This document discusses various aspects of effective time management. It begins by highlighting how time is a scarce and valuable resource. It then discusses techniques for tracking time usage, prioritizing tasks, avoiding procrastination and distractions, managing meetings and interruptions, and developing plans and schedules. Key aspects covered include using the Eisenhower matrix to classify tasks by urgency and importance, focusing on important non-urgent tasks, delegating work when possible, and proactively managing crises and deadlines. The overall message is on optimizing the use of time to achieve goals in the most productive manner.

1. By
Dr Satyanarayana Dash, IAS (Retd.)
Ex-Secretary (Heavy Industry) to
Government of India

2.  Time is Money– You can make money, you
can’t make time
 If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is
what life is made of– Bruce Lee
 Time is the scarcest Resource and unless it is
managed, nothing else can be managed---Peter
Drucker
 Time is not the main thing, it is the only
thing—Miles Davis

3.  An inch of Gold can not buy an inch of Time—
Chinese Proverb
 Time Management is to utilize the available
time in an optimum manner to achieve one’s
personal and professional goals
 British Author Mr Arnold Bennet wrote a book
“Living on 24 Hours a Day” became an instant
hit. Henry Ford had distributed 500 copies of
the book to his managers. Many copies were
purchased and distributed by Companies in
USA among their employees

4.  Make sure where your time goes—Peter
Drucker
 Don’t Depend on Memory– Keep a Time Log
 See that your time is spent as per your
priorities or your responsibilities
 Record utilization of your time for two weeks
to get a representative picture. This gives you
an idea of accuracy of time estimated for each
activity. One can know the time stealing
activities and levels of interruption

5.  Planning is a key management function, but
research shows that less than 5% of
management time goes for planning
 Pareto Principle: It states that 20% of one’s time
is spent in doing 80% of one’s productive work.
How to manage balance 20% of Productive
work is the Key Question
 Parkinson’s Law : This states that work
expands to fill the time available for it.

6.  Time Management Matrix with scales of
Urgency and Importance on both axes helps us
understand classification of various tasks. It is
referred to as “Eisenhour Matrix” in the name
of Mr. Dwight D. Eisenhour, who held the post
of the President of USA, since he made use of
this matrix extensively.
 “I have two kinds of problems. The urgent ones
are not important and the important ones are
never urgent”– Dwight D. Eisenhour

7.  Urgent Tasks-assume importance as they
demand immediate attention
 Important Tasks- May become urgent if left
undone. Usually has a long term effect
 To judge importance of the task Vs its urgency,
gauge them in terms of (i) impact of doing
them (ii) effect of not doing them

8. Urgency/Importance Urgent Not Urgent
Important Q1-Crisis/Deadlines to
meet. Results in Stress,
Burnout, Firefighting,
Focus on the Immediate,
Crisis Management
Q2- Brings Vision,
Perspectives, Balance,
Discipline & Control–
Prevention, Planning,
Relationship building,
Recreation
Not Important Q3-Short Term Focus,
Low value of goals,
shallow relationships,
Interruptions ,Meetings ,
Popular activities,
Feelings of
Victimization/lack of
control
Q4-Pleasant Activities,
Busy Work, Time
Wasters, Trivia, Junk
Mail, unwanted Phone
Calls

9.  Cycling between Quadrants Q3 & Q4 brings
Total irresponsibility, High Dependency on
others for basics and short career path in the
organization
Quadrant Q2: Being in Quadrant Q2 requires
Coherence, Balance, Focus, Ability to get on
with people, Flexibility, Portability.

10.  Basic Requirements to be in Quadrant Q2:
 Clear Definition of Organizational Goals and
specifically one’s role
 Selection of and Focus on SMART Goals
(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant,
Timely)
 Development and Utilization of Schedules
 The practice of daily adapting in work role

11.  To stay in Quadrant Q2, there is a requirement
that you must say “No” in a professional
Manner when items in Quadrant 3 & Quadrant
4 present themselves and they will not deliver
competitive advantage
 Stephen Covey has identified Four waves in
Time Management– Notes & Checklists,
Calendars & Appointment Books,
Prioritization, Self Management

12.  Effective people stay out of Quadrant 3 or
Quadrant 4, because they are not important.
They also try to shrink the size of Quadrant 1
down to size after spending more time in
Quadrant 2, which is the heart of Effective
Personal Time Management. Our effectiveness
takes a quantum jump when we start doing the
things in Quadrant 2 on a regular basis

13.  Often worst performers are those who seem to
be working hardest and longest. They are very
busy, but not remaining effective.
 For effective management of Time, there is a
need to look at the time and resources required
to complete a task. The Quality of the outcome
is directly influenced by resources & time
constraints involved.
 Effectiveness is doing the right thing. Efficiency
is doing the right thing correctly

14.  Focus on time & Resources
 Do Pre-analysis of performance
 Analysis of Goals & Objectives
 Systemization of Processes
Pre-analysis of Performance is the ability to
learn from past experience to improve
performance. It helps to debug projects before
initiation, Defining critical points needing
particular attention helps overall utilization of
resources

15.  Goals and objectives should be SMART.
 Systemization of Processes allows consistency
of Input, Output and Training & Skill Transfer.
Consistency helps in time to be gauged
accurately for activities which assists in
scheduled capacity planning in the
Organization
 There is need to look at realistic nature of
allotted time, efficiency in use of Time &
Resources, Optimal result for the Teams,
Realistic nature of time management

16.  Procrastination: Putting off doing of something
intentionally & habitually
 Ask yourself:” Why I am putting off ?” If there
is no reason, then do it. Don’t confuse reason
with excuse.
 Procrastination is World’s No. 1 Time Waster.
There is no time like the present to do any
work. Procrastination is the thief of Time.

17.  List all tasks you are currently putting off
 Remove two tasks from the list by doing it now
 Plan & Set a Schedule for dealing with the rest
 Reward when tasks are completed
 Punish yourself when tasks are not completed
on schedule

18. Try any of the alternatives as found suitable:-
• Do it
• Delegate it
• Dump it
• Deadline it
• Dissect it

19.  This is a failure to recognize the difference
between excellence and perfection
 Excellence: Achievable, Healthy, Satisfying,
Realistic
 Perfection : Unattainable, Frustrating,
Unrealistic
 Use SMART Criteria to set objectives

20.  Objectives need to be set that challenge you in
a realistic manner and take heed of resource
availability. Otherwise you are busy without
any possibility of success. Use SMART
Objectives– Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Realistic, Time bound, which are supported by
the Organization

21.  Do not spend time on a job your subordinate
could do to a satisfactory level. Delegate it.
 Delegation of tasks not only saves your time,
but develops your subordinates in the process
 Delegation results in fuller use of resources
 Delegation implies transferring initiatives &
authority to another
 Delegation begins with a deep sense of value
and limits on your time

22.  Managers often complain that they are running
out of time when their subordinates run out of
work
 Delegating routine and predictable part of
one’s job is the first step
 Delegation is not abdication. Some degree of
control on the delegated subordinate must be
maintained
 Delegation is a great motivator. It enriches jobs,
improves performance and raises morale of
staff

23.  Sometimes, it is risky.
 We enjoy doing things
 We do not sit and think
 We like to be on top of everything
 We have fear of our subordinate outstripping
us
 We take pride in saying– “No body can do the
job as well as I can.”

24.  Develop an efficient system of office
management
 Strive for good order. Muddling increases
work and wastes time
 Utilize all resources fully and effectively
 Handle telephone usage properly (Don’t let it
be a nuisance)
 Handle a piece of paper only once as far as
practicable

25.  Organize your work
 Keep your desk clear of all papers except the
job at hand
 Think about one thing at a time
 Sort out all papers For Action/For
Information/For Reading later/ For Waste
Paper Basket

26.  Clarity, Simplicity & Conciseness
 Think, Listen & then arrange
 Do not cover too many subjects in one letter
 As far as practicable, write one page letters
 Telephone Usage : Plan your calls properly, Set
a period of time for making & receiving calls.
Take care of time for each call
 Control Office Interruptions : Set the Stage in
advance—Your are working on projects with
nearing deadlines

27.  Remain standing and talking with casual
droppers in your office to indicate your time
constraints. Meet in other person’s office, if
necessary, to better control your time
 Get your visitors to come straight to the main
point. Be conscious of your time, but be
gracious
 Use call back system for your telephones to
avoid interruptions

28.  Convert your Personal Assistant to a Professional
Assistant
 He can keep unwanted callers at bay or divert
them to the right person to call
 He can help you in batching your calls and
minimize interruptions.
 He can arrange appointments with visitors at
appropriate times
 He can help you deal with routine correspondence.
 He can help you handle your meetings effectively

29.  Meetings are potential time wasters, sometimes
a necessary evil
 Sometimes, meetings are a distraction from
your work. Learn to say “No” to such meetings
where your participation is not required.
 Meetings are for serious business and not
places for tea + refreshments+ casual chat.
There should be definite agenda items well
circulated in advance
 Meeting must conclude within the time allotted

30.  Do not call a meeting unless it is absolutely
necessary. Do not call a meeting, if the issue
can be taken up by a small group or team of
officers.
 Meetings are not for Bossing around,
Socializing, Rubber stamping decisions already
taken, Passing on Information or promoting
private agenda

31.  Call only those officers concerned with agenda
items well circulated in advance
 Do not over pack the agenda items. There should
not be “Any Other Items” listed on the agenda.
 Meetings should start in time, cover all agenda
items and conclude.
 The “Hijackers” should not be allowed to deflect
the meeting to points outside the agenda
 Participants should come with facts/figures and
talk to the point and not divert

32.  Keeping Bosses satisfied takes time. Dealing
with unsatisfied Bosses take still more time.
Thus failing to satisfy Bosses results in more
Boss imposed time, with lower time available
for other works
 Bosses must realize that the time of
subordinates is important to the organization.
Tasks monitored by the Boss is only a part of
what subordinates monitor. If subordinate is
hard pressed for time, the quality of his output
will suffer

33.  System Improvement is essential responsibility
of Bosses, particularly for those who waste
time on unimportant/unnecessary activities.
 You can do only one person’s work. Asking for
perfection, at times, is counter productive
 Subordinates must realize that the Boss has
wider vision and has to devote time for
organizational objectives and goals. He must
go to Boss after doing proper home work. He
must approach the Boss not only with the
problem, but with various possible solutions

34.  Prepare “To Do” list of priorities for the Day
and get timings right for each activity
 Plan to do hardest work in morning or
forenoon hours. Interesting Work,, Meetings or
social events could be planned in Off Peak
hours
 Do not let subordinates come to you with only
problems and not their suggested solutions

35.  People are overloaded for two reasons (1) the
present Team does too much (2)The Team has
too much to do
 Don’t get worked up or panicked. Don’t blame
everything on yourself
 Estimate time for activity as well as possible
 Agree on priorities and stick to them
 Remind yourself that there is limited amount of
time available to you

36. Priority 2-Less Urgent/Important Priority 1-Urgent/Important
Priority 4-Less Important/Less Urgent Priority 3-Urgent/Less Important

37.  We can picturise each job or task we have as a
Monkey on our back. By completing the work,
we get that monkey off our back. In a wider
sense, a monkey can be thought of as our next
move or a problem that comes to us. So each
manager has to do monkey management. Such
monkey management transfers managers
under time pressure to an effective one

38.  Some Monkeys are on our back and some
monkeys are on the backs of our subordinates
 If we pick up monkeys from our subordinates,
then they get messages that we want monkeys.
 By allowing this, we accept responsibility for
the problems from him and promise him a
progress report

39.  In effect, you start doing the problem of your
subordinates
 Sometimes, your colleagues pass on their monkeys
 Many Bosses pass on monkeys to their
subordinates
 This snowballs into a response, in which we have
sideward, upward and downward leaping
monkeys
 This may take all our available time with no time
to do our own monkeys. Hence we should be
careful in accepting other’s monkeys

40.  Oftentimes we are held up at Railway Stations,
Airports due to delayed departure of trains or
flights. We must plan to use this slack time
effectively to read long notes or urgent papers
which we could not get time to read.
 In the flights/trains, we can utilize the time to
get our urgent reading work done so that we
continue to be in the Quadrant 2.

41.  Why Crises occur ?
 Failure to recognize the looming crisis
 Underestimation of time required for a Task
 No Contingency Plans ready
 No follow up of Delegated Tasks
Anticipating & Preventing Crisis:-
• Set realistic Deadlines & stick to them
• Use interim targets and milestones to break the
Task or the Project into manageable chunks

42. (1) Reactive Crisis Management:-
 Concentrate on getting things done
 Handle daily routines carefully
 Take steps to resolve the source of crisis
 Handle Interruptions in work deftly
(2) Proactive Crisis Management:-
* Concentrate on making things happen
* Develop Plans & Schedules & Focus on Key Tasks
* Achieve deadlines and targets and manage
projects within time schedules

43.  Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail
 A Plan is a Road Map set in real time to reach
an objective or a set of objectives through the
use of defined resources
 You have to know thoroughly what you have
to plan
 Break up the Task into Manageable chunks
 Gauge the time required for each chunk
 Schedule each chunk into a logical sequence

44.  Strategic Goals– Long term goals , may be
about 5 years
 Tactical Goals—Medium Term Goals from 3
months to 12 months ahead
 Operational Goals– Short Term goals defining
the exact action to be taken. The schedule may
cover hours or days
 Goals Checklist: Realistic and Challenging,
Linked to Performance appraisal system of the
Manager, Time bound nature, SMART,
Rewards on achievement

45.  Cascading of Plans should be on Yearly,
Monthly ,Weekly and Daily basis
 In the Cascade, the time span decreases
whereas the level of complexity increases
 Daily Plan : Scheduled Daily Activities and
time allocated, Prioritization and identification
of key tasks, Contacts to be made during the
day to complete the tasks

46.  Suit the Tasks to your Bio rhythm
 Build in planning time at the start and end of
the Day
 Prioritize actions into Musts, Shoulds and
Coulds and focus on the “Musts”
 Leave room for unexpected happenings
 Don’t stack meetings back to back
 Batch Telephone Calls
 Build in Quality Time

47.  It can steal a vast quantity of time from our
working day
 Act on what is required by the Documents
 File the Documents for handling later, if
necessary
 Dump the Document, if not required during
the Day
 Define what you need to keep and for how
long

48.  File your documents easily and logically
 The Documents should be easily retrievable so
that you can have access to them
 Purge the Files on a regular basis, so that you
have space in the Record Room to keep Files
 Manage your work space, since it has an
impact on your efficiency and effectiveness
 De clutter your desk by clearing files by the
end of the Day and organize a proper Work
flow system in your space

49.  Take time to work, it is the price of success
 Take time to think, it is the source of power
 Take time to play, it is the source of youth
 Take time to read, it is the source of wisdom
 Take time to love, it is the privilege of Gods
 Take time to serve, it is the purpose of life
 Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul