

These time wasters are also referred to as time robbers as they steal away valuable
hours of productive time from us.
 ‘Can we avoid time wasters and time wasting?’. However, we can “CONTROL”
these time wasters.
 It is important to identify the time wasters and time spent on routine activities as
this will help us in “Mining Time” to increase our productive time.
 It’s important to understand the Pareto Principle.
 80% of unfocussed work produces only 20% of results.
 20% of focused work produces 80% of results.

5. The Pareto Principle

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to

describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty
percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. In the late 1940s, Dr.
Joseph M. Juran inaccurately attributed the 80/20 Rule to Pareto, calling it Pareto’s
Principle. While it may be misnamed, Pareto’s Principle or Pareto’s Law as it is
sometimes called can be a very effective tool to help you manage effectively.

After Pareto made his observation and created his formula, many others
observed similar phenomena in their own areas of expertise. Quality Management
pioneer, Dr. Joseph Juran, working in the US in the 1930s and 40s recognized a
universal principle he called the “vital few and trivial many” and reduced it to
writing. In an early work, a lack of precision on Juran’s part made it appear that he
was applying Pareto’s observations about economics to a broader body of work.
The name Pareto’s Principle stuck, probably because it sounded better than Juran’s
Principle.

As a result, Dr. Juran’s observation of the “vital few and trivial many”, the
principle that 20 percent of something always are responsible for 80 percent of the
results, became known as Pareto’s Principle or the 80/20 Rule.

What it means

The 80/20 Rule means that in anything a few (20 percent) are vital and many (80
percent) are trivial. In Pareto’s case, it meant 20 percent of the people owned 80
percent of the wealth.

In Juran’s initial work, he identified 20 percent of the defects causing 80 percent

of the problems. Project Managers know that 20 percent of the work (the first
10 percent and the last 10 percent) consume 80 percent of your time and resources.
 You can apply the 80/20 Rule to almost anything, from the science of management
to the physical world.

You know 20 percent of your stock takes up 80 percent of your warehouse space
and that 80 percent of your stock comes from 20 percent of your suppliers. Also 80
percent of your sales will come from 20 percent of your sales staff. 20 percent of
your staff will cause 80 percent of your problems, but another 20 percent of your
staff will provide 80 percent of your production. It works both ways.

How it can help you

The value of the Pareto Principle for a leader is that it reminds you to focus on
the 20 percent that matters. Of the things you do during your day, only 20 percent
really matter. Those 20 percent produce 80 percent of your results. Identify and
focus on those things.

Pareto’s Principle, the 80/20 Rule, should serve as a daily reminder to focus 80
percent of your time and energy on the 20 percent of you work that is really
important.

Don’t just “work smart,” work smart on the right things.

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, hall way
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. The tips that follow will
help you do that, and so prevent interruptions from frustrating you and
jeopardizing your success.

 Keep an Interrupters Log

 If interruptions consistently rob you of time and energy, or if they frequently push
you off schedule and cause delays, it’s time to keep an Interrupters Log. This is a
simple record of the interruptions you experience in the course of a day.

 Analyse and Conquer Interruptions

To analyse and conquer the interruptions you find in your Interrupters Log, firstly
look at whether the interruption is valid or not.

Could someone have avoided interrupting you by waiting for a routine meeting?
Or was it something they should have asked you about at all? If not, deal with this
politely but assertively.

However, some interruptions are both urgent and valid. You need to be
interrupted, and you need to deal with the situation.

 Put Your Phone to Work for You (Not Against You)

A little bit of planning can go a long way in working to control telephone

interruptions, which many people experience all day long! If you are on a deadline
or your focus needs to be intense (and not interrupted), use your voice mail to
screen calls, or have an assistant deal with messages for you. This way, you can
deal with calls by priority, and at times that suit you. In fact, this telephone time
can be planned into your schedule, and so become a normal part of your working
day.

 Catch Your Breath

When interrupted, it’s easy to get caught up in the “rush” of the person who is
interrupting, for they undoubtedly feel their request is urgent. In reality, however,
most interruptions are not genuinely crisis-driven, and it can serve everyone best to
take a little time before taking action.

Take a few minutes to consider the situation. Catch your breath and clear your
head. A small delay, even one of just a few minutes, goes a long way in assessing
the situation accurately and reacting appropriately.

 Learn to Say “No”

It’s often acceptable to say “no” to requests or tasks if you are busy when someone
else can handle it, if it is not an important task, or if it can be done later.
 When this is the case, saying “no” in a courteous and sincere way, followed by a
short explanation is the best course of action to take: “I am working against a very
tight deadline on an important project right now so, I am sorry, but I cannot jump
in and help.”

 “Available” and “Unavailable” Time

Simple yet effective: Let people know when you are available and when you are
not. Make sure that people know that during your “unavailable time,” they should
only interrupt you if they have to.

You and your co-workers can also agree on a signal that everyone in the office
can use when unavailable, like turning the name plate on the door around, or
simply closing the door. This alleviates interruptions and can avoid hurt feelings.

 “Invitation Only” Time

Schedule regular check-in times for the individuals you talk to most often. Ask
these people to keep a running list of things that they need to discuss, so you can
cover all the points at one time. And, force yourself to do the same.

An open-door policy is good, but you should limit the number of people you
invite to your work area. For instance, if you’re scheduling a meeting, offer to meet
your co-worker in his or her office or a conference room. This way, you can excuse
yourself after you accomplish your purpose. Additionally, it’s much easier to get
up and leave than it is to get people to leave your office once they’re seated and
comfortable.

 Uncontrollable Interruptions

There are interruptions that, no matter how hard you try, you simply cannot
control.

Most people are happy to schedule a more convenient time, but when this does
not work, quickly set the parameters by saying something like, “I only have five
minutes to talk about this right now,” and stick to it.

Do not ask the interrupter to sit down and do not engage in small talk. Encourage
the interrupter to get right to the point and if a solution cannot be reached before
the allotted time runs out, set a time for getting back to them and, again, stick to it.

6. Ten Common Time Management Mistakes; Avoiding Common Pitfalls

 How well do you manage your time? If you’re like many people, your answer
may not be completely positive! Perhaps you feel overloaded, and you often have
to work late to hit your deadlines. Or maybe your days seem to go from one crisis
to another, and this is stressful and demoralizing. Many of us know that we could
be managing our time more effectively; but it can be difficult to identify the
mistakes that we’re making, and to know how we could improve. When we do
manage our time well, however, we’re exceptionally productive at work, and our
stress levels drop. We can devote time to the interesting, high-reward projects that
can make a real difference to a career. In short, we’re happier.

Mistake #1. Failing to Keep a To-Do List

Do you ever have that nagging feeling that you’ve forgotten to do an important
piece of work? If so, you probably don’t use a To-Do List to keep on top of things.
(Or, if you do, you might not be using it effectively)

The trick with using To-Do Lists effectively lies in prioritizing the tasks on your
list. Many people use an A – F coding system (A for high priority items, F for very
low priorities). Alternatively, you can simplify this by using A through D, or by
using numbers.

If you have large projects on your list, then, unless you’re careful, the entries for
these can be vague and ineffective. For instance, you may have written down “Start
on budget proposal.” But what does this entail? The lack of specifics here might
cause you to procrastinate, or miss out key steps. So make sure that you break large
tasks or projects down into specific, actionable steps – then you won’t overlook
something important.

Mistake #2. Not Setting Personal Goals

Do you know where you’d like to be in six months? What about this time next
year, or even 10 years from now? If not, it’s time to set some personal goals!
Personal goal setting is essential to managing your time well, because goals give
you a destination and vision to work towards. When you know where you want to
go, you can manage your priorities, time, and resources to get there. Goals also
help you decide what’s worth spending your time on, and what just a distraction is.

To learn how to set SMART, effective goals.

Mistake #3. Not Prioritizing

Your assistant has just walked in with a crisis that she needs you to deal with
right now, but you’re in the middle of brainstorming ideas for a new client. You’re
sure that you’ve almost come up with a brilliant idea for their marketing campaign,
but now you risk losing the thread of your thinking because of this “emergency.”

Sometimes, it’s hard to know how to prioritize, especially when you’re facing a
flood of seemingly-urgent tasks. However, it’s essential to learn how to prioritize
tasks effectively if you want to manage your time better.

Mistake #4. Failing to Manage Distractions

Do you know that some of us can lose as much as two hours a day to
distractions? Think how much you could get done if you had that time back.
Whether they come from emails, IM chats, colleagues in a crisis, or phone calls
from clients, distractions prevent us from achieving flow , which is the satisfying
and seemingly effortless work that we do when we’re 100 percent engaged in a
task.

If you want to gain control of your day and do your best work, it’s vital to know
how to minimize distractions and manage interruptions effectively. For instance,
turn off your IM chat when you need to focus, and let people know if they’re
distracting you too often. You should also learn how to improve your
concentration, even when you’re faced with distractions.

Mistake #5. Procrastination

Procrastination occurs when you put off tasks that you should be focusing on
right now. When you procrastinate, you feel guilty that you haven’t started; you
come to dread doing the task; and, eventually, everything catches up with you
when you fail to complete the work on time.

One useful strategy is to tell yourself that you’re only going to start on a project
for ten minutes. Often, procrastinators feel that they have to complete a task from
start to finish, and this high expectation makes them feel overwhelmed and
anxious. Instead, focus on devoting a small amount of time to starting. That’s all!

You might also find it helpful to use Action Plans. These help you break large
projects down into manageable steps, so that it’s easy to see everything that you
need to get done, and so that you can complete small chunks at a time. Doing this
can stop you from feeling overwhelmed at the start of a new project.

Mistake #6. Taking on too much

 Are you a person who has a hard time saying “no” to people? If so, you probably
have far too many projects and commitments on your plate. This can lead to poor
performance, stress, and low morale.

Or, you might be a micromanager: someone who insists on controlling or doing

all of the work themselves, because they can’t trust anyone else to do it correctly.
(This can be a problem for everyone – not just managers)

Either way, taking on too much is a poor use of your time, or it can get you a
reputation for producing rushed, sloppy work.

To stop this, learn the subtle art of saying “yes” to the person, but “no” to the
task. This skill helps you assert yourself, while still maintaining good feelings
within the group. If the other person starts leaning on you to say “yes” to their
request, learn how to think on your feet , and stay cool under pressure.
Mistake #7. Thriving on “Busy”

Some people get a rush from being busy. The narrowly-met deadlines, the
endless emails, the piles of files needing attention on the desk, the frantic race to
the meeting… What an adrenaline buzz.

The problem is that an “addiction to busyness” rarely means that you’re

effective, and it can lead to stress.

Instead, try to slow down, and learn to manage your time better.

Mistake #8. Multitasking

To get on top of her workload, Rina regularly writes emails while she chats on
the phone to her clients. However, while Linda thinks that this is a good use of her
time, the truth is that it can take 20-40 percent more time to finish a list of jobs
when you multitask, compared with completing the same list of tasks in sequence.
The result is also that, she does both tasks poorly – her emails are full of errors,
and her clients are frustrated by her lack of concentration.

So, the best thing is to forget about multitasking, and, instead, focus on one task
at a time. That way, you’ll produce higher quality work.

Mistake #9. Not Taking Breaks

It’s nice to think that you can work for 8-10 hours straight, especially when
you’re working to a deadline. But it’s impossible for anyone to focus and produce
really high-quality work without giving their brains some time to rest and recharge.
 So, don’t dismiss breaks as “wasting time.” They provide valuable down-time,
which will enable you to think creatively and work effectively.

If it’s hard for you to stop working, then schedule breaks for yourself, or set an
alarm as a reminder. Go for a quick walk, grab a cup of coffee, or just sit and
meditate at your desk. Try to take a five minute break every hour or two. And
make sure that you give yourself ample time for lunch – you won’t produce top
quality work if you’re hungry.

Mistake #10. Ineffectively Scheduling Tasks

Are you a morning person? Or do you find your energy picking up once the sun
begins to set in the evening? All of us have different rhythms, that is, different
times of day when we feel most productive and energetic.

You can make best use of your time by scheduling high-value work during your
peak time, and low-energy work (like returning phone calls and checking email),
during your “down” time.

7. Time Matrix

A time matrix is a time management tool that helps you focus on urgent and
important tasks.

 To analyse how good all of them are at spending time effectively and that they will
need a self-analysis to identify these facts.
 Stephen Covey’s ‘Time Management Matrix’ which is also known as the Urgent
Important Model of Time Management.
 Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, the Time
Management Urgent/Important Matrix is a powerful way of thinking about
priorities. Using it helps us to overcome the natural tendency to focus on urgent
activities sometimes at the expense of important activities. Emphasise that it is
important to keep clear enough time to focus on what is really important. This is
the way they can move from ‘constant fire- fighting’ into a position where they can
focus and productively utilize time.

Time Matrix – Q1 : Tasks: Urgent and important

 Important deadlines
 Last minute preparations
 Important meetings
 Emergencies/crises
 Time Matrix – Q2: Tasks: Non-urgent but important

 Personal developing
 Training
 Relationship building
 Health/exercise
 Prevention planning

Time Matrix – Q3: Tasks: Not important but urgent

 Some emails/phone calls

 Some meetings
 Many interruptions
 Some popular activities

Time Matrix – Q4: Tasks: Not important and non-urgent

 Trivia, excess TV
 Some phone calls
 Time wasters

Making Time Matrix Work*

1) Understand priorities
2) List associated tasks
3) List Important duties
4) List everything else you do with your time

Q2 Is the Place To Be

 Strive to spend the majority of time in Q2 – doing important, not-urgent tasks

 Q2 tasks involve planning, relationship building, looking after your health,
training, and personal development
 Q2 tasks allow you to prep for the urgent tasks and things most important to you
without unnecessary pressure

Hanging in Q2…

 Brings balance to your life

 Helps you to be more prepared
 Builds confidence in your role
 Reduces stress

Enemies of Time

 Procrastination
 Disorganization
 Time Wasters
 Not prioritizing

Time Wasters

 Internet surfing
 Television
 Getting involved in unnecessary matters
 Inability to say no
 What are your own time wasters?

Daily Schedule Tips

 End of each day, make a list for tomorrow.

 Build from what you’ve already written in your planner.
 Be specific.
 Adjust your schedule according to your commitments & assignments.

And Most Importantly…

 Be gentle on yourself if everything doesn’t get accomplished.

 Mark a big red check besides things you have accomplished
 Reward yourself for staying ahead of the game and knocking out tasks

Quadrant 1 – Urgent and Important

The Quadrant 1 is of Necessities – It has reactive tasks that need to be done,

often at the last minute. Crises, ‘fire-fighting’ and looming deadlines are typical
examples. There are two distinct types of urgent and important activities: Ones that
you could not foresee, and others that you’ve left to the last [Link] spent in
this quadrant cannot be avoided, but it can be significantly reduced if people are
prepared to spend more time in.
 Quadrant 2 – Important but not Urgent

The Quadrant 2 is of Quality. It is important but not urgent. Proactive tasks,

often habitual, that maintain or improve the quality of people’s work and life.
These are the activities that help people achieve your personal and professional
goals, and complete important work.

Should aim to spend more time in this quadrant. The more they expand this
quadrant, the more they reduce the other three, particularly ‘sudden emergencies’
that should never have been allowed to become so. Although the activities here are
important, and contribute to achieving the goals and priorities, they don’t have to
be done right now. As a result, they can be scheduled in when people can give
quality thought to them. A good example would be, the preparation of an important
talk, or mentoring a key individual.

The results of properly dedicating ourselves to Quadrant 2 activities are that we

will gain control over what is happening in our lives: we will thereby reduce the
time we spend in Quadrant 1.

Quadrant 3 – Urgent but not Important

The Quadrant 3 is of Deception. It consists of things that urgent but not

important. Plenty of people have gone home in the evening wondering where all
the time went. Well, it was here! It’s so easy to get sucked into doing things that
are the wrong side of the 80-20 rule. They look as if they must be dealt with right
now (or people often insist with us that they need to be completed now), but
frankly, are not important. For example, when you answer an unwanted phone call,
– you’ve had to interrupt whatever you were doing to answer it. Many meetings,
popular activities and easy tasks are probably a waste of your time. Some of the
worst culprits are other people!

Quadrant 4 – Neither Urgent nor Important

Quadrant 4 is called the Quadrant of Waste – Emphasize that participants

know what it is and they also know when they have been in it.

The trick is to know when you’re in it. Often, it starts out as restful time (which
is Quadrant 2).The tipping point comes when you spend too long doing mindless
things. Wasting time online, TV and excessively long conversations are some of
the examples. Some meetings could fall into this category – they have been
scheduled in advance, but if they achieve nothing, or you don’t contribute to them,
then they have simply wasted time.
 Quadrant 1 – Strategies to Handle Urgent and Important Activities:

1. Plan Ahead to avoid Last Minute Activities –

2. Avoid PROCRASTINATION.
3. Leave some time in your schedule to handle unexpected crises or unplanned
important activities.

 Quadrant 2 – Strategies to Handle Important but Not Urgent Activities:

1. ORGANIZE yourself by creating a ‘To-Do’ list

2. Prioritize your tasks daily.
3. Allocate time to plan and review your major goals. (Refer to the previously
discussed ‘Time Bucket’ Theory).
4. Set time limits for tasks.
5. SCHEDULE important activities for ‘peak’ hours.
6. Don’t get caught in low value details.

 Quadrant 3 – Strategies to handle Urgent but Not Important Activities:

1. Learn how to be assertive and say ‘No’. Sometimes it’s appropriate to say “No” to
people politely, or to encourage them to solve the problem themselves.
2. Delegate work.

 Quadrant 4 – Strategies to handle Neither Urgent nor Important Activities:

1. Recognize the “Time Wasters” and avoid distractions.

2. Say ‘No’ politely to activities that other people may want you to do, but they
do not contribute to your own desired outcomes. By prioritizing with the help of
the matrix we can deal with truly urgent issues and also keep working towards
important goals.

3. Time for Quadrant 2 activity comes from Quadrants 3 and 4; minimise or

eliminate the time you spend here.

8. Time management Strategies

There are many different techniques and ideas you can employ to manage your
time effectively. We have suggested some possible time management techniques
below to help you work smarter rather than harder.

Ø Set goals
 Always define your objectives as clearly as possible. Decide what it is you want
to achieve in the long term and be prepared to stick to this wherever possible and
be flexible wherever necessary.

Ø Have a plan

Sounds obvious, but you can’t achieve your goals without a plan. Plan your
yearly, monthly and weekly activities and establish priorities. Constantly monitor
and re-evaluate your plans against progress to ensure you stay on track.

Ø Analyse your time

Make sure your use of time is efficient and effective. Eliminate time wasters and
focus on important tasks. Stop reacting to tasks which appear urgent but carry no
importance towards achieving your goals.

Ø Delegate

Accept that you can’t do everything, and that other people can be trusted. When
you do delegate, explain the task and the result required thoroughly, and then let
them get on with it.

Ø Communicate efficiently

Be ruthlessly efficient in your handling of letters and phone calls. Handle

correspondence and calls only once; deal with them there and then if possible,
don’t put them aside to come back to later. Screen calls with an answering machine
or PA and set a time limit for telephone conversations. Offer to call back if more
time is required.

9. Use Power of 5

 5 things I will start doing from today

 5 things I will stop doing from today
 5 things I will continue doing

Understanding time management principles is not difficult, but to get results you
must be committed to building time management techniques into your daily
routine. By setting goals, planning activities and eliminating time wasters,
and doing this every day, you may find you can achieve your goals yet still have
more time for those people and pastimes most important to you.

Jean De La Bruyere: –
 “Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of
its shortness.”

you can view video on Time

Management

References

 What is Time Management? – Time Management Skills From [Link]

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