Time Management

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Description of Time Management. Explanation.

Definition Time Management. Description.

Time Management (TM) involves the conscious control of the amount of time spent on activities, in order to maximize personal efficiency.

As Eisenhower once put it, "Plans are nothing, but planning is everything".

TM involves analyzing how time is spent, and then prioritizing different work tasks. To be effective as a manager, one should be able to distinguish clearly between what is important and what is not.

Eisenhower said that to approach a full agenda and to determine priorities for issues and tasks at hand there are two dimensions to consider: importance and urgency. Putting these 2 dimensions on two axis results in 4 quadrants of issues and tasks:

1. Important and urgent. Now! Get done with it right away.

2. Important but not urgent. Schedule Time. Make an entry into your calendar.

3. Not important but urgent. Quick Fix. Try to delegate as much as possible and reduce involvement.

4. Not important and not urgent. Drop it. Trash it.

There are 6 Steps in Time Management you should take to create your own Eisenhower Matrix:

1. List.

2. Rank Importance.

3. Rank Urgency.

4. Plot in the Matrix.

5. Divide the issues and tasks into the 4 categories.

6. Act upon your classification.

Note that besides time planning, a range of other things influence how quickly and efficiently you are in carrying out personal activities: for example your information handling skills, your verbal and written communication skills, and how you delegate.

Special Interest Group - Time Management Special Interest Group (168 members)

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Compare also: Pareto Analysis  |  Gantt Chart  |  Time Value of Money  |  Management by Exception  |  Empowerment of Employees  |  Analogical Strategic Reasoning  |  RACI  |  RAPID approach  |  Stretch Goals

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