What is time management?

It is a set of principles, practices, skills, tools and systems that help you use your time to accomplish what you want. Why is time factor important? Time factor is important for your personal life and career success. It teaches you how to manage your time effectively and make the most of it. Here are a few of the reasons why it is so important, and how it can help you use and manage your time more advantageously: 1. Time is a special resource that you cannot store or save for later use. Everyone has the exact same amount of time each day. Time not well used cannot be retrieved. 2. Most people feel like they have too much to do and not enough time. They blame lack of time for their poor finances, unachieved goals, stress, bad relationships and not exercising their body. Wise time management can help you find the time for what you desire to do or need to do. 3. You need time to get what you want out of life. If you wait for extra time to appear, you might lose the game of life. Through right time management, you can create the time you need, and not just wait for it to come. By planning your time wisely, you will have more time to do more things. 4. Time management will help you set up your priorities. 5. Time is limited to 24 hours a day, so plan your life wisely. 6. Time management helps you make conscious choices, so you can spend more of your time doing things that are important and valuable to you. 7. You can learn to find the time for the things that are important to you. Even a small amount of time once a day, or even once a week, will take you closer to your goals, and you will be surprised at the progress you make.

8. You become more productive using improved time management skills and tools, and can accomplish more with less effort and time. Time management can help you reduce wasted time and energy, help you become more creative and productive, and enable you to do the right thing at the right time. This will of course lead to more balance and fulfillment in your life. 9. Life today presents so many distractions, and therefore, it is very easy to lose time on unimportant activities. Ask yourself, is watching this or that TV program, reading this or that gossip or participating in a certain activity is going to add anything to your life. Is the time spent on a particular activity well spent, or is just a waste of time and energy? 10. Life puts in front of everyone so many choices each day, and the question is, do you follow what appears on your way, or do you consciously choose what you want to do? Do you allow external distractions deter you from your goal, or do you use willpower and self discipline to walk toward your goal in a straight line, without wasting time and energy? 11. Some inner detachment and inner peace are of great help in managing your time effectively. If you avoid expending too much emotional and mental energy on what people say and think about you, and if you stay calm in spite of distractions or difficulties, you can save a lot of time and energy, which you can spend on better and more rewarding activities. Time Wasters 1. Lack of planning, prioritizing and focus. Without these, you'll find yourself drifting and working in a scattered and disjointed way, and not spending time on what's most important to you. You'll end up working on activities that aren't moving you towards your vision and if this is so, it's not an effective way to spend your time. You'll feel directionless and your productivity will drop. When you're not fully focused in the moment, you inhibit the momentum required to be effective and to get things done faster and more easily.

2. Procrastination. Putting things off wastes not only your time but also your energy and thoughts. When you procrastinate, much time is spent thinking and worrying about the things you need to do. You

give yourself a hard time for not doing them and therefore you're unable to spend your time effectively, especially when crunch time arrives and what you've been procrastinating over finally has to be done. If you see yourself as someone who procrastinates, you'll remain in that endless cycle.

3. Interruptions. This may be the telephone, people dropping into your office, unanticipated events or visitors, anything that stops what you're doing. Interruptions prevent you from being focused; they pull you away from important things at that moment. Time is wasted when you allow different areas of your life to overlap into each other. Focus and time are lost when you allow your work and personal life to interrupt each other. The same goes for the different things you're working on. Keep them separate and don't allow them to interfere with each other. Focus on each specific thing at a time.

4. Lack of delegation. It's a real waste of your time to think you need to do everything and no one ever does it as good as you. You'll end up doing too much and having insufficient time to focus only on what you're really good at, your gifts, strengths and ability. 5. Meetings. Meetings can be a time waster if there isn't a specific reason, agenda and timeframe for holding them. It's too easy to fall into the habit of holding meetings without realising that some of that time could be spent more effectively. A small amount of time clarifying the need and reason for the meeting could save a lot of time in the long run.

6. Crisis management, fire fighting. When you're running around like a headless chicken, too much time is wasted through a lack of effectiveness. You're not focused and working on what's important. There are too many urgent items getting in the way. Because you're in such a hurry, things are not done well and often come back to bite you, wasting more time when you need to redo it.

7. Telephone, email and Internet. These can also be interruptions and as with meetings, it's easy to spend quite a bit of time on the telephone or internet without any real reason or intention. Time is wasted when you don't make the best use of the time, when you're unclear about what you want to get out of what you're doing and when you stray off the point and drift. It's so easy to justify to yourself that you're working hard when in fact what you're doing may serve no useful or effective purpose at all. It may be just a distraction.

8. Not saying 'No'. Taking on too much puts pressure on you and prevents you from working at your best. Not working at your best and most effective means everything takes longer and more of your time is stolen from you. You don't value your time and you don't decide how you want to spend it and therefore, you allow others to make that choice for you. You're not going to spend your time effectively if you allow others to ask too much of you.

9. Lack of organisation and untidiness. Clutter zaps your energy and not only leaves you less able to work effectively, but wastes time as you try to sort through it. You may find yourself looking through the same clutter time and again. Clutter can be a distraction for you and anything that distracts doesn't allow for effective use of your time. When you lack organisation, much time can be spent doing the same thing repeatedly or because there aren't the necessary systems or processes in place. Not simplifying robs you of your time.

10. Not enough time-off or time for yourself. You need to step back, evaluate and re-energise yourself in order to be effective. Many people 'try' to do more and more thinking they're using their time better. But in actual fact, this can often result in being less productive and not working on what's most important. You waste time when you keep doing, doing, doing, without enough time for just being and listening to your inner wisdom. Without enough time-off or time for yourself, your health may suffer and eventually you'll reach a crisis point where you're forced to take even more time off.

"Prioritizing is the answer to time management problems - not computers, efficiency experts, or matrix scheduling. You do not need to do work faster or to eliminate gaps in productivity to make better use of your time. You need to spend more time on the right things..." We all have many things to do, and we never have time and energy to do them all. We don't have time and resources to do them equally well either. Many things will be left undone, no matter how hard you try. Prioritizing is a way to solve that frustrating problem. One key reason why prioritizing works and works well, is the 80/20 Rule. The 80/20 Rule states that 80 percent of our typical activities contribute less than 20 percent to the value of our work. So, if you do only the most important 20 percent of your tasks you still get most of the value. Then, if you focus most of your efforts on those top value activities, you achieve much more than before, or you will have more time to spend with your family. Prioritizing is about making choices of what to do and what not to do. To prioritize effectively you need to be able to recognize what is important, as well as to see the difference between urgent and important. The important or high priority, tasks are the tasks that help us achieve our long-term goals or can have other meaningful and significant long-term consequences. At first glance, many of the tasks we face during a day seem equally urgent and important. Yet, if you take a closer look, you will see that many of the urgent activities we are involved are not really important in the long run. At the same time, things that are most important for us, like improving ourselves and our skills, getting a better education, spending time with family, often are not urgent. With good prioritizing skills, you finish as soon as possible all the important urgent tasks, the ones that would get you into a crisis or trouble otherwise. Then, you focus your attention and try to give more and more time to those most important, but not urgent tasks, the ones that are most rewarding in the long run.

Prioritizing principles can be applied to both planned and unplanned activities. For planned activities, like the ones included in your to do list, you can mark each of your tasks with "A", "B", or "C", depending on its importance. The "B" tasks should be done only after you are finished with all the most important "A" tasks, the ones that just must be done. If you have time after you are finished with the "B" tasks, you can move on to the "C" ones. When you set priorities in to do lists, also keep asking yourself if any of your tasks can be eliminated or delegated. When you prioritize unplanned activities, you often need to make quick decisions, and you don't have time to analyze the situation in full. It is best just to keep in mind your goals and rely on your instincts. Your effectiveness in such situations depends very much on the clarity of your goals. What is meant by 'flexible work'? Simply put, flexible work arrangements are alternate arrangements or schedules from the traditional working day and week. Employees may choose a different work schedule to meet personal or family needs. Alternatively, employers may initiate various schedules to meet their customer needs. Why should a business consider offering flexible work arrangements? Many benefits have been reported by various studies. Common findings include:

Increased ability to attract, retain and motivate high-performing and experienced employees. Reduced absenteeism. Helps employees manage their responsibilities outside of work. Increased job satisfaction, energy, creativity, and ability to handle stress.

What should be considered when designing a flexible work policy? No matter which program or how many options are available, the duties, expectations, and deadlines should be clearly outlined by the supervisor and agreed upon by both the supervisor and the employee. Supportive organizational culture, clear communication, teamwork and reciprocal support between management and employees will help ensure the success of these initiatives. Other issues that should be considered include:

Initial start-up costs and additional administrative duties/time. How to schedule meetings and training courses so most employees can attend. Workload management. Meeting customer demands. Impact the employee's absence will have on the group or the organization. Impact on terms and conditions of employment (e.g., leave benefits may be pro-rated). Accolades abound about flex arrangement merits for both employer and employee:

Improved job satisfaction, morale, and productivity. Enhanced employee recruitment and retention. Increased energy and creativity. Reduced absenteeism. Reduced stress and burn out. Improved balance of work and family life.

What are examples of flexible work arrangements? Whether formally written into company policy or an informal agreement between the employee and employer, common arrangements include:

Flex time Flex time is an arrangement where employees work a full day but they can vary their working hours. These arrangements are usually established with specific guidelines so that a "core" working day exists. Flex time is usually arranged in advance with the employee and employer or supervisor and a set range of start and finish times are established. The total hours of work are not usually affected by this arrangement. For example, the employee may choose to start between 7:30 and 9:30 AM, and finish between 3:30 and 5:30 PM. This arrangement establishes that core hours are between 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM when all employees will be at work. Lunch periods are usually mandatory and for a set length (30 to 90 minutes). Employees should maintain their start/finish times so that a routine is established and co-workers can become accustomed to each others' schedules. Reduced hours/Part-time Employees may choose to work fewer than the standard 37.5 or 40 hours work week. These arrangements may be on a temporary or permanent basis depending on individual circumstances. It may also be considered in some cases for employees with health problems or disabilities. Work hours may be negotiated, or they may be chosen to coincide with peak workload hours depending on the type of business. However, employee benefits and qualification for government programs (such as employment insurance or pension plans) may be affected, and should be examined thoroughly before commencing. Compressed work week Compressed work week occurs when an employee works for longer periods of time per day or shift in exchange for a day off. Employees may start earlier or finish later that the normal work day. Compressed work weeks are often initiated by the employee, but sometimes the employer may initiate the option to improve operational efficiency, to maximize production (reduced daily start up costs) or to establish longer business hours which can enhance customer service.

Common arrangements for a 40 hours work week are working 10 hours per day, 4 days a week; working an extra hour a day with 1 day off every 2 weeks; or working an extra half hour a day and having one day every 3 or 4 weeks off. Telework/Telecommuting Telework or telecommuting occurs when people to do at least some of their regular work from home instead of going into the office. Details such as hours of work, and how communications between the teleworker, co-workers and customers need to be outlined. For more information, please see the OSH Answers document onTelework/Telecommuting. Job sharing Job sharing occurs when two or more people share one or more positions or set of duties. It should be clear before starting how these arrangements affect pay, benefits, and holidays. It is very important that those in a job sharing arrangement work effectively as a team, and communicate well. Job sharing may be an option when few part-time positions are available within the company. Banking of Hours/ Annualized hours This arrangement allows employees to choose, within negotiated boundaries, their days and hours of work to the maximum for a set period of time. This period of time may be weekly, monthly or yearly. Such arrangements are often a combination of flex time and compressed work week and can help reduce the amount of overtime hours required. These arrangements may be suited to fields where there is variation in demands such as peak hours or seasonal peaks. Gradual Retirement Gradual retirement allows employees to reduce their working hours or reduce their workload over a period of time rather than switching from full time employment to retirement abruptly. This phased period can be used to train the replacement employee, help others adjust to restructuring within the company, or to adjust for the redistribution of tasks among the remaining employees.

Leaves and Sabbaticals Leaves and sabbaticals are authorized periods of time away from work without loss of employment rights. Paid or unpaid leaves are usually granted for family, health care, education or leisure reasons. Sabbaticals are usually paid (or partially funded) and occur on a regular basis in addition to vacation time. In some cases, self-funded leaves are also possible where a portion of the employee's salary is withheld and returned to the employee 'as pay' during the time away from work. Problems and Solutions Employers can help ensure that both they and their workers reap the benefits of flexible work arrangements by being aware of some of the most common problems associated with these plans and how to avoid them: Failure to Include Employees in Planning Stage One of the most common mistakes that companies make when establishing flex plans is insufficient communication with workers. Solution: Seek input from employees on their interest and needs as you develop a flexible work program. Assess whether or not the new work arrangement is appropriate for their type of work. Will workers be able to continue to function effectively? The best arrangement is one that addresses employees personal needs or wants and at the same time addresses the companys needs to provide high quality products and services. Failure to Identify that Certain Positions/Individuals are not Conducive to Flexible Work Arrangements Solution: Do your homework. Will the arrangement cause difficulties in ensuring office coverage? Will it cause customer complaints about availability? Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Is there any employee interest in the plan? Will it cause a problem in scheduling meetings?

An individuals work style and history should also support the demands of the arrangement; i.e., Employees who have shown an inability to work well independently would not be ideal candidates for telecommuting arrangements, and employees without the needed physical and emotional stamina would not be able to sustain the long hours needed for compressed work schedules. Informal Policies that Lead to Inconsistencies and Inequities Inconsistent application of informal policies can cause resentment, poor morale, loss of employees and even legal action. Solution: Develop and prepare a formal written policy on company flexible work plans that is detailed, clearly-stated and non-discriminatory. Decrease in Communication Work arrangements such as telecommuting can result in a lack of business and social contact with co-workers and supervisors. Solution: Conduct staff meetings that include flex staff so that they are not excluded from information sharing or alienated from coworkers and managers. Telecommuters contact with other employees should not be limited to email; efforts should be made to include telephone contact, especially with supervisors. Resistance of Management Managers are not always eager to relinquish direct supervision of staff on-site where they can visually evaluate the work process of employees. Solution: Managers may need to be educated in order to change their mindset. They will need to learn to manage in a system based on trust and respect, where it primarily the results, rather than the work process, that is evaluated. Most output can be measured wherever a person may be located.

Failure to Monitor, Assess and Update Flexible Work Arrangements Flexible work arrangements may require a continual process of improvements or developments. Solution: After a flex program has been initiated, take the time to assess its success in meeting goals, and make any necessary adjustments. Keep the lines of communication open with employees in terms of encouraging and listening to feedback. When initiating a new plan, pilot programs with a limited time frame can be useful. At the onset, advise employees that if the plan proves unsuccessful a return to prior traditional work arrangements may result. Legal Pitfalls Lawsuits have been charged against businesses in recent years with a number of flex time abuses. Most flex time litigation has to do with the misclassification of workers as being exempt from overtime. There is also the danger of a worker being injured at home while performing company business, which may also result in litigation. Solution: Employers must precisely determine which employees are exempt or non-exempt. Non-exempt employees are entitled to overtime pay for hours worked in addition to 40-hours in any given work-week. These employees must be required to document and submit hours worked.