TIME MANAGEMENT

TIME MANAGEMENT

In today’s fast movement world, if we cannot manage our time, it will manage us. For most of professionals, they commonly hint the old English proverb – time is money – to manage their time. Actually, it is not all about the money. Time management is a very important aspect in our life. Now, pay close attention and use this time management story to show how planning is the key to time management. A lecturer at a university is giving a pre-exam lecture on time management. On his desk there are a bag of sand, a bag of pebbles, some big rocks and a bucket. He asks for a volunteer to put all three grades of stone into the bucket, and a keen student duly steps up to carry out the task, starting with the sand, then the pebbles, then the rocks, which do not all fit in the bucket.

"The is an analogy of poor time management," trills the lecturer, "If you'd have put the rocks in first, then the pebbles, then the sand, all three would have fit. This is much like time management, in that by completing your biggest tasks first, you leave room to complete your medium tasks, then your smaller ones. By completing your smallest tasks first you spend so much time on them and you leave yourself unable to complete either medium or large tasks satisfactorily. Let me show you." Then, the lecturer re-fills the bucket, big rocks first, then pebbles, then sand, shaking the bucket between each, so that everything fits. "But Sir," says one student, slouched at the back of the row, "You've forgotten one thing.." at which the student approaches the bucket, produces a can of coke, opens it and pours into the bucket. "No matter how busy you are," quips the student with a smile, "There's always time for a quick coke."

Finally, at the end of the lecture, the lecturer delivers some tips of time management to his students. First, plan and prioritise our activities. Set realistic deadlines for the things we want to achieve. If we have to have meetings, be clear about the agenda and make sure who are attending, and are aware of it as well. Start our meeting on time and finish on time. Unexpected visitors can be handled adroitly so that they do not eat up too much time. Transform our waiting time by taking along some of our work which can be finished while waiting for an appointment. Be gracious with people but ruthless with time! After all, never put off until later what you can do right now.

Source: http://www.google.com/search?Article.making+arrangement,+appointment etiquette.html