How to manage your busy life

P.J. Jayathilake

Most of the so-called important persons are always busy and have no time even to think as to why they are so busy.

One also wonders if most of the important persons in society are so busy, the appearance of things in all sectors should have been wonderful.

In fact most of us waste a lot of time though we always appear to be very busy. It is true that there is enough time for everything which falls within business/official or social work.

It is only a question of making efficient and effective use of our time by planning it properly.

Most of our institutions and individuals in the country suffer owing to this weakness of improper planning.

So efforts should be made to remain busy but in a productive, healthy and optimum manner.

Resource

Firstly we should believe in the value of time and consider it as a very significant resource. We generally talk of five resources, namely men, money, material, machine and methods. Add the sixth resource to it: moments. This resource differs from others in a great respect.

Once it is lost it cannot be replaced. If money is lost, it can be earned or borrowed, if staff leave, new staff can be recruited and trained, if material is lost, new stock can be built up.

But if time is lost, it cannot be replaced or regained. For time management, it is utmost important to develop this consciousness of the value of time as a resource.

Relative

Time is relative, which means between two persons, the time is more valuable to one while the sametime is not valuable to another.

In such instances, the latter is doing a great injustice to the former by getting involved in utterly useless chats, preventing the services that could be rendered to the country and its citizens.

The acceptance of more duties than what one can do is sheer waste of time.

It is important that we know the limits of our capabilities, and not accept more responsibilities than we are able to perform. Acceptance of copious responsibilities makes us disconcerted or confused and certain of a lot of unsolved problems which need more time to solve.

But in modern society some people in order to fulfil their personal objectives hold tightly, for themselves, a lot of responsibilities, which they cannot cope with. So they jeopardize the organization by not delegating such duties among peers and subordinates.

Those who believe that saving time is absolutely essential for their most important duties must follow the principle of delegation of work.

Time - Budgeting

Time is to be budgeted well more than money. First draw up an annual plan with regard to all important personal and business items.

Every quarter, draw up a rather detailed plan for the quarter. Every month end draws up a plan for the following month and the week. Every morning plan in detail the day’s activities. Time spent in all this planning will be rewarded in the form of better efficiency and time management.

The approach to time management should be an integrated one and it has to take into account all aspects of your daily life.

According to R.K. Mittal (1996) time can be divided into three aspects - Biological time, Business/office time and social time and the general principles of these aspects as follows:

Biological Time

Your body is the instrument of work and should be kept fit and in very good order. Biological needs like food, sleep, recreation and exercise should, therefore, be well regulated. There are four general principles of Biological Time Management.

a) Treat all days alike.

Treating some days as holidays and some others as working days disrupts the routine. If you get up at the same time and complete ablution and other daily necessities you will get a complete grip on the activities of the whole day.

b) Regulate your daily activities in a clock-like fashion.

By and large, there should be a fixed time for your biological activities like sleep, food, exercise, etc.

c) Find out time-saving efficiency techniques in all repetitive activities. For example, even if you save ten minutes every day in shaving and bathing, you will have saved sixty hours in a year that can be used in a productive activity.

d) Develop the habit of getting up early in the morning so that the mind is fresh and powerful. The environment is quiet and you can work with good concentration.

There are no disturbances. However, those who cannot get up early should develop the habit of staying awake late at night. But it is true that two hours of early morning are much more than two hours of late night in terms of efficiency.

Business/Office Time

Time spent in business place or office and is very important. There are some general principles governing office time management as follows:

a) When you are in office or at business place feel healthy & cheerful. It is advisable to stay home and take rest, if you don’t feel so. Because your irritation in office may cost very badly.

b) Try to reach your workplace well in time and, if possible, little before time. This changes the entire atmosphere of the office and in all likelihood you will be able to leave office in time in the evening also. The day’s output of the office will also increase considerably.

c) Set-up your office time suitably depending upon your needs. However, it should be able to take care of unforeseen situations too. This is necessary to avoid irritation when such situations arise.

d) Make the optimum use of your support services like personal staff, telephone, intercom, fax machine, internet facilities etc. Be judicious in deciding the duties you should do yourself. Try to delegate as much as possible.

e) Keep your table clean and encourage everyone to do the same. The files and papers should be well arranged. This saves a lot of time.

f) Be precise and clear in your communication be it written or verbal. Instructions to your subordinates should be very clear, otherwise at the end of the day everybody’s effort may go in vain.

g) Be brief and business like while meeting visitors. Those who unnecessarily prolong discussion should be firmly told not to do so. If tea or coffee has to be offered, make sure that it is served in the least possible time.

h) Advise important visitors to seek appointment in advance as far as possible. The same practice should be followed when you go to meet others.

i) Plan your business tours properly and try to cover as many assignments as are conveniently possible in one visit keep addresses and telephone numbers properly recorded in your diary and phone.

j) Ultimately, believe that others time is as important as that of yours. Never waste others time for lack of planning because it is the output of the whole organization which matters and not merely yours.

These are some of the principles which should be followed in order to make best use of Business Time. Many more points can be added to the list. But the scope of managing Business Time much more efficiently is well established.

Social Time

Social Time is the time you give to your family and friends, to your own development and for social activities.

Many businessmen and executives feel that their business obligations are so heavy that they cannot find sufficient time for their family.

This is totally wrong and counter-productive. Such people end up by paying a heavy price for their busy schedule. Proper management of social time is important as the other two aspects of time. There are some important aspects of social time. They are:

a) All members of family should be able to meet at least once every day and exchange information and views. This lays the foundation for a successful and happy life and promotes close family bonds.

b) Once or twice a year all should go out of town for a brief holiday.

c) Some people develop a habit of carrying office files to their homes. This should be avoided as far as possible.

d) Social visits should be preceded by some intimation. Unscheduled visits always take a longer time than preplanned ones.

e) Too much of social visits and attending parties can destroy your private life. So carefully choose the occasions, which should be attended. It is better to develop the art of saying ‘no’ if you find it difficult to attend some occasion. Giving a courteous phone call or writing a good letter/e-mail is most practical way of doing so.

f) For every visit, lay down an average time limit. Once people come to know that you do not waste any time, they will respect your sense of time.

g) You must have time everyday for thinking. The greater your responsibility, the more time you need for thinking. Early morning walks can be a good time to think. h) Waiting at places like bus, airport or railway station can be used for thinking or reading. Travelling also provides as excellent opportunity for thinking and reading.

i) Apart from these personal needs, one should find some time for social activities also. This will depend upon the individual’s liking. But it should be carefully selected and the contribution should be meaningful.

One can serve the society through such activities and derive satisfaction. A well planned person can easily find time for such activities as well.

Thus we have discussed different aspects of Time Management.

It may not be possible to follow all of them at once but as one proceeds in this direction, they will automatically be followed. And then you will also end up managing your busy life efficiently and effectively.

(The writer is a senior lecturer at the Management Studies Faculty of the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka)