2. Common Problem
I am BUSY
I don’t have time
I am not happy with my life
I don’t feel I have achieved anything this year
I don’t have control on my life
I wish I have more than 24 hours per day so that
I can get more things done
3. Balance your life
Balance in Life is important
Recognize each aspect of life
is important
I am not getting enough time
for family/personal life
because of Work
80% of day is spent at work
Family
Work
Health Finance
4. Time management : What is it?
Doing the Right things and not doing things right
(efficiency)
In control of Life, not driven by circumstances
Enjoying JOURNEY of life: every day of it, not a
perfect day in future
Have right balance in wheel of life
5. Goals
“If you are not aware of the direction you are going, you
will end up exactly where you are going”
Focusing on important areas of life: Family, Work,
Health, Personal Development, Finance
A goal is anything you WANT to accomplish in your life.
If you had only 6 months live: what are the things you
want to do
6. Written goals
“Palest Ink is better than brightest memory”
It is not enough to have goals in mind.
Put them down on paper
It is an agreement with yourself that you are
aware of goals and will pursue them
7. Hints to Find Goals
What do you want to accomplish in next 5
years?
Long term goals
Dreams/Ambitions
Work Goals
Professional Goals
8. Creating TO DO Lists
Your daily list of tasks
Tasks that take you towards your goals
One Sheet a Day
Tasks with defined importance:
– Q1: important and urgent: deadlines, fire fighting
– Q2: important and not urgent: Planning, Holidays
– Q3: urgent and not important: Interruptions, meetings
– Q4: not important and not urgent: junk mail , time wasters
9. Working with TO DO Lists
Create the list before you start the day
15 minutes of investment will help you everyday
End of day: Review Status
Status: C – Completed, T – Transferred, A –
Abandoned, I – In progress
10. Sample TO DO List
Task Priority Status Time needed
Prepare Slides Q1 C 30 min
Collect Photos (T-1) Q2 45 min
Add Slides to qaweb Q3 5 min
Update SDK Test Cases Q1 1 hour
Confirm to Srinivas
about tomorrow’s plan
Q1 C 5 min
Date: 14-Nov-2001
11. Achievements
Achievements are not just major events that happen.
Make every small achievement inspire you
Achievements at every step
– Maintain good health
– Daily achievements
– Weekly Achievements
– Monthly Achievements
– Yearly Achievements
13. Interruptions
Intrusive interruptions: phone call, personal
conversations
Non-intrusive interruptions: e-mail
Have a no-interruption periods:
– Closed door policy
– Phone off the hook
– Use non-intrusive interruptions
– Prioritize and don’t be reactive
14. Crisis Situations
Be proactive not reactive
– Being proactive is highly motivating
Maintain a crisis log
Prevent crisis by managing important but not
urgent tasks on time
15. Procrastination
No Excuses
Prioritize
DO IT NOW
Understand how much time it takes to do a task
Not all tasks take sometime.
Understand what and why of your procrastination tendency
Do not be a last minute decision taker
Gather information for a task in advance.
“… if we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely
everything is ready, we shall never begin.”
16. FAQ
Can I use a computer for to-do list?
What about a mobile device or a personal
organizer?
How do I handle Follow up tasks?
17. Tips
SWOT Analysis : Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
Get up 15 minutes early
Make time for ‘yourself’
Understand your ‘effective time zone’
Deal effectively with interruptions
Update your to do list daily
Do not over-schedule
Keep your list in sight
Delegate, if possible
Get Organized: paper, e-mail
Do difficult tasks first
18. My Experience
Spent hours to list all my goals in life
Daily Lists made every day (95% of time)
Examples of goals
– Recurring Goals:
• Pay Rent
• Pay credit card bill
• Prepare Monthly Status report
– Long term golas
• Buy a house
– Personal development
• Read book“Software Testing”
– Buy/loan book
– Read 1 chapter per day
19. Task Analysis
TASK ANALYSIS FOR 3 MONTHS
Only 65-70% of planned activities were completed
during each month
20% of planned activities are transferred at least once.
10-12% of activities are abandoned
On an average I take up 4-5 activities per day in
addition to work related responsibilities
20. Lessons Learned
I have plenty of time on hand. If an activity takes
average of 30 min, I have a workload of 2-3 hrs per day
besides the daily routine tasks. There is lot of time that
can be utilized effectively
10% of activities are 'not necessary' but I plan them
because I think should do it. But not achieving them
does not have an impact at all in achieving my goals.
20% of activities are postponed because I do not set
realistic targets or I do not do enough preparation to
complete the activity.
21. Time Kit
One source for everything
– Goals
– Tasks
– Expenses
– Phone Book
– Ideas/Notes
– Lists: Books to read, Movies to watch, checklists
Chaos to ORGANIZED
22. Getting Started
Write down Goals of your life
Write down Goals of your life
Write down Goals of your life
Time management is toughest course on offer and
many fail.
Practice TO DO Lists for at least 3 months
Then it becomes a habit
Don’t give up
If you fail to plan, you plan to FAIL.
23. Quick Revision
Writing down goals is the first important step
Break down goals to tasks
Understand your ‘most effective time zone’/’time span’
Create Daily TO DO List for next 3 months
A Page a day works best
We have more time available than we ‘think’
DO IT NOW
Make time management a ‘habit’
Don’t Give up: Stay motivated
Achieve more in less time
24. Resources
Books
– Stephen Covey: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Time Management Kit
– Franklincovey Stores
– Even a notebook. (A page a day)
Internet Resources
– www.balancetime.com
– www.timedoctor.com
– www.franklincovey.com
