Work and Time Management

Work, in whatsoever form, requires effective time management and task management to get complete. Managing time in work increases its predictability and hence reduces changes of slippage of task.

By" minding your minutes" through an activities diary, you can slash time-wasters and boost your productivity.
Using time effectively is one of the greatest skills a manager can possess. Today things change rapidly; obsolescence is always just a few minutes away, and managers who misuse time put themselves at a great disadvantage. Yet many managers allow themselves and their subordinates to work in ways that waste a great deal of this precious resource.

RECORDlNG-After describing the job, a manager should compile a list of daily activities for a period of one week, if possible, in an activity book or job diary. (A plain notebook will do nicely.) Getting started is the most difficult thing about keeping a diary, and once begun, complete honesty is essential. The degree of detail will depend on several factors: number of entries, accuracy and, to a great degree, time available for recording.

ANALYSIS-After completing this diary, a manager can analyze his or her activities to check on the average number of activities performed per day, average duration o each activity, time spent on the telephone (incoming and outgoing calls), traveling and so on. The results can give managers a vivid picture of their job as it really is, help them reorganize their workday and make time for those activities that they consider to be of primary importance.

TIMESAVERS
The Telephone- Telephone interruptions are one of the time stealers that trouble managers most. If the subject seems to require more discussion, of course, the time should be taken, though cautiously.

Mail- Managers who sort their mail themselves waste quite a lot of time. They should delegate to a secretary the responsibility of opening, sorting, dating, underlining and annotating all business correspondence. The mail should be arranged according to the manager's preference, usually from most to least important item.

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