Time Management

Read More

Don't kill yourself everyday: Leave some free time in your work day

If you talk to some experienced hand or a mentor of your about success in life, the reply will be to devote every bit and second of your life in the office to be devoted to the office work. Or in other words, the advice means that one's office schedule be so tied up that not a single second is to be wasted away.

But would this startegy leads to smartwork, efficency, optimum out or does it leads to heartburns, frustrations and stress?

But does working with throttles on at supercharge speed on a road with no curves, road bumps or traffic lights leave one with one's office work fully accomplished or finished. Try it one day and you will find that such a strtaegy would soon drain you out of all your energies, making you stressful when finding that even this strtaegy still leaves a lot of things unfinished on your office table.

Even if one is working optimally but with every thing tied to each other, packed in tight schedule would have its bugs - an uncalled meeting or a an invited customer with lots of complaints may distrub your entire thought process and in turn the tightly packed, though nicely planned, work schedule.

Well many, as compared to the old hands, believe that one must leave some free time in one's busy and hectice schedule of work for free air - for it relieves stress, crampness and gives air to new and refreshing ideas that may help one in reshaping one's startegies or modus aperindi for achieving optimum output.

Therefore, may managers now suggest to have aflex time emodied in your work schedule, which muct cater for the unforeseen and unplanned activities. 

I remember oonce I planned on a very tightly planned schedule to prepare and deliver a very important assignment. I had even planned on to finish the last part just an hour before the assignmen subission as at that time the boss was scheduled to meet some other gues, allowing me my 'one hour' to fisnish he assignment. But to my horror, when I came to the office next day, I fould that the meet of the boss has been cancelled and I was to present the assignment one hour in advance. 

This is what happens when there isn flex time is intentionally left out to just sit and relax before the commencement of a meeting or a seminar or presentation.

Likewise, a meeting may prolong longer than scheduled, which may be infringing on an activity that you had planned on. Such tight scheduling thus disrupt everything - form finishing the work in time . So always plan on time bonuses - time you can make up for important things and relegating the unimportant things later.

By carefully planning your events with adequate flex time catered for, not only you wll be able to finish most of your planned things, but may also find 'additional time' to finish the previously left out unimportant tasks with lesser hassle and with a high sense of achievement and no heart burns or undeue stress involved.

Such flex-time scheduling would make you more happier, less stressful and more productive. It will also afford you time to give plenty stress-free time to your family and kids without anything botehring your mind or haunting to be taken care of right first thing next moring.

Read More

How to be “IN CHARGE”

Photo: Funeral Parlour

The dilemma many a manager face in planning, organizing, implementing and controlling their assignment is their feeling as if they are not “in charge” of the things and remain worried about it more than the actual things. As a result, the lose concentration, focus and are unable to realize their goals. This happens when one is not “in charge”. While the solution is very simple, it needs a resolve and commitment on the part of the managers. Let us see how.

• Be a Leader: Although by appointment and designation one is a manager, one needs to be a leader first. It will only be then your teammates and co-workers would gather around you and “follow” you for better or worse. Look around and see for yourself why certain managers are more successful – they are revered for their leadership qualities. Their colleagues and subordinates feel attracted to them and give in their willing response in whatever they are called to do. But at the same time remember you don’t have to announce that you are a leader, you have to prove it to others by your deeds, actions and even through your body language. Don’t appear pulled down, looking for crutches or the management for answers to your problems – be “in charge” and look like one. That’s the first step and that’s something that would make the difference.

• Be a Communicator: Unless a leader is a good communicator, he cannot assemble people to listen to him. If he cannot communicate – he cannot motivate. So sharpen your communication skills. Practice communicating by solving a problem through different techniques so that if one technique doesn't accrue desired results, you have a few other options up your sleeve. Let there be two way communication, both vertical and horizontal so that everyone understands you, you vision and your goals. Once you do that, you are in a much better position to motivate them for drawing their willingness to work with you and for you.

• Be a Motivator: If you really have leadership qualities, you will be a good motivator as well. As I wrote in one of my earlier posts, “Leaders do not push or pull – they don’t even motivate. They simply create an environment in which people motivate themselves.” So create that environment, wherein your team automatically elevate their esteem and spirits to work for you.

-->

Team Selection: If you have been able to demonstrate your leadership qualities, then you would know what kind of people you would like in your team – look for willing, extroverts with a shine in their eyes. People who would be willing to follow you whenever and wherever called upon. A like minded group of colleagues and co-workers should form your team to take on the assignment at hand.

Team Building: Next comes the team building – this is most important. Even if you draw their support, they need to be embedded into a perfectly grind machine work. There are no individuals in a team. Every member of the team works for the team and not for personal gains. No one is “I” or “me” – everyone begins with “we” or “us”. A team is  thus a group of highly motivated, efficient, trained and honest workers working hands in glove for the attainment of a common goal. That’s the team that would win you your goals.

Be Good at Finance Management: When given a project, you would be allocated a certain sum of money and resources. But remember the one who is giving you money is not doing it so that you go partying with your team. What he wants from you is to return him any multiples of the same since he is not only to run his business, but also to stay in it and be competitive. So be proficient in handling financial matter – spend less, bring more profit.

Efficient Time Management: In business, time is money – any amount of time wasted wastes money. Be good at managing the time at our disposal. Plan in a manner that you realize your goals in the least permissible or possible time. There will be spare time to rejoice and relax if you are productive. So when at work, devote yourself fully to the project to reach to your goals. However remember, time management doesn’t mean killing your self to beyond the limits, ignoring friends and family. Time management means apportioning time for everything and yet still be productive and successful.

Learn and Improve Skills in the Process: The more one is focused and dedicated to one’s job and assignment, the more one learns. The more one learns, the more he one becomes aware of one’s shortcomings and strengths. Everyday take a time out, review your day and analyze why you lagged behind on a certain aspect. And find ways and means to improving upon it the next day. Don’t be shy of hiding your weakness like an ostrich – those who learn the hard way, never commit mistakes again.

These are some of the tips that can ensure a place for you in your organization and let people know that who really is “IN CHARGE.”

Relevant Reading:

Time Management

How to be in charge of your life

Read More

Successful Managers – What Do they Do?

Everyone has a desire to excel and be successful. But the way up to the hill is rather a difficult climb, replete with stumbling stone, overcast weather, vanishing trails and shortness of breath. Only those who know how to climb a mountain can finally reach the summit. Remember, no one can run up to the summit – it has to be done very slowly as an faster pace would leave you out of breath and you will tire out even before taking the start. So learn to be successful slowly and gradually – there are no shortcuts.

Successful people are in simple words very productive. They are smart, focused, productive, attentive and dedicated. For their positive attitude, they are liked, paid handsomely and promoted at a faster pace than the rest. They are generally the people with an aura of charisma which attracts colleagues, workers, co-workers or even their seniors to be attracted to them and listened to. When it comes to clients, the clients prefer them over dull, slow moving, unimpressive sellers, devoid of energy and drive. They are the people who have the ability to lead rather than manage, which is what is required of successful men – taking the sinking boat of the storm and not letting an iceberg hit the Titanic.

Now, while not everyone can be successful, YOU can be. How? It is very easy. Follow some of the following steps and put your feet on the first ladder of success:-

• Learn – Learn your job, be master of what you are technically or literary. Unless you know you are master of what you should know, you cannot start. So be proficient of what you know and if you think something is missing, don’t hesitate to ask. The more you know, the less stress you would have and would take less time to grasp a given situation and come out with a solution.
• Manage your time – don’t get yourself into wasting time by scratching your head or reading tons of reference books to find a solution to a problem. Be quick to solve a problem rather than lingering on and wasting not only yours, but others time as well, wasting resources and causing distaste. So if you have been able to manage your time well, you will feel more confident, and have greater sense of achievement and accomplishment.
• Select someone as you role model – that someone should be someone who is what people call a successful man. Learn what, how and why he does and analyze each step he takes and draw pertinent conclusions for yourself. You don’t necessarily be copying him as it would not suit your personality but still you can learn and eradicate your weakness and strengthen your strong areas.
• Take timely and decisive decisions – This is the most important thing that elevates someone over the others. And that is what others notice and prefer. While making decisions, be very clear what is that you want to accomplish and how. The clarity of your decisions will make your co-workers understand clearly your mindset and will find easier to follow you. Committing to your decision and taking action on it is one of the most important qualities towards being successful. Those who are vague in their approach, have cold feet while taking decisions are generally time wasters and inefficient. Gain mastery over methods and techniques of Time Management – since this coupled with sound decisions will see you through to the ladders leading to success.

And as you move up the ladder, you will feel your self-esteem rising too, making you more confident, productive, focused and successful. And this what successful people are all about. 

Relevant Reading:   Why some people almost always are successful 

                                 Fifty Habits of Highly Successful People

Photo Courtesy: Stepcase-Lifehack

Read More

Time Management – Take Half the Time in Getting Things Done

Many a managers complain lack of time when undertaking an assignment and usually overshoot the time-lines or the deadline given to them. This not only demoralizes them in their future undertakings, makes them nervous and dejected but also has adverse effects on the company’s overall performance and goal achievement. But there are some “smart” guys, who not only finish their assignments well before the time, but also find extra time for friends and families. So what to do?

Well, answers are not very simple, but if one concentrates single mindedly on the “most important” task first, he is likely to reduce the time by about half or in some cases even more. Normally the complaining managers don’t take a jump start; rather their activities are erratic and interrupted. So the start-stop-start methodology not only increase the time it takes to do a thing, but also results in loss of concentration and drifting away from the goalposts set for them. This is exactly like a production-line process. In a textile industry for example, if the production line is interrupted due to some mechanical or electrical failure, the material fed into the system goes waste, and the entire process has to start afresh, resulting into loss of raw material, time and money.

One has to learn how not to drag one’s feet when it comes to work. One has to start one’s work with eagerness, enthusiasm and interest, and remain focused. In other words, it is a 100 Meters race – one, who picks with a lightening speed, finishes up a winning race. Ever looked at the joy of the runner finishing first? You could be the same if you start and finish like a winner. One has to keep the momentum and never let out oneself out of steam too early.

They key to success is twofold: Setting of the right priorities and concentration and remaining focused throughout the race. No other task or commitment should come your way when you take a start as these would act as detractors and time spoilers. One should have the courage to say “NO” to people or things that are of lesser value at a particular time since these can be taken care of later. But if one takes the time out and attends to the less important, he is out of the race he was already running and would finish last.

So begin your day with top priority tasks fully focused first right in the morning so that you finish in time and have time to plan for the next day and attend to the lesser important in the remaining time. Don’t leave anything for tomorrow as it would hamper your schedule for the next day.

Read More

Time Management

We often find people who complain lack of time to complete their work, their assignments or even reach their goalposts. This is mostly so with the managers at various tiers of the organization. Higher the ladder, more of the complaints. While it is true that in this competitive corporate world, there is more strains and challenges on the managers to remain competitive both within and without, but successful managers seldom complain of lack of time since they know the art and mastering of time. This is time management and unless one has manage one’s time well vis-à-vis one’s goals and workload, one is bound to complain of lack of time.

The solution? – Well the solution will depend how you view your job, your assignments and the capacity of challenges you can face. As said before “time deficit” can only be avoided if one becomes an expert in time management. In order to face the challenges, perhaps no other skill is as important or as rewarding than if one has grasped the essentials of time management. 

The successful managers believe that “Time cannot be saved, it can only be spent.” So it is the spending of time that matters. Spend your time very efficiently and wisely to be truly productive. Those who plan their work logically and methodically or so to say using the 10/90 principal if 10% of the total time is spent on fore planning, one can save 90% of the effort later needed to accomplish the task. So remember the 10/90 principle and apply it while doing anything in your life.

And if we just look around and observe the activities of very efficient and effective colleagues (those who are generally envied by the lethargic and less efficient workers), we will find that they have all the time for themselves for laughing, meeting people, having lunches and dinners – not because they are “wasting time” rather they have “saved time” by efficiently managing their activities vis-à-vis available time to enjoy life as well. The time management not only makes them efficient and high value managers for the organization, it also affords them time to take their families out on picnics and outings. 

Experts say that “Developing time management skills is a journey.” One has to begin making small leaps, learning or perhaps imitating styles of others, then gradually enlarge one’s vision by putting to practice lessons learnt by stumbling down and yet getting up. One must set goals – initially very short term, and even breaking these into various benchmarks based on time. And try to achieve the benchmark by due date or time. Initially it may not be possible, but by and by one learns to achieve the optimum. One should also priorities: what is to be done first and what can be relegated to a later timeframe. Normally people get bogged down in wasting time on non-essentials rather than focusing on the essentials and priority goals.

Even one should use one’s free time wisely rather than just lying idle. And this means reviewing what has been done, analyzing it coolly and working out antidotes for the mistakes. Unless one sets aside time for review and analysis, taking up next assignment by committing earlier mistakes would be of no value. 

Relevant Blog: If I only had time
Take a Test:    How Good is Your Time Management?
 

Read More