Time waits for no one. No one lives forever, we all are here for a limited period. But till the time we are here we should try to make the best use of it. No matter how rich you are, no matter what position you have, you cannot control time.

Everyone has 24 hours in a day but no one manages to perform same number of tasks. Some people are satisfied and happy with what they have achieved in their day while some are upset that they are not able to complete their tasks for the day. This depends on how they manage time.

Time Management is a skill which people need to develop to become successful in life. High achievers are very good time managers.

Time management helps you to

• Reduce stress
• Improve self esteem
• Achieve Balance in Life
• Improves your self confidence
• Reach your goals
• Decreases anxiety because it makes you better prepared to meet your life demands.

According to a research it was found that in a workday people spend

• 15% of their time on the routine task
• 25% on the ongoing project assessment
• 60% on planning and development

While to most people this looks effective but the recommended time management at work is

• 15% to be spent on planning and development
• 25% ongoing project assessment
• 60% on routine tasks.

The 3 key steps one can follow to become better at managing time are:

• Developing weekly schedule.
• Writing daily ‘To Do’ list
• Preparing long term plan

Time management not only helps in individual development but it also helps in smooth functioning and growth of business. Though we cannot see time it is as valuable as money because the lost time doesn’t come back. If not managed properly it will take away some growth opportunities with it.

In today’s competitive world every business has multiple targets to achieve in a limited time frame. This is where time management comes in handy. The people responsible for performing these tasks need proper planning which can be done by prioritising the tasks at hand as to what is urgent and what is not. The goals should be realistic and not overly ambitious because there should be enough time to deliver high quality product or service.  Never meeting deadlines can discourage your employees as well so be sure to set reasonable goals and communicate to your team exactly what needs to be accomplished to meet them.

Many companies use time tracking software to track an employee's working time. Time management systems give employers insights into their workforce, allowing them to see, plan and manage employee’s time. Doing so allows the employers to manage labour costs and increase productivity. Automation is an example of time management as the use of technology has reduced the manual tasks which has led to the work being completed much faster.

Time Management in Different Cultures

Different cultures have different views on time management for example, America along with most Northern European countries, such as Germany, Switzerland and England. People here tend to put a large value on productive time management and avoid actions that would result in wasted time. People in these countries prefer to do one thing at a time.

Another cultural time view is multi-active time view which means doing more activities and tasks at once. This multi-active time view is prominent in most Southern European countries such as Spain, Portugal, and Italy. The people here often tend to spend time on things such as placing high importance on finishing social conversations. In business environments, they often pay little attention to how long meetings last, rather the focus is on having high quality meetings. In general, the cultural focus tends to be on synergy and creativity over efficiency.

A final cultural time view is a cyclical time view which means days, months, years, seasons, and events happen in regular repetitive occurrences. Here time is not seen as wasted because it will always come back later and so there is an unlimited amount of it. This cyclical time view exists throughout most countries in Asia which includes Japan and China as well. It is more important in cultures with cyclical concepts of time to complete tasks correctly, therefore most people will spend more time thinking about decisions and the impact they will have. Most people in cyclical cultures tend to understand that other cultures have different perspectives of time and are aware of this when acting on a global stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deepak Gehani
MMS
2020-22