State Bank Staff College Time Management Handout Screen No: 1.

0 Title for Screen: The Pickle Jar theory Screen Text: Text for simulation events Text Bullet points 1. If you were given an empty pickle jar, some rocks, pebbles, sand and water, how would you go about placing them in the jar? 2. Take the empty pickle jar. Place as many rocks as you can in it. When you think it is full, place a few more. You now have a jar that you cant fit anything else into. 3. Now, put some pebbles in it, till you cant fill in anymore. The jar cannot take any more pebbles 4. Now pour some sand into it. 5. Once you cant load it anymore with sand, pour some water in. 6. The large rocks in the exercise signify the large priorities in your day. There are other things that we enjoy doing, which are the pebbles. There are other things that we have to do, like the sand. Finally, we have water, which takes its own space. The Pickle Jar theory is all about getting a clarity of long-term goals of life. It empowers you to decide bigger goals first, so you can let your priorities revolve around them.

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2.0 Learning Objectives On completion of this module, you will be able to: Understand the concepts and importance of Time Management.

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3.0 Introduction to Time Management Managing time effectively is the key to success. All other things being constant, better time management skills helps keep stress in check while giving career a competitive edge, besides improving the quality of personal life. Time management can be a paradox since it seems as if no one has enough time and yet everyone has all there is. What actually needs to be understood is whether time is the problem or is it organising and execution. Managing time means determining what to do and when to do it. It also is the underlying difference between accomplishment and failure. This module discusses time management skills that are essential for effectiveness. The crux of the methods discussed in the slides to come shifts the emphasis from being busy to achieving results.

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State Bank Staff College Time Management Handout Screen No: Title for Screen: Screen Text: 4.0 Why Time Management? By using Time Management skills you can learn to: Determine which of the things you do are important, and which can be dropped Use your time in the most effective way possible Increase the time in which you can work Control the distractions that waste your time and break your flow Increase your effectiveness and reduce stress

Each of the points listed above become all the more important when we realise that time is a resource that we can never get back.

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5.0 Key to Time Management In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey identified four important areas in Time Management. They are: Notes and Checklists: this enables one to recognise the demands on time and energy Calendars and Appointment books: this permits scheduling with some focus on the future Prioritising: it facilitates comparison of the relative worth of activities Self-management: the realisation that time cannot be managed- it is the self that needs to be managed! On observation, you can see that apart from the classification, these four points tell us how time and its management have evolved. These are considered the four generations of time management, where the last generation emphasises that it all just boils down to self-management. The 80-20 Rule Another Principle of Time Management is the 80-20 Rule. It states that 80 percent of effectiveness comes from completing only 20% of your tasks. Also called the Pareto principle, the value of this principle is that of the things you do during the day, only 20 percent really matters. It is this 20 percent that produces 80 percent of your results. If you need to skip something on your schedule, or there is something that is not going to be done, make sure it is not a part of that 20 percent.

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6.0 Aspects of Time Management Time management has five main aspects: Planning and goal setting Managing yourself

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State Bank Staff College Time Management Handout Dealing with other people Your time Getting results

After examining all the points carefully, it is evident that the first four points are interconnected and lead to the fifth- the results.

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7.0 What do Professionals Complain most about? No matter which part of the globe one holds office in, and to a certain extent even irrespective of the position held, there are certain things most professionals complain about, such as: Having too much to do Unrealistic deadlines Frequent interruptions: being wanted on the phone, or meet someone Unclear communication from peers, colleagues, clients etc. Meetings that take longer than expected Not having enough time, be it for finishing a project, doing the groundwork for another one, or even looking for resources.

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8.0 Why are there problems? There are a number of problems one may encounter while trying to manage time and turning it into a resource that is valued and handled well. The list of grievances can be a long one with lots of variety. It lies anywhere between stress, anxiety, forgetting to do important tasks, disorganisation, constant time pressure etc. When you look at all of the listed problems, and others that you can think of or face, it becomes clear that they can be classified into two broad categories: personal and organisational.

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9.0 Personal Problems What most people lack in this aspect is the value of time, and the awareness that it is but fleeting. The busier you are, the more overworked and anxious you get, the less likely it is for you to smell the proverbial roses. Instead you accelerate your pace, work longer hours, and take fewer, if not nonexistent breaks. When you look at this scheme of things, it is not difficult to realise how this way of life becomes a vicious circle. One way out is to analyse how you use time, the problems that you encounter and their solutions.

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State Bank Staff College Time Management Handout

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10.0 Organisational Problems The ineffective organisation of work schedule arises from: Unclear objectives Changing priorities Unclear responsibilities

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11.0 Time Robbers At workplace there are innumerable elements that throw a spanner into effective time management. These are called time robbers. Time is just like money. When you decide to spend one hour watching TV, you have also decided not to spend the time on what? Everything else. You would be very upset if someone gained access to your bank account and stole your money. Most people, though, dont blink an eye when all sorts of culprits sneak into their lives and steal their time.

Time Robbers Time Robbers Imposed on Us Interruptions Waiting for answers Unclear job definition Unnecessary meetings Too much work Poor Communication Shifting priorities Equipment failure Disorganized boss Red tape " Conflicting priorities low company morale Untrained staff Peer/staff demands lack of authority Interoffice travel Mistakes of others Revised deadlines Meetings

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State Bank Staff College Time Management Handout

Time Robbers that are Self-inflicted Failure to delegate Poor attitude Personal disorganization Absentmindedness Failure to listen Indecision Socializing Fatigue lack of self-discipline leaving tasks unfinished Paper shuffling Procrastination Outside activities Cluttered workspace Unclear personal goals Perfectionism Poor planning Preoccupation Attempting too much

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12.0 Understand Your Personality There are few personality types to describe patterns of behaviour that sabotage many peoples attempts at time management. Are you any of these types? While intended as fun, this is an effective time management exercise that may provide you with some clues. The Fireman For these people, every event is a crisis. They are so busy putting out fires that they have no time to deal with anything else - especially the boring, mundane things such as time management. Tasks pile up around them while they rush from fire to fire all day. The Over-Committer Their problem is that they can't say 'No'. All anyone has to do is ask, and they will chair another committee, take on another project, or organize yet another community event. They are so committed that they don't even have time to write down all the things that they have to do. The Aquarian The Aquarian is laid-back especially when it comes to finishing tasks or returning phone calls. They work only when they think it is necessary, and avoid work all together if they feel like it. For them, discretion in attending tasks may have

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State Bank Staff College Time Management Handout little or nothing to do with its actual importance. The Chatty Kathy Born to socialize, they have astounding oral communication skills and can't resist exercising them at every opportunity. Every interaction becomes a long drawn out conversation - especially if there's an unpleasant task dawning that they would like to put off. The Perfectionist They have a compulsion to cross all the "t's" and dot all the "i's". Exactitude is their watchword, and they feel that no rushed job can be a good job. Finishing tasks to one's satisfaction is such a problem that one needs more time zones, not just more time.

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13.0 Can Time be Saved? Do you know how many hours a day you waste on the four Rs: Repairing, Repeating, Reacting, and Ranting? (Ranting is to speak or write in an angry manner.) There is so much time lost looking for documents, talking to people for information, unproductive meetings and so on. Just a little time saved here and there makes a lot of difference. After all, to move a mountain, you start with the little rocks.

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14.0 Self-Management How do I begin with Time Management? Different time management principles have different answers to this question. However, the best way is Selfmanagement. Time management is really self-management. It is about discipline. If you find yourself lacking discipline, then it is advised that you look for accountability so that you get down to doing things that you should be doing. Time management is about planning, and that is supposed to give you a return on energy that is worth five times your investment. A plan shows you the route to your destination, that is why we need to be good planners.

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15.0 Managing your behaviour Time is the most valuable but most undervalued resource. The absence of managing it is marked by rushes to meet deadlines, meetings that seem to take forever, which often seem to lack an objective as well, and unexpected crises that come up from just about nowhere.

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State Bank Staff College Time Management Handout These are all the visible problems that stem from poor time management. Often, it is a symptom of over-confidence. One of the reasons why bad time management practices seem to loom on so many people is because it does not form a part of an appraisal or a performance review. Thus, the key to manage our time is to know ourselves. We can manage our behaviour, which in itself is a bit of a challenge for many concerned. This can be highlighted by the simple fact that many of us claim that time management is a priority and that we just need to get a little more organised. However, those words are rarely matched with actions.

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16.0 Three Steps in Time Management Time Management System has three fundamental steps: 1. Making an inventory of how time is used 2. Prioritising according to your goals 3. Creating your ideal week schedule according to your goals.

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17.0 Making an Inventory This is the first step in the Time Management System. For you to find the best route to get to your destination, you must have the best map. You need to identify how you use your time. By making an inventory, you document each task that takes your time up during the day. Your list should include just about everything from the mundane to important things and is spread over a period of time, say a week.

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18.0 Prioritising your goals Once you have worked on step one of the process, your inventory tells all that you spend time on. The next step entails prioritising this list according to your goals. This is the most important part of the exercise. Once you have taken the time to identify your top goals, you can allocate your time, money and resources to them. This makes the following possible: Be clear about what you want, and what makes a difference to you Create a plan for getting there and achieving them Assess and spend your time, money and resources on these goals. Creating your To Do list makes you focus, thereby moving towards your goal at accelerated pace.

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State Bank Staff College Time Management Handout Screen No: Title for Screen: Screen Text: 19.0 Creating a Schedule Following the first two steps of Time Management System implies that you now have a list of your goals and have decided your priorities. The third step involves making a schedule of your activities, working on it and following the plan through. All the while when you are doing this, you will realise that you are now stronger, more disciplined and focussed. You will realise that Time Management is nothing but a systematic application of common sense strategies. It does not solve your problems, but highlights them and provides a composition to implement your plan, and also scrutinises solutions.

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20.0 Simple Tools in Time Management There are ten simple tools that form the crux of Time Management. They are as follows: Planning and organising Planning and organising helps put things in perspective, so you know what needs to be done and by what time. Setting goals Any project is said to be successful only if it has met all the goals that are set. Setting these goals is the first step towards making time management a success. Prioritising Once you have decided the things you need to do, prioritising amongst them will take you closer to getting things done. Using task lists Task lists not only make planning and prioritising easier, but also make your objectives measurable, and help because of the clarity they offer while planning, as well as during reviewing once the task is done. Being flexible This also means making room for interruptions and other things that might unexpectedly take up your time. Handling the urgent It ensures that apart from handling the urgent task, it also gives you more time to focus on other things that are important, once the urgent is dealt with. Practising the art of intelligent neglect This means to be able to decide what tasks you will take up and what is not important for the time being, or even tasks that can be delegated. Avoiding perfectionism Being a perfectionist in this day and age is a no win situation and should be strictly avoided, since it perpetually leaves one feeling dissatisfied with the work they have done, irrespective of its quality. Controlling procrastination This is one of the prime causes of poor time management skills. Learning to control this aspect will be the best thing that will happen to your schedule, task list, and overall efficiency. Learning to say no Though this might be a little difficult when you are starting off, it is a

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State Bank Staff College Time Management Handout skill that will be of enormous help.

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21.0 Realising the Benefits Inspite of the benefits of time management, many people do not use it. This can be because: They They They They lack awareness are too lazy to plan enjoy the rush of meeting tight deadlines enjoy crisis management.

The problem with crisis management and tight deadlines is that while they can be fun, often they can lead to high levels of stress, a disrupted private life, tiredness and, occasionally, to failure of projects.

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22.0 Working Smarter While talking about time management, many gurus of the subject refer to an example of a horse race. The horse that comes first may earn Rs. 60,000 and the runner up Rs. 30,000. The first horse gets twice the money of the second, even though it did not have to run twice the distance or twice as fast. To think of it, it was only a nose ahead. This is precisely what time management is all about - to remain a nose ahead, and to work smarter, not harder.

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23.0 Summary Now that you have completed this module, let us summarise all that you learnt: o o o o o o o It is necessary to manage time effectively to increase your effectiveness and reduce stress The 80-20 Rule states that 80 percent of effectiveness generally comes from completing only 20 percent of your tasks. Time management has five main aspects, planning and goal setting, managing yourself, dealing with other people, your time and getting results. Organisational problems arise due to problems like unclear objectives, changing priorities and unclear responsibilities. The four Rs that time is often wasted on are Repairing, Repeating, Reacting, and Ranting. Time management is about self-management, discipline and planning. The Time Management System has three fundamental steps: making an inventory, prioritising and creating a schedule.

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State Bank Staff College Time Management Handout o o There are ten simple tools that form the crux of Time Management including organising, setting goals, using task lists and learning to say no. Time Management is about working smarter, not just harder.

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