Time Management

Management: A Practical Introduction

Organization efficiency is impaired if managers are poorly organized. A major aspect of efficiency is the effective management of time. A well organized manager who makes good use of the time available can ensure objectives are successfully achieved.

Important issues in Time Management

Nature of Job

·     A person whose job involved regular contacts with others is more likely to be interrupted than persons working in a more solitary area.

·    Those people working in an established area will have relatively fewer unpredictable events to deal with than a person employed in a new and developing area of work.

·      Identifying the key tasks and responsibilities in a job will show which should be given the greatest amount of a manager’s time.

·        A detailed diary of time on activities in a given period of time is an easy way of finding out how time is spent and the nature of interruptions allowed. Time is often lost in unnecessary meetings and in traveling to meetings. It is worth exploring newer methods of communication to overcome the waste of time at meetings.

Personal attributes of job holder

·     The personality and amount of self-confidence someone has can have a marked effect on their efficiency. The more self-assured and assertive individual can deal more effectively with people who encroach on their time. Some people can only deal with one item at a time; others can deal with several simultaneously. Some like to delegate work extensively, others prefer to keep jobs to themselves.

The context of person’s job

·      The natures of the people working with a manager greatly influence the use of his time. A person’s boss, for example, could constantly interrupt his work. Some managers adopt an “open door” policy, which, while generally recommended, can affect personal work efficiency. Others adopt an approach discouraging informal contacts. The extent to which accuracy and quality of work is deemed vital can also have  an effect on time taken over the work involved.

·       The demands and constrains of any job can be examined by considering the following :

o       Demands

The essential items which cannot be passed on. They come from subordinates, peers, senior staff and people outside the organization.

o       Constrains

Items stopping a person from carrying out a job in the way they would prefer. These are usually the resources available, the limitations of equipment, physical location, the policies and procedures of the organization, legal rules and attitudes of other people.

·   When all demands and constrains have been identified, a manager is faced with choices which refer to what and how the work is to be done. A detailed analysis of a person’s job can identify what choices a manager is making and how the range can be extended to give more positive control over choices.