, this statement is not always true. Time keeps ticking away and those who manage their time, whether in their personal life or in professional life, will prove to be more successful. We all would be better served if we could learn to prioritize. Every one of us needs to have priorities in our lives. Without them, our lives would turn into a chaotic and dysfunctional state of confusion. The common thread of falling short on our priorities, we believe, is the mismanagement of time. (Lisoski, 2003) Herein lies what has been created from our priorities - the goal. They are here and now. From the time we awake, we must establish our daily goals. It could be as simple as getting to work or spending time with our families. The daily goals become our foundation for structuring our mid-range goals. How many times throughout the day do we assess what needs to be done to accomplish our midrange goals' Getting that paper done for your Learning Skills Class, which leads us to the under graduate degree that we strive for to gain independence, to working on the latest weight loss program that will cure ourselves from improper eating habits. Whatever we choose or decide, we must have the goal in mind. As former C.E.O. of General Electric, Jack Welch once said, "Keep your eye on the goal." We interpret this as staying true to what we feel and doing the right thing. This enables us to achieve our long-term goals. It is in managing our short and mid-term goals that enable us to achieve what we all would like to do in our lives, be it our professional lives or our family lives. As we reach these goals, we constantly reevaluate and rearrange our goals to fit our needs. (Lisoski, 2003) Timing is everything. Planning is crucial. We need to know the basics of who, what, where, when and why. For example, for whom are we planning' Are we formulating a game plan to beat the competition or are we attempting to satisfy the customer' What product or service do we concentrate on' Where and when do we start' All of these issues must be answered, because in the long run, the bottom line comes down to money. Our mission in our personal life or our professional life is to strategize our time and to lay a foundation for priorities so that we can attain our goals. Within our planning process, we must include a game plan for the unexpected. Life is full of uncertainties, from the change in priorities to corporate downsizing. A team member may quit or be reassigned. Life has constant change and we should not underestimate the unknown. A well thought out plan will leave more time for unforeseen circumstances. I think the larger and more difficult tasks or projects cause us to procrastinate. "Putting off today what can be done tomorrow" seems to be a procrastinator's motto. Just thinking about all the preparation required, organizing and gathering facts, and considering the time it will take to complete projects, can make one hesitate to get started. In addition to self-discipline and perseverance, to get the procrastinator in all of us motivated, it is suggested you fight one enemy at a time. Pick one area where procrastination plagues you and conquer it. Drive yourself to get started and then each succeeding task will seem a bit less formidable and you will build the momentum necessary to keep the ball rolling. The one who puts off today's assignments are known for indecisiveness. This usually translates into loss of profits and/or bankruptcy. If you focus on one problem at a time and learn to compartmentalize your jobs, the sheer weight of all the things you have to do will seem less overwhelming. Pretend for the time being that all you have to do is Job A. Get it done and confront Job B with the same single-mindedness. It's also suggested you not duck the most difficult problems by leaving them to be done last. After you conquer the difficult problem, it's downhill from then on. Also it's a good idea to set deadlines for yourself and to announce them so you put yourself on the spot. A company's dream is to have individuals that are organized and put the correct priorities first. Exceptional managers know when and when not to delegate a project or tasks. This greatly depends on the scope of the project and the incumbent's education. There is a thought process involved in delegating. Whom should the manager designate or assign for the project' There are some critical thinking issues that a manger must go through before handing off projects. The first question we need to ask ourselves is, does the associate have the skills to perform the assigned task' Do we assign the project because the person has the knowledge and skills, or do we simply assign the project because there is no other choice' A manager also must understand the importance or the affect that delegation has on the employee. (Lisoski, 2003) There are three critical elements of delegation. There should be a clear and concise hand off, a continuous follow up, and an agreed upon completion date. In the first step, the manager should go over the requirements of the project, what's expected and when it's due. The next step most managers forget is to ask the task handler to repeat what the manager has asked them to perform. This may seem silly to some, but I can tell you it will save time and effort on both parties involved. It actually saves time and shows how well the oral communication was received. Some good advice I have heard in the past is to "touch it or deal with it only once get it off your plate." This can be effective with the smaller tasks, wherein you can file it, toss it, or delegate the task. But with bigger projects it doesn't always apply. This is where organizational skills are important. To tackle the bigger projects, you must organize and devote "blocked off" time to complete the projects. After you have gathered all the facts and tools necessary to proceed, use this uninterrupted time to reach a daily objective or goal you've set for yourself in completing the project. By being organized, all the time and effort put into preparing for the project and doing things right the first time, will save you from wasting time by having to do them over. To accomplish all of our objectives we need tools. Tools are the devices in which we use to create something. This is also true with time management. We have an arsenal of tools literally at our fingertips. There are the hi-tech gadgets such as the P.D.A. or personal computer. These items are mainstays and requirements to succeed in the 21st century. Although we have the tech revolution among us, we still believe in or use the low-tech devices. Most of us use planners, which have necessary items such as calendars, "to do" lists, priority lists, etc. These tried and true items still work and are essential to manage time, since it is not always a viable option to have a personal computer available or to carry a laptop. (Lisoski, 2003) We all need time. The useful tools of eliminating waste, automating where practical, and educating those around us can be the key to our time management success. References Lisoski, E. (2003, October) Four Ways To More And More With Less Publication: Supervision.