1. It seems that there is never enough time in the day. But, since we all get the same 24 hours, why is it that some people achieve so much more with their time than others? The answer lies in good time management. “Time management” refers to the way that you organize and plan how long you spend on specific activities. Good time management requires an important shift in focus from activities to results: being busy isn’t the same as being effective. (Ironically, the opposite is often closer to the truth.) Spending your day in a frenzy of activity often achieves less, because you’re dividing your attention between so many different tasks. Good time management lets you work smarter – not harder – so you get more done in less time.
2. It may seem counter-intuitive to dedicate precious time to learning about time management, instead of using it to get on with your work, but the benefits are enormous. It improves productivity and efficiency. Your reputation as a professional grows. The stress levels dip and a world of opportunities opens up for you. Your career advances and important goals are reached.
3. Failing to manage your time effectively can have some very undesirable consequences. Deadlines are missed and the workflow is not only inefficient but of poor quality. It dents your reputation as a professional and your career is in danger of being stalled. As a result, your stress level shoots up.
4. Everyday interruptions at work can be a key barrier to managing your time effectively and, ultimately, can be a barrier to your success. Think back to your last workday, and consider for a minute the many interruptions that occurred. There may have been phone calls, emails, hallway conversations, colleagues stopping by your office, or anything else that unexpectedly demanded your attention and, in doing so, distracted you from the task-at-hand. Because your day only has so many hours in it, a handful of small interruptions can rob you of the time you need to achieve your goals and be successful in your work and life. More than this, they can break your focus, meaning that you have to spend time re-engaging with the thought processes needed to successfully complete complex work. The key to controlling interruptions is to know what they are and whether they are necessary and to plan for them in your daily schedule.
On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it using headings and sub-headings. Use recognizable abbreviations wherever necessary.
b. Write a summary of the above in 80 words using the notes.
Answers
Good time management requires an important shift in focus from activities to results: being busy isn’t the same as being effective. (Ironically, the opposite is often closer to the truth.)
Spending your day in a frenzy of activity often achieves less, because you’re dividing your attention between so many different tasks. Good time management lets you work smarter – not harder – so you get more done in less time.
What Is Time Management?
“Time management” refers to the way that you organize and plan how long you spend on specific activities.
It may seem counter-intuitive to dedicate precious time to learning about time management, instead of using it to get on with your work, but the benefits are enormous:
Greater productivity and efficiency.
A better professional reputation.
Less stress.
Increased opportunities for advancement.
Greater opportunities to achieve important life and career goals.
Failing to manage your time effectively can have some very undesirable consequences:
Missed deadlines.
Inefficient work flow.
Poor work quality.
A poor professional reputation and a stalled career.
Higher stress levels.
Spending a little time learning about time-management techniques will have huge benefits now – and throughout your career.
The answer to the given questions are given below:
a. Time management
1) Good TM
a) improves productivity and efficiency
b) decrease the stress level
2) Results of inefficient TM
a) deadlines are missed
b) poor quality of work
3) Identifying distractions
a) phone calls
b) emails, hallway conversations
c) identifying what is important and what is not
( abbreviation: TM - Time management)
b. Summary
Good time management improves productivity and efficiency. It helps in decreasing stress. Inefficient TM leads to missing deadlines and poor quality of work. For efficient TM, we need to identify distractions and what is most important from them in our life.