Time management
Time management. Fashionable "feature" or need?
That time it is necessary to operate, prove meaningly today already to nobody is necessary. Its shortage to a greater or lesser extent face all: from ordinary managers to heads and owners of the enterprises. According to researches of international consulting company "Chipin&Partner", (78 days in a year) working hours we spend 36 % practically for nothing.
And business hardly is better in due course the non-working! To help people with the decision of challenges of the organisation of time, and there is so-called "time management" - a management skill time. The majority few people familiar with time management represents it to itself as system of planning and time structurization by a principle: the more an order, the it is better results. It not absolutely so. Planning, of course, integral and very important part of management of time, but it not the unique method offered by modern time management. And, using it, it is not necessary to forget about all other ways without which this structurization hardly will appear effective. In today's our article we will try to tell about the basic receptions of the time management which combination can help to optimise to any person time and activity short.
Reception the first: planning already mentioned by us - one of basic elements of management of time. After all the main advantage reached by scheduling, consists that time spent for planning, leads to reduction of time for work as a whole. Alan Lakejn in the widely known book "Art to be in time" names time spent for planning by "Time of Decisions" because "planning is engaged in it: decision-making that, when and as it is necessary you to make". He recommends to carry out any planning in two stages: to make the list and to define priorities.
"All subjects mentioned by you in the list, - Alan Lakejn writes, - are equivalent. As soon as you will make the list, distribute affairs in an order of their importance for you now. In my opinion, any list is not full while it does not show an order of importance of affairs. As soon as you have made such list, finish its definition of priorities. It is the planning alphabet".
To make the list has put simply enough, and here to place priorities, especially if you never were engaged in it - more difficult. However, it is possible to take advantage of the following two methods developed by experts in given area. Both methods are based on well-known rule Парето: 20 % of all affairs give 80 % of all results, and on the contrary. That is, it is necessary to concentrate attention to those affairs which of 20 % enter in these, and them to carry to the category of the important.
The first method is "AVS-ANALYSIS" according to which, A-problems are the most important, on their performance the importance of A-problems, taking into account their contribution to achievement of the purposes is required only 10 % of time, but, is estimated in 70 %! V-problems are problems of average importance, they make approximately 20 % on expenses of time and 20 % on the importance. And here S-problems occupy approximately 70 % of time, but bring the contribution at a rate of only 10 %.
The second method - a method of a combination of criteria "importance and promptness".
Having seen the list has put, it is necessary to estimate their comparative importance and promptness. Then all affairs can be distributed as follows:
And - important and urgent;
In - important and not urgent;
With - unimportant and urgent;
D - unimportant and not urgent.
Certainly, at once it is difficult to learn to place priorities and to distribute affairs, but each time all will be easier and easier.
According to the classic of management Peter Drukera, will help here not only the analysis, but also boldness. Besides, Друкер recommends to use following principles:
- Be guided by the future, instead of on the past.
- Concentrate on possibilities, instead of on problems.
- Choose an own direction, do not go down stream together with others.
- Put for itself the high purposes which allow to change abruptly a situation, instead of such which "are reliable and easily achievable.
Besides, it is not necessary to concentrate excessively on planning. It is not necessary to consider, that the more time you spend for it, the more time save. Always there is a limit after which efficiency of planning decreases. Experts recommend to plan accurately about 60 % of working hours, 20 % - to reserve for the decision of unforeseen questions, and the remained 20 % - in general to devote to free creative activity.
In Gleb's opinion of the Arkhangelsk, known Russian expert in the given area, "it is far not to all people a strict order and accurate planning approach on a psychological warehouse: spontaneity, freedom of actions is necessary to them, in rigidly set frameworks they feel uncomfortably". He considers, that "it is better to use the technologies, allowing to avoid rigid planning, to keep flexibility, freedom of reaction to unforeseen circumstances and not stirring to creativity, enthusiasm, hobby. The ideal system for the Russian businessman should help to it to work with chaos and uncertainty - not only external, but also internal".
Reception of the second: effective work with the information. Experts warn: there is no necessity to absorb in itself the entering information. Certainly, the more for the analysis at the disposal of the head, the probability of acceptance of the erroneous or irrational decision there is less than information. However, in all it is necessary to know when to stop, after all there is a certain limit of the information which it is possible to apprehend and subject to the analysis. Sort the information, safely reject unimportant and insignificant.
Besides, remember that the consciousness of the person can is successful work only with one object: business, thought or the document. Always allocate and accurately realise that object on which here and your attention is now directed. Learn also осознанно to operate attention switching. On the one hand, any switching of attention from a problem on a problem demands expenses of time and forces. On the other hand, too long deduction of attention on one business tyres. Therefore experts recommend to operate the attention as follows: more than large switchings, there are less than small.
On the basis of the collected information this or that decision usually is made. Decision-making should not turn to difficult and long process. It is necessary to analyse data, to count up all pluses and minuses, to formulate possible variants of the decision of a question, to choose most comprehensible of them and … to carry out! Experts in the field of time management confirm: better consistently to carry out not the most good decision, than infinitely to rush about in search of the most good. In general: if to do - that to do, and if not to do, not to do. Otherwise process of acceptance of any decision will turn for you to a problem, and will take away time large quantity.
Reception the third: ability to carry out unpleasant affairs. All of us should prosecute from time to time subjects which are uninteresting or unpleasant to us. And the majority of us try has put these to remove or postpone. Than increase expenses of time for their performance even more! Already mentioned Alan Lakejn recommends to use the following the mechanism to help itself to overcome disgust for similar business:
- Recognise, that else the big trouble is caused by delay;
- Clear in itself enthusiasm which will help you to suppress aversion of the given case.
Really, sooner or later you should solve what or an unpleasant problem. Besides: if this problem does not disappear by itself, the volume of work necessary for its performance, can increase eventually. Besides, the unresolved problem will pursue you while you will not get rid of it. And thoughts on it will cause in you the increasing irritation.
Reception the fourth: updating of dialogue with associates. It is a question first of all of the following situation: a number of people can have a habit to address to you with request to execute those or other affairs because you have accustomed them to it. If you can quite satisfy these people and not endow thus the priorities, then forward! If you can find compromises and execute their requests partially and without damage to yourselves is too normally! But here if similar references only complicate to you a life and take away precious time - learn to speak "is not present"! Besides, if you perform in the course of work two roles, one of which is connected with dialogue, and another - so that your dialogue did not stir with considering and a concentration you should counterbalance somehow requirements of these two roles to your reflexions.
One more professional advice of time management sounds so: do not try to overpersuade people. Their belief is their private affair. It is not necessary to waste time for senseless conversations and disputes. Express own opinion, agree with those points as which recognise and reject as what do not recognise. After that finish conversation. Most likely, your interlocutors will not have more questions.
Reception the fifth: ability to alternate work and rest. The more strongly you are loaded - the it is necessary for you to have a rest more. A key rule here the following: to the beginning of a new running cycle the organism should restore forces. Therefore do not ignore high-grade breaks, a dream and rest. Besides, each person can worry within days liftings and vitality and cerebration recessions, that is daily biorhythms. Experts recommend necessarily them to consider and during the periods of lifting of biological activity to be engaged in the creative work demanding intellectual pressure and attention. And here during the periods of recession of biological activity, on the contrary, is better to solve routine problems, to be engaged in administrative activity, to work with the correspondence or to hold meetings.
Except all listed receptions it is recommended to take for arms the major principle of time management: "all can be improved!". After all if to start with the assumption, that efficiency and development reserves are inexhaustible to find the necessary decision, to develop for this purpose a necessary method it is already simple a technics question.
Probably, time management if you answer following questions "YES" is necessary to you:
You are late on work at least once a week more than on an hour?
Will not get out in any way of a blockage of affairs?
You need to choose one from set of problems, and you do not know, what?
Your subordinates hasten and fuss, thus have time to execute nothing?
In your department five persons hardly have time to perform work from which in similar department three consult?
And in summary it would be desirable to tell, that, according to already mentioned Gleb Arhangelskogo, "in the organisation of personal time the general rules, and the individual style are important not, which person for itself finds, which for it is comfortable and gives peak efficiency". That is, the person can develop effective system of the organisation of time only itself. Certainly, leaning against all those general rules which we have stated in given article. Successes to you in this hard business!