Effective management of an organization requires two most important things:
(1) Time Management.
(2) Delegation of Work.
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Delegation of work has been dealt with earlier in another chapter. In this chapter we discuss low to manage time so as to enhance personal and professional effectiveness.
According to the famous time management consultant Alec Mackenzie (1970), time is the scarcest resource. Unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed. This is because; it is possible to save material resources for future use. However, we cannot save time for a rainy day.
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Very often we hear people say, “I don’t have time”. Very often we are told by an administrator that his desk is full of pending files and papers. This situation implies a dire need for managing time effectively.
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Time Management is a process by which an individual manages use of the time available to him/her. All of us have 24 hours a day to our credit. However, we often observe some people being able to use it effectively, some whiling away their time and some always complaining about shortage of time.
In the last category of situation, positive steps are necessary for effective management of time and avoiding wastage of time. This requires appropriate attitude towards and a feeling of importance of time.
If we do not want to do something, we will find a thousand reasons for not doing it, such as, I have too many responsibilities at home, I spend too many hours travelling to my school/college, climate is too warm or cold, I don’t have the proper mood, I do not know how to do it, etc. However, if there is a will, there is a way to do away with all these obstacles.
The overall process of management is composed of four major functions: Planning, Organization, Actuation and Control.
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Management of time is encompassed by the function of controlling.
Besides, management of time is a process in itself we may conclude that it is composed of the same set of functions, viz., planning, organizing and controlling, i.e.
Each of these is explained as follows:
(a) Planning includes selecting from among the available alternatives and prioritizing. Planning the use of one’s time incorporates determining how it is being used at present, how it needs to be used in future and scheduling it for proper use.
(b) Organization of time is concerned with devising a mechanism for purposive, integrated and co-operative action to utilize time as planned.
(c) Controlling of time is a process of measuring actual utilization of plan in comparison with a predetermined standard concerning its utilization, ascertaining whether there are deviations in it and taking corrective action if and when required.