Importance of Time Management

Try defining the term 'Time'. You will find it to be extremely challenging. In fact, the dictionary definition for 'Time' has synonyms, or like-meaning words. So, if defining time is that difficult, then, the term 'effective time management' becomes a fallacy. In reality it is the ability to manage self in order to make the best use of time as a resource given to us. In other words, it is the knowledge of 'how to use time effectively'.

The Time Management Training program conducted by Momentum Training Solutions gives you tips and techniques to manage self effectively and is a key part of soft skills.

The following article provides powerful techniques for effective time management:

• Time Management Skills That Will Catapult Your Productivity

The Time Management Training program conducted by Momentum Training Solutions gives you tips and techniques to manage yourself effectively.

People who understand the importance of time management and are good at managing it consistently are the highest achievers in all walks of life, from business to sport to public service as it enables you to be in control of your life. It also allows you to act on situations rather than react to situations. When reacting to situations you are ill prepared and under stress so your action is far from your optimum capacity. Whereas, when you respond to situations, it is well planned and thus allows you to function at your highest.

At the heart of time management skills is an important shift in focus: Concentrate on results, not on being busy. This could well be one of the best tips to manage time effectively. Many people spend their days in a frenzy of activity, but achieve very little because they are not concentrating on the right things. According to the Pareto Principle, or the '80:20 Rule', typically 80% of unfocused effort generates only 20% of results. The remaining 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the effort.

Time Management Skills

1. Task Listing

   Create a to-do-list. While creating one you will be able to estimate the time you will need to complete each task.

2. Task Prioritizing

   Review your list and arrange them in the order of priority. This is where Time Management tools like ‘The Urgent-Important’ matrix and Pareto Principle comes to help.

3. Task Scheduling

   Using the prioritized list you will arrange the task in terms of the actual time when the task will be completed.

Time Management Tips

Most managers are constantly thinking of how to improve time management skills. Managers will benefit immensely if they follow the 10 tips listed below:

• Do Not Procrastinate: Most of us start the day procrastinating. We diligently set an alarm to wake-up in the morning but in reality wake-up only after snoozing for few minutes. Then there are other tasks in the day that we procrastinate on because the nature of work may overwhelm us. If so, look at breaking down the task into smaller parts.
• Understand your time wasters: There could be a long list of time wasters for a typical corporate employee. Being part of meetings without an agenda, forward mails, petty family obligations, small talks etc. How much time you spend on each of it is really in your hands. It is all about discipline.
• Understand the way you spend your time: Your productivity is bound to improve if you maintain a time-log for every 30-minutes to check how you use your time. Do this for a few weeks and understand what time of day is most productive for you.
• Be Organized: Remove all the clutter off your work-station. The more organized you are the more chances of managing time effectively
• Plan your day: Use planning tool to record tasks that needs to be accomplished for the day. Review your plan as per exigencies that arises during the day.
• Prioritize & Schedule: Learn to prioritize and schedule the tasks based on order of importance and deadlines
• Take help from others: Identify tasks that do not contribute to your productivity. Check if these tasks can be delegated.
• Avoid multi-tasking: Contrary to the belief multi-tasking may actually impede your productivity. The time lost every time you switch from one job to another is the reason for this loss of time.
• Work towards being productive and not busy: Do not rush into being in action. The idea of time management is to do more in less time. This needs planning.
• Stay Healthy: If time is money and health is wealth, staying healthy helps you to manage time better.

The important components of the program conducted by Momentum Training Solutions are:

• Formulating goals using powerful goal setting techniques
• Tools to plan your work
  • To-Do-Lists
  • Prioritizing tools - Time Management Matrix
  • Scheduling your day
  • Getting organized
• Delegating
• Learning to say 'NO'
• Dealing with difficult tasks
• Maximizing the available time
• The importance of right attitude
• Use of technology in time management
• Managing stress by effectively managing time

For a detailed Training Outline please download our time management module:

Time Management Training Outline

Overview:

Most of us have, at one time or another, felt daunted and overwhelmed by the number of tasks and commitments thrust in our direction. The key to tackling this situation is effective time management. Understanding, identifying and defining your core job responsibilities and long-term goals is the very first step for managing your time effectively.

The uniqueness of this program is that each participant brings his/her calendar and learns the art of prioritizing using the Pareto Principle. The critical question that each participant will be able to answer, after the program, will be, “Am I focusing on the 20% of my activities that will produce 80% of the results?”

Training Objectives

• Discover your time management strengths and self-management opportunities
• Manage multiple priorities based on validity and urgency
• Redirect your efforts to the most important and critical tasks
• Identify ways to deal with distractions and eliminate interruptions
• Discover quick and easy ways to handle non-valid tasks
• Being assertive to seniors without having to say ‘No’

Training Topics:

• Organizing Your Day
  • 80:20 Rule or Pareto Principle of Time Management
    • Simply put, the 80/20 rule states that the relationship between input and output is rarely, if ever, balanced. When applied to work, it means that approximately 20 percent of your efforts produce 80 percent of the results. Learning to recognize and then focus on that 20 percent is the key to making the most effective use of your time.
• Job Analysis
• What are the 20 percent of my job responsibilities that produce 80 percent of the results?
  • Activity Logs
  • Analyzing Your Time Log
  • Currently is my focus on the 20 percent
  • What should I do to include my core responsibilities?
  • To-Do Lists
• Dealing with Common Time Wasters:
  • Interruptions
  • Shifting Priorities
  • Too Much Information
  • Travel
• Procrastination:
  • Causes
  • Ways to Overcome Procrastination
• Delegation:
  • Why Delegate?
  • The Delegation Process
  • Delegation for Time Management
  • Delegation for Succession Planning

Training Hours:

The duration of the training program will be 8 hours.

Our time management training materials are used extensively by both, trainers and corporates.