Time Management

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 TIME MANAGEMENT
• Is Time Manageable?
• Is Time in our control?

• TIME Management is nothing but Self-

Management!
• To Plan
• To Delegate
• To Organize
• To Direct
• To control
12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Value of Time 
To Know the value of…. Ask….
 
• One Year • A student who failed in
exams
• One Month • A pre-mature born
baby
• • A Magazine Editor
One Week
• A daily wage labor
• One Day
• • One who missed a train
One Minute
• PT Usha who missed a
• Fraction of a Second Medal in Olympics

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 Time Related Topics 
 
•Self Management
• Problem Solving 
• Decision Making
• Leadership
• Delegation
• Communication
• Control
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 Timely Statements
PARKINSON'S LAWS
#1--Work expands to fill the time available.
#2-Managers tend to spend time in amounts
inversely related to the importance of their
tasks.
#3--Expenditures rise to meet incomes.

MURPHY'S LAWS
#1-- Everything takes longer than you think.
#2-- If anything can go wrong, it will
#3-- Nothing is as simple as it seems

No one has enough time, yet everyone

has all there is Gopalakrishnan
12/09/08
 Timely Principles
Peter Principle
People tend to rise to their level
of incompetence.

Pareto Principle
80 percent of time expended
yields 20 percent of the results.

Principle of Calculated Neglect

Despite their apparent urgency,
some problems, if left alone, will
12/09/08 go away. Gopalakrishnan
 HOW HONEST ARE YOU?
1. Did you ever lie to a teacher or policeman? ____
____
2. Do you think people who steal do it because
they always have? ____ ____
3. If you saw another person stealing on the job
would you turn that person in to the boss?
________
4. When you are wrong, do you usually admit it?
________
5. Is it very important for you to be trusted? ____
____

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 HOW HONEST ARE YOU?

6. Have you ever been disgusted with yourself

because you did something dishonest? ____
____
7. Do you think you are sometimes too honest?
________
8. Do you believe everyone is dishonest to a
certain degree? ____ ____
9. Do you agree with this: once a thief, always a thief?
____ ____
10. Is it worse if someone takes something from a
small store rather than from a large chain store?
____ ____
12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Personal Motivations Worksheet

My Goals My Motives Activities I  Activities I 

(Real or  For Pursuing Do Which Lead Do Which Detract
Perceived) This Goal To This Goal From This Goal

1.

2.

3.

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 Time Stealers
• Interruptions – Telephone & personal visitors
• Tasks you should have delegated
• Procrastination and indecision (lack of priorities)
• Acting with incomplete information
• Dealing with team members (Idle chit chat)
• Crisis management (or) Fire fighting
• Unclear Communication (failure to listen)
• Inadequate technical knowledge
• Unclear objectives (attempting too much or too less)
• Stress & Fatigue
• Inability to say “NO”

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 Problems
MY TIME PROBLEMS MY SOLUTIONS

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.
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 Getting Organized
Organize work space – Clean your Desk

Use a calendar, diary, hand-book etc.,

Handle correspondence effectively—

Short answers
Summaries and abstracts
Use form letters. Handle only once

Avoid information overload

Use blocks of time and quiet time

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Use Technology

• Learn How to Use Technology—

• Take the Time

• Use Technology Properly

• Use Technology Fully

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Problem­Solving Help

1. Confront Problems—Don’t evade them

2. Keep in Mind Basic Procedures
3. Clarify Problems by Writing Out
4. Get All the Facts
5. Overcome Your Prejudices
6. Use Common Sense
7. Tackle Problems in an Orderly Way
12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Problem­Solving Help, Cont’d.

8. Don’t Oversimplify
9. See Opportunities in Problems
10. Plan Ahead to Avoid Problems
11. Make Reasonable Adjustments
12. Get Beyond Faultfinding
13. Seek Advice
14. Be Decisive
15. Do What You Can

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Advice on Decision Making
1. Stop stewing and second guessing.
Trust your hunches and intuition.
2. Calm Down. Don’t make decisions
when angry.
3. Keep the ball in your court.
Remember, it’s your decision..
4. Avoid oversimplification. Some
decisions are difficult to make.
5. Relax. You can always change your
mind.
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 Not to Decide

NOT TO
DECIDE

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 Is to Decide

NOT TO
DECIDE

IS TO

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DECIDE
Gopalakrishnan
 The Decision­Making Process
HOW WELL DO THEY SOLVE 
THE PROBLEM? ARE THEY 
STEP 1 COMPATIBLE WITH OUR 
DEFINE GOALS AND RESOURCES?
PROBLEM THE CRUX

STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5

GATHER & DEVELOP EVALUATE SELECT
ANALYZE ALTERNA- ALTERNA- BEST AL-
FACTS TIVES TIVES TERNATIVE

STEP 8 STEP 7 STEP 6

FOLLOW UP IMPLEMENT ANALYZE
& REVISE DECISION CONSE-
IF NEC. QUENCES

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 The Decision World
CHAOTIC 
                                                     
OPERATIONAL IDEAL
DECISION WORLD DECISION WORLD DECISION WORLD

? P  = .5

?
?
P = .l
?
P = .8 P = 1.0
? ?

P = .25

UNCERTAINTY RISKS CERTAINTY

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Group Decision Making
Advantages
1. More information and
knowledge available
2. More alternatives are
generated
3. More acceptance of the
final decision
4. Enhanced
communication likely
5. More accurate decisions
generally emerge
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Disadvantages
1. The process takes 
longer and is costlier
2. Compromise decisions 
resulting from 
indecisiveness may 
emerge
3. One person may 
dominate the group
4. Groupthink may occur
 Use Your Intuition
1. Suspend judgment while you listen to your
inner voice.
2. Be flexible, creative and playful with your
thoughts..
3 Brainstorm, use mind-mapping. Write
down whatever thoughts you have.
4. Practice stress reduction, relaxation, and
meditation
5. Keep a daily or weekly journal.

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Saying “No”

Assertiveness
Vs.
Aggressiveness

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Assertive Rights—You Have the Right To:
1. Judge your own behavior, thoughts, and emotions and
to take responsibility for their initiation and
consequences upon yourself.
2. Offer no reasons for your behavior
3. Judge if you are responsible for finding solutions to
others’ problems
4. Change your mind
5. Make mistakes
6. Say "I don’t know!”
7. Be independent of the goodwill of others before
coping with them.
8. Be illogical in making decisions
9. Say “I don’t understand.”
10. Say “I don’t care.” Gopalakrishnan
12/09/08
 The Do’s of Delegation
1. Specify the results expected

2. Explain WHY you are delegating

3. Give the necessary authority to

carry out the task

4. Let others know of the delegation

5. Have confidence of subordinates

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 The Don’ts of Delegation
1. Don’t delegate just trivial tasks
2. Don’t expect others to do the job as
well as you can
3. Don’t delegate haphazardly
4. Don’t be an autocratic
5. Don’t check constantly to see how
things are going
6. Don’t take credit for the results
achieved by subordinates
7. Don’t just overload subordinates
12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Why Delegation Fails
1. Manager disorganized—Unable to plan work and then
delegate.
2. Manager may worry that the subordinate will do too well
and be a threat.
3. Manager may not trust the subordinate to do the job
well.
4. Subordinate may be afraid of failure and reprimand.
5. Subordinate may feel that there are no rewards for
accepting the added responsibility.
6. Subordinates may prefer to avoid risk and let the
manager take the responsibility.
7. Subordinate may have poor instructions or training.
12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Destroying Delegation Problems
1. Allow people initiative—allow them to act.
2. Get people to make decisions.
3. Don’t chop their heads off if they make
mistakes.
4. Don’t allow a climate of fear to develop.
5. Allow people to grow and advance in their
positions. When they do well, you look better.
6. Delegation requires instructions which are:
Complete, clear and carry sufficient authority.
12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Procrastination Problems
Causes Overcoming
1.  Resistance to  1. Be realistic about how
being controlled long things take
2.  Fear of Failure
2. Allow for Interruptions
3.  Fear of Success and Disruptions
4.  Job Dissatisfaction 3. Learn to Use Little Bits
5.  Thrill Seeking of Time
4. Don’t spread yourself
too thin
5. Schedule tasks at your
high energy time
12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Procrastinate Productively
1. Do tomorrow what you could not do today.
2. Place your 1A item in the center of your desk for
tomorrow.
3. Select the best time of the day for the work
required.
4. Use blank spaces of time constructively.
5. Start with the tough part.
6. When bogged down or overwhelmed, take a break!
7. Turn difficult tasks into games.
8. You’ve got to have your list.
12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Timely Telephone Tips

1. Time your calls when you can most

likely reach your party.
2. Use an assistant
3. Be professional
4. Get a direct number
5. Be authoritative
6. Don’t offer too much information
7. Be persistent

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Case Problem on Prioritizing
 

____ A. You have received a report from Miss Personnel that Mr.
K is looking for another job outside the company. She
wants you to talk to him. You figure it would take 15
minutes.
____B. Mr. Big has left word that he wants to see you in his
office immediately upon your return. Anticipated time: 60
minutes.
____C. You have some very important looking unopened mail
(both company and personal) on your desk. Time: 10
minutes.
____D. Your telephone is ringing.
____E. A piece of equipment has broken down halting all
production in your department. You are the only one who
can fix it. (30 min.)
____F.
12/09/08 A most attractive person is seated outside your office
Gopalakrishnan
waiting to see you.
  Case Problem on Prioritizing, Cont’d.
____G. You have an urgent written notice in front of you to call a
long-distance operator in a city in which both your mother
and company headquarters are located. Time: 10
minutes.
____H. Mr. Demanding has sent word he wants to see you and
has asked that you return his call as soon as possible. (10
minutes)
____I. Miss O is in the women's lounge and claims to be sick.
She wants permission to go home. You need to get facts
and make a decision. 15 minutes.
____J. In order to get to your office by 1 p.m. you had to miss
lunch. You are very hungry, but you figure it will take 30
minutes to get something decent to eat.

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
 Key Elements of High Performers

High Performers
Derive both goals and self-fulfillment internally
Have specific skills and ways of operating.
Spend two-thirds of their time doing things they choose to
do and enjoy doing.
Are committed to the activities they choose and enjoy.
Are very goal-oriented, but goals are internally oriented.
Stress a need to take risks based on the worst that can
happen if they take that particular risk.

12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan
Key Elements of High Performers, Cont’d.
High Performers
Have a good self-image, self-confidence.
Practice mental rehearsal, visualization.
Solve problems based on what the existing
situation is, what the goals are, and how to get
there from where they are now.
Are healthier than the norm.
Have better-than-average relationships on the job.
BY ISOLATING THESE SKILLS AND STUDYING
THEM
ALMOST ANYBODY CAN INCREASE
PERFORMANCE
12/09/08 Gopalakrishnan