Handbook on Time Management Skills Purpose of this Handbook The Handbooks Soft Skills developed by Centre for Good Governance are intended primarily for personnel in public administration. They offer an overview of some of the principal skills that are essential for effective performance. They draw heavily upon existing literature and current practices in public and private organizations around the world and include numerous references and links to useful web resources. They are not comprehensive ‘guides’ or ‘how to’ booklets. Rather, they incorporate the perspectives of experts in the specific domains whose knowledge, insights, advice and experiences prove handy in honing skills essential for strengthening the capacity for effectiveness of public service at all levels of government. This handbook, Time Management Skills, focuses on how the personnel in the public administration can develop approaches and strategies that will enable them to effectively deal with time management problems in a variety of contexts. Page TABLE OF CONTENTS No 1. Introduction - Understanding Time Management 1 2. Misconceptions of Time 2 3. Symptoms of Poor Time Management 3 4. The Eleven Time Thieves 4 5. Saboteur Time Styles 7 6. Monochronic and Polychronic Views of Time 10 7. The ‘Five Time Zone’ Concept 13 8. Time Management Matrix 15 9. Elements of Effective Time Management 19 10. Getting Oriented to Manage Time 41 11. Overcoming Barriers to Effective Time Management 43 Handbook on Time Management Skills 1 Introduction Understanding Time Management “We all have time to either spend or waste and it is our decision what to do with it. But once passed, it is gone forever.” - Bruce Lee (“Zen in the Martial Arts” by Joe Hyams) Every individual on earth has the same amount of time - 60 seconds in a minute; 60 minutes in an hour; 1,440 minutes in a day; and 525,600 minutes in a year. While a vast majority of people confesses faltering to come to grips with it, extremely few can claim to have made the most of it. How is it that they have got it all done? It’s because they have managed a way to figure out how to manage their time effectively. Time Management is more than just managing time. It is about controlling the use of the most valuable - and undervalued - resource. It is managing oneself in relation to time. It is setting priorities and taking charge of the situation and time utilization. It means changing those habits or activities that cause waste of time. It is being willing to adopt habits and methods to make maximum use of time. With good time management skills one is in control of one’s time, stress and energy levels. One can maintain balance between one’s work and personal life. One finds enough flexibility to respond to surprises or new opportunities. It is not how much time one has, but rather the way one uses it. The bottom line is how well one manages time. Internationally known authority on time management Dr. Alec Mackenzie in his book The Time Trap argues that the very idea of time management is a misnomer because one really cannot manage time in the way other resources can be managed: financial capital, physical capital, human capital, information and time. While each of the first four can be augmented, reduced, transferred or otherwise controlled, Time cannot be manipulated. Dr. Mackenzie contends that when it comes to time, one can only manage oneself in relation to it. One cannot control time as one can control other resources – one can only control how one uses it. In the world in which we live, time cannot be replaced or re-created. It is therefore not for us to choose whether we spend or save time but to choose only how we spend it. 1 Soft Skills for Public Managers 2 Misconceptions about Time There are several misconceptions which we all have about time. They affect everyone including those persons who may be considered quite successful and effective. Here are some of the misconceptions identified by Dr. Mackenzie: · Time management is simple - all it requires is common sense. While it is true that the concept is simple, the self-discipline required to practice effective time management is not easy. · Work is best performed under pressure. Psychological studies show this to be no more than an excuse for procrastination. One does not work well under pressure - only does the best one can under the circumstances. Pressure and challenge must not be confused. Lara’s performance when the West Indies Team is in trouble has more to do with application and determination rather than pressure. · I use a diary, a to-do list and have a secretary to keep me organized. One has to keep oneself organized - no one can do it for others. The trouble with the disorganized person is that he hardly has time to listen to his secretary or look at his diary. · I do not have the time. The effective worker or manager often gets more work done in the earlier hours of the morning than most laggards get done in the whole day. He then no longer has to work against tight deadlines and under stress which contributes to heart problems and not unusually the ultimate reduction of time on this earth. · Time management might be good for some kinds of work but my job is creative. Time management is not about routine: it is about self-discipline. Lack of discipline prevents one from being great instead of simply good. · Time management takes away the fun and freedom of spontaneity. Is working under stress, forgetting appointments, making constant excuses and apologies to be fun? Would it not be much more fun if by better organization one had one or two more hours every day to spend with the family, to play games, read a good book, plan for tomorrow and the day and week after or just relax? 2