TIME MANAGEMENT MADE SIMPLE
By
VIKRAM KARVE
NB:
This post is an updated version of my article on Time Management written in 1989 and first posted on my blog on 16 Dec 2008 in my post http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2008/12/art-of-time-management.html
Unless time is managed properly, nothing worthwhile can be accomplished.
Time is unique resource.
The Three Aspects of Time
Time can be divided into three aspects for ease of implementation of time management techniques:-
(a) Biological: Pertaining to bodily functions.
(b) Social: Pertaining to self, family and society.
(c) Professional: Pertaining to professional activities/time spent at work.
It is essential to maintain equilibrium between these three aspects. Any imbalance may prove to be detrimental to one’s physical and mental health and can adversely affect the individual in the long run.
It is essential, therefore, to allocate one’s time in balanced manner to the extent feasible to all these three aspects.
(a) Biological Time : Adopt the golden mean of moderation among:-
(i) Sleep
(ii) Food
(iii) Ablutions / Calls of nature
(iv) Sex / Recreation
(v) Physical Exercise
It is advantageous to establish regularity for all the above activities.
(b) Social Time :
It is desirable to give time to yourself, your family and for society.
Social Time comprises three components - Self Time, Family Time and Society Time and the general time management guide lines for social time are:
(i) Self Development Time or Self Time – at least one hour per day should be kept for oneself for thinking, introspection, reading and other hobbies.
(ii) Family Time – strong family ties and a happy domestic life are the foundations of success in both personal and professional life. One must spend some time with one’s family everyday and to co-ordinate activities of family members. Dinner time and after is suitable for this.
iii) Society Time – in order to live in society, one has to attend various social events like weddings, religious functions etc., where one is not the master of one’s own time. Social obligations may entail a substantial portion of time.
(c) Professional Time :
In this aspect, if one is working, one does not really have a choice as working hours are generally fixed. The aim here is to optimally utilize the available time for maximum output/productivity and self satisfaction. It is, therefore, essential to plan one’s work and that of the subordinates in an efficient manner and also identify “Time Wasters” and make efforts to eliminate/reduce them.
Examples of Time Wasters are –
(i) Infructuous meetings.
(ii) Poor communication [including unnecessary mobile phone calls].
(iii) Unwanted visitors
(iv) Disorganized work due to lack of clear cut priorities, “Fire Fighting”/Crisis Management, duplication of effort, confused responsibility and authority, ineffective delegation, indecision and, in general, failure of Management of Work.
The basic cause of time wastage at work can be classified as follows:-
(a) Over-staffing is common cause of wastage of time. Since most of the people do not have clearly defined work for the whole day, they often obstruct each other and create unnecessary problems. According to Peter Drucker – “If a Manager or Supervisor is spending more than 1/10th of his time on human relations, on disputes and quarrels, it is clear indication of over-staffing”.
(b) Time is wasted on account of faulty organization of work. Work is not planned sufficiently in advance.
(c) There is enormous wastage of time and effort due to various meetings often at various locations, which are not properly directed and drag on interminably.
(d) Time is often wasted because the relevant information is not readily available or the information available is inaccurate. Similarly collection, storage and dissemination of unnecessary information is wasteful.
Though one has to evolve one’s own technique of time management depending on the circumstances, the three cardinal principles are –
(a) Span of Attention
(b) Provision of time in adequate chunks.
(c) Concentration.
(a) Span of Attention : There is a natural limit to how long one can concentrate on a particular activity or task. This is called span of attention. For example – One cannot obviously work continuously for a long duration without loosing effectiveness. Working beyond one’s span of attention becomes counter-productive. Work begins to suffer badly. In planning work, this requirement must always be kept in view.
(b) Provision of time in adequate Time Chunks : If any important work is to be done, time must be made available in sufficiently large chunks. For example – If a job takes 20 minutes, it is of no use to allocate time at the rate of 5 minutes a day for 4 days. Time used in such driblets is utterly wasted. For important work one requires sufficient time at a stretch.
(c) Concentration: Concentration is essential for effective utilization of time. This as a matter of practice is necessary to avoid all interruptions. It is also necessary to focus attention on one task at a time.
Conclusion
Time Management is essentially a matter of self-discipline, though it is affected by external factors. The aim should be to identify and minimize both internal and external Time Wasters to the extent feasible. One has to cultivate the art of enjoying both essential work and leisure. It is essential to maintain equilibrium between biological, social and professional time for improving one’s effectiveness.
In a nutshell:
Time T = X + Y + Z
where
X = hard work
Y = play or rest
Z = keeping one’s mouth shut i.e. “Silence” for “Introspection”.
I trust this was useful to you, Dear Reader.
Wishing you happy Time Management.
Do read the next few articles on Time Management in this Blog.
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-81910
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-ka
By
VIKRAM KARVE
NB:
This post is an updated version of my article on Time Management written in 1989 and first posted on my blog on 16 Dec 2008 in my post http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2008/12/art-of-time-management.html
Unless time is managed properly, nothing worthwhile can be accomplished.
Time is unique resource.
Time is indispensable, intangible, irreplaceable, irretrievable and therefore invaluable.
Time is equitably and uniformly distributed.
One day of every one consists of 24 hours only... no more and no less.
Every piece of work requires time. Difficult tasks may require ample time... after all Rome was not built in a day.
Time does not obey the laws of ordinary arithmetic.
4 minutes today and 3 minutes tomorrow do not add up to 7 minutes at a stretch.
Time without energy has not much value... for instance, if one is seriously ill or indisposed, the time duration of illness is practically useless.
Time is money.
Costs are related to the passage of time, such as interest on capital.
Time is also a measure of effort.
Even a few minutes of time can be of critical importance.
Time lost is lost for ever and yet the easiest thing is to waste time.
We always tend to waste time and then regret that we are always short of time.
Time management is therefore a vital aspect of management.
A Swiss gentleman summed up 65 years of his life as under:-
One day of every one consists of 24 hours only... no more and no less.
Every piece of work requires time. Difficult tasks may require ample time... after all Rome was not built in a day.
Time does not obey the laws of ordinary arithmetic.
4 minutes today and 3 minutes tomorrow do not add up to 7 minutes at a stretch.
Time without energy has not much value... for instance, if one is seriously ill or indisposed, the time duration of illness is practically useless.
Time is money.
Costs are related to the passage of time, such as interest on capital.
Time is also a measure of effort.
Even a few minutes of time can be of critical importance.
Time lost is lost for ever and yet the easiest thing is to waste time.
We always tend to waste time and then regret that we are always short of time.
Time management is therefore a vital aspect of management.
A Swiss gentleman summed up 65 years of his life as under:-
(a) Spent in bed - 26 years
(b) Spent in Office/at work - 20 years
(c) Spent in eating - 6 years
(d) Spent in waiting - 6 years
(e) Spent in anger - 6 years
(f) Spent in toilet, bathing, shaving,
laughing, scolding children, blowing
nose and lighting cigar - 1 year
No time apparently spent in thinking, planning or achieving goals ...!!!
Modes of Time
There are two modes of time for every person:
(a) Either you have a very “busy” mind, effectively employing human resources like working, thinking, remembering, reading, writing, watching, discussing, listening etc., in short, fully utilizing your senses. Here you are very busy and involved.
(b) Or at the other extreme, you have an “empty” mind – for example, whilst waiting for a bus or train, waiting for a doctor or friend, when you do not get sleep or listening to a boring speech or attending infructuous meetings – activities in which you are not interested or mentally involved but perforce have to be physically present.
In the first case when you are in the busy mind mode, time will pass quickly, in fact, time will fly and you would say – “Oh. My God! One hour has passed. I thought only 5 minutes have gone by.”
In the second case, in the empty mind mode, imagine you are waiting for a doctor, or your friend at a Cinema Hall or awaiting a train, which is running late, at the railway station. You look right, then left, then at your watch. You curse your friend or the train for not coming on time. It seems ages. When the much-delayed person or train arrives at last, you shout “Why are you late? I am cooling my heels for hours.” Whereas actually only three or four minutes may have passed.
For a Busy Mind: Time Flies
For a Empty Mind: Time Crawls
(b) Spent in Office/at work - 20 years
(c) Spent in eating - 6 years
(d) Spent in waiting - 6 years
(e) Spent in anger - 6 years
(f) Spent in toilet, bathing, shaving,
laughing, scolding children, blowing
nose and lighting cigar - 1 year
No time apparently spent in thinking, planning or achieving goals ...!!!
Modes of Time
There are two modes of time for every person:
(a) Either you have a very “busy” mind, effectively employing human resources like working, thinking, remembering, reading, writing, watching, discussing, listening etc., in short, fully utilizing your senses. Here you are very busy and involved.
(b) Or at the other extreme, you have an “empty” mind – for example, whilst waiting for a bus or train, waiting for a doctor or friend, when you do not get sleep or listening to a boring speech or attending infructuous meetings – activities in which you are not interested or mentally involved but perforce have to be physically present.
In the first case when you are in the busy mind mode, time will pass quickly, in fact, time will fly and you would say – “Oh. My God! One hour has passed. I thought only 5 minutes have gone by.”
In the second case, in the empty mind mode, imagine you are waiting for a doctor, or your friend at a Cinema Hall or awaiting a train, which is running late, at the railway station. You look right, then left, then at your watch. You curse your friend or the train for not coming on time. It seems ages. When the much-delayed person or train arrives at last, you shout “Why are you late? I am cooling my heels for hours.” Whereas actually only three or four minutes may have passed.
For a Busy Mind: Time Flies
For a Empty Mind: Time Crawls
The Three Aspects of Time
Time can be divided into three aspects for ease of implementation of time management techniques:-
(a) Biological: Pertaining to bodily functions.
(b) Social: Pertaining to self, family and society.
(c) Professional: Pertaining to professional activities/time spent at work.
It is essential to maintain equilibrium between these three aspects. Any imbalance may prove to be detrimental to one’s physical and mental health and can adversely affect the individual in the long run.
It is essential, therefore, to allocate one’s time in balanced manner to the extent feasible to all these three aspects.
(a) Biological Time : Adopt the golden mean of moderation among:-
(i) Sleep
(ii) Food
(iii) Ablutions / Calls of nature
(iv) Sex / Recreation
(v) Physical Exercise
It is advantageous to establish regularity for all the above activities.
(b) Social Time :
It is desirable to give time to yourself, your family and for society.
Social Time comprises three components - Self Time, Family Time and Society Time and the general time management guide lines for social time are:
(i) Self Development Time or Self Time – at least one hour per day should be kept for oneself for thinking, introspection, reading and other hobbies.
(ii) Family Time – strong family ties and a happy domestic life are the foundations of success in both personal and professional life. One must spend some time with one’s family everyday and to co-ordinate activities of family members. Dinner time and after is suitable for this.
iii) Society Time – in order to live in society, one has to attend various social events like weddings, religious functions etc., where one is not the master of one’s own time. Social obligations may entail a substantial portion of time.
(c) Professional Time :
In this aspect, if one is working, one does not really have a choice as working hours are generally fixed. The aim here is to optimally utilize the available time for maximum output/productivity and self satisfaction. It is, therefore, essential to plan one’s work and that of the subordinates in an efficient manner and also identify “Time Wasters” and make efforts to eliminate/reduce them.
Examples of Time Wasters are –
(i) Infructuous meetings.
(ii) Poor communication [including unnecessary mobile phone calls].
(iii) Unwanted visitors
(iv) Disorganized work due to lack of clear cut priorities, “Fire Fighting”/Crisis Management, duplication of effort, confused responsibility and authority, ineffective delegation, indecision and, in general, failure of Management of Work.
The basic cause of time wastage at work can be classified as follows:-
(a) Over-staffing is common cause of wastage of time. Since most of the people do not have clearly defined work for the whole day, they often obstruct each other and create unnecessary problems. According to Peter Drucker – “If a Manager or Supervisor is spending more than 1/10th of his time on human relations, on disputes and quarrels, it is clear indication of over-staffing”.
(b) Time is wasted on account of faulty organization of work. Work is not planned sufficiently in advance.
(c) There is enormous wastage of time and effort due to various meetings often at various locations, which are not properly directed and drag on interminably.
(d) Time is often wasted because the relevant information is not readily available or the information available is inaccurate. Similarly collection, storage and dissemination of unnecessary information is wasteful.
How to Manage Your Time
Though one has to evolve one’s own technique of time management depending on the circumstances, the three cardinal principles are –
(a) Span of Attention
(b) Provision of time in adequate chunks.
(c) Concentration.
(a) Span of Attention : There is a natural limit to how long one can concentrate on a particular activity or task. This is called span of attention. For example – One cannot obviously work continuously for a long duration without loosing effectiveness. Working beyond one’s span of attention becomes counter-productive. Work begins to suffer badly. In planning work, this requirement must always be kept in view.
(b) Provision of time in adequate Time Chunks : If any important work is to be done, time must be made available in sufficiently large chunks. For example – If a job takes 20 minutes, it is of no use to allocate time at the rate of 5 minutes a day for 4 days. Time used in such driblets is utterly wasted. For important work one requires sufficient time at a stretch.
(c) Concentration: Concentration is essential for effective utilization of time. This as a matter of practice is necessary to avoid all interruptions. It is also necessary to focus attention on one task at a time.
Conclusion
Time Management is essentially a matter of self-discipline, though it is affected by external factors. The aim should be to identify and minimize both internal and external Time Wasters to the extent feasible. One has to cultivate the art of enjoying both essential work and leisure. It is essential to maintain equilibrium between biological, social and professional time for improving one’s effectiveness.
In a nutshell:
Time T = X + Y + Z
where
X = hard work
Y = play or rest
Z = keeping one’s mouth shut i.e. “Silence” for “Introspection”.
I trust this was useful to you, Dear Reader.
Wishing you happy Time Management.
Do read the next few articles on Time Management in this Blog.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved. (2008)
(This post is an updated version of my article written in 1989 and first posted on my blog on 16 Dec 2008 in my blog post http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2008/12/art-of-time-management.html )
Disclaimer:
All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
NB:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve - all rights reserved
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About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com and vikramwamankarve@gmail.com
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com and vikramwamankarve@gmail.com
Twitter: @vikramkarve
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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