DECLARATION

I, Pritesh Solanki, of Lala Lajpat Rai College of TYBMS [Semester V] hereby declare
that I have completed my project, titled ‘Developing a Time Investment Strategy’ in the
Academic Year 2008-2009. The information submitted herein is true and original to the
best of my knowledge.

________________________

Signature of Student
[Pritesh Solanki]

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 CERTIFICATE

I, Prof. Vijaya Gangal, hereby certify that Mr. Pritesh Solanki of Lala Lajpat Rai
College of TYBMS [Semester V] has completed his project, titled ‘Developing a Time
Investment Strategy’ in the academic year 2008-2009. The information submitted herein
is true and original to the best of my knowledge.

___________________ ___________________

Prof. Vijaya Gangal Prof. Vijaya Gangal

(PROJECT GUIDE) (COURSE CO.ORDINATOR)

___________________
Mr. S.N. Shetti
(PRINCIPAL)
OBJECTIVES

• To help you determine how you presently use time

• To make you aware of the portion of time over which you have control
• To establish priorities, review how time is consumed, and identify time-wasting
activities
• To identify common time-killers and techniques for dealing with them
• To teach you how to make the most effective use of the time under your control
• To allow you to use time the way you choose (work, play, or rest)
• To highlight the principles of time management

All the above objectives are being looked after in the project.

Compiled By:
PRITESH SOLANKI
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Entrance, Hard Work, gradual progress and an exciting year, that’s how I have reached
this level and now as I stand at the threshold of the aside world, I take a look at the past
year which I have spent in this College. Our performance with their devotion, have
moulded me in to confident and aspiring student all through this year.

My guide for the project Prof. Vijaya Gangal, whose constant encouragement, planned
and careful guidance helped me to complete this project up to the mark.

This acknowledgement would not be completed without extending my sincere thanks to

my Ex – Bosses, Mr. Sandeep Phanse and Mr. Jagjit Matharu (Director, EIC) who always
helped me with the content and gave permission to use the game module.

I would also like to thank my friends Mehul, Rishabh, Vishal and Ketan, for their support
in entire study.

And finally a special thanks to my entire family especially my mother, my father and my
sister.

I hope that I shall be able to realize the dream of a worthy progress.

PRITESH SOLANKI
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Everyone knows that to be effective it is necessary to complete tasks on time and to be

efficient those tasks should be accomplished in order of priority. If it’s so easy the
question remains; why do so many people run out of time?
Because of the value placed on all resources we are forced to get more done, with fewer
people, in less time. While time is limitless we only ever have access to sixty minutes in
an hour, twenty-four hours in a day and seven days in a week etc. Therefore, like a
precious consignment we have to use time to its best advantage, which means that we
have to develop new strategies for the way we use time and alter the way in which we
perceive it.
This project on Time Strategies will enable us to realize the importance of time and to
determine how it should be invested to achieve the results they desire.
The ability to prioritize, determine dependencies and overcome procrastination gains
value when the investment of time as a precious resource is understood.
WARMING UP TO THE CONCEPT OF TIME

“Now go on and enjoy yourself, dance to your heart’s content and win the Prince’s heart.
But remember, you have to be back before the clock strikes twelve at midnight.”
We all are familiar with the words of the Fairy God Mother in the evergreen fairy tale
‘Cinderella’. It’s these words that probably made us aware-for the first time in our lives-
of the value of time. We all sympathized with Cinderella when all her splendid gown and
other finery turned to rags at the stroke of midnight. Our first acquaintance with the
villainous Time!
But then, is time such a villain, who should always be painted in black? We have heard
the proverb that says “there are no wounds that time cannot heal.” Here of course we get
the image of a wizened old woman who comes hobbling up to us with a pitcher full of
balm and gentle fingers that soothe away all our pains and sorrows.
But that’s enough! This project was not made to sing the praises of time. There is no need
of the romance of Cinderella or the soothing finger of an old lady when we are talking
about time. And do you know why? It’s because we do not have the time for it.
We are going to try and understand time in its many faces. No, I was not referring to the
faces of watches or clocks. I was referring to the many meanings that time has. Oh yes it
does! You thought that time meant the same to everyone. Well think again; or maybe you
could try to explain the logic behind the following cases.
Picture a farmer who plants a sapling of a tree that would probably take ten to twelve
years to reach the stage when it would start to bear fruit, by then the farmer would in
likelihood be under the soil himself.
Picture a jailbird in bird counting on the bars of his cell waiting for the seconds, minutes,
and hours, days, weeks, months and years to go by before he can be free again.
Now picture a young couple madly in love with each other cherishing the few minutes
they get to spend with each other every day, cursing time because it flies so fast when
they are together and never the other way round.
So what does time mean to you? When was the last time that you realized the value of
time?
The answer is probably the last time you watched one of those Bollywood thrillers in
which the hero is driving a car in which a time-bomb has been planted and the hero is
unaware of this. But we being the getting-to-see-it-all audience watch with bated breath
as the tiny needle of the timer ticks towards the point at which the explosion is sure to
occur.
But just before that, the hero hits the brakes screeches to a halt to avoid hitting that old
lady crossing the road. And when he jumps out to help her cross the road the needle
reaches the point and the bomb is exploded. And our hero is safe. It’s funny how the hero
always escapes without a scratch in these movies. But I expect that’s why they call them
heroes.
Now we are really transgressing aren’t we? So back to our subject that is Time
Management. Do you know what is interesting about the concept of Time? It is
absolutely uncontrollable.
Personally I believe that there is something very humbling about this concept. Just
imagine a man with all his power is just like a helpless babe before time. There it is Time
stands tall and strong before man and man remains vulnerable and weak before it. Man,
the big strong man who tamed rivers and seas, who reached out to the skies and beyond,
who harnessed wind and water and dug up the bowels of the earth is but a worm before
Time.
The best he can do to win the battle against time is die his hair and use some anti-wrinkle
cream on his face. In fact, the closest that man has got towards conquering time is those
many history books that have been penned; they are of course chronicles of events that
happened long ago and that is certainly not much to boast about.
And so now we come to our subject that is time management because after all the
illustrations given above, I hope that I have made one point clear, that is that Time cannot
be controlled, it can only be managed. And that is what we are going to do. We are going
to learn the art of time management. I don’t want you to have an air of helplessness. You
might begin to feel that if the battle cannot be won, then what is point in putting up a
struggle? Ah, but there you are missing out on a very important point. In all the
illustrations that I used above, I was referring to man in general and not to one particular
Tom, Dick or Harry.
So you can see that this aspect of time is applicable to every human being and there is no
running away from it. Every person has only twenty four hours in a day and no force on
earth can alter that. So in order to get the cutting edge what you have to do is to be able to
manage your time in the most effective way possible. And that is what Time management
is all about. It’s about managing your time effectively and if I may I would like to add the
word efficiently too.
Now, when we talk about our resources, everyone knows that we are referring to the
resources like fossil fuels, forests, mineral wealth, and water bodies and so on. But
surprisingly time is never included in this list. When we talk about non-renewable
resources, fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas top the list. But what about
time? A point that most people tend to forget is that time is the most valuable resource
that we have, and time once lost, is lost forever. We can think about alternate sources of
energy for fossil fuels like electricity, fuel cells, solar energy and the research goes on.
But is there any alternative for time that is lost.
Again I stress on the point that time once lost, is lost forever. And hence we have the
proverb, “time and tide waits for no man.”
HISTORY OF TIME MANAGEMENT
The idea of time management has been in existence for more than 100 years.
Unfortunately, the term "time management" creates a false impression of what a person is
able to do. Time can neither be managed, nor controlled. We can only manage ourselves
and our use of time.
History of time management dates back to the 6th century AD with the St. Benedictine
Monks who "emphasized and encouraged scheduled activities at all times." The concept
of time efficiency was introduced by Scottish Economist Adam Smith who developed an
assembly line system for factory workers. Benjamin Franklin is considered by many to be
the father of modern time management. He mostly emphasized on the effective use of
time. Franklin carried around a "little black book" wherever he went, and within it, he
wrote about his thirteen virtues. Each night he would reflect upon the day's activities to
judge whether he had lived up to these core values. These values were as follows:
• Temperance
• Silence
• Order
• Resolution
• Frugality
• Industry
• Sincerity
• Justice
• Moderation
• Cleanliness
• Tranquility
• Chastity
• Humility
UNDERSTANDING TIME MANAGEMENT
“We all have time to either spend or waste and it is our decision what to do with it. But once
passed, it is gone forever.”
- Bruce Lee (“Zen in the Martial Arts” by Joe Hyams)

Every individual on earth has the same amount of time - 60 seconds in a minute; 60
minutes in an hour; 1,440 minutes in a day; and 525,600 minutes in a year. While a vast
majority of people confesses faltering to come to grips with it, extremely few can claim
to have made the most of it. How is it that they have got it all done? It’s because they
have managed a way to figure out how to manage their time effectively.
Time Management is more than just managing time. It is about controlling the use of the
most valuable - and undervalued - resource. It is managing oneself in relation to time. It
is setting priorities and taking charge of the situation and time utilization. It means
changing those habits or activities that cause waste of time. It is being willing to adopt
habits and methods to make maximum use of time.
With good time management skills one is in control of one’s time, stress and energy
levels. One can maintain balance between one’s work and personal life. One finds enough
flexibility to respond to surprises or new opportunities. It is not how much time one has,
but rather the way one uses it. The bottom line is how well one manages time.
Internationally known authority on time management Dr. Alec Mackenzie in his book
The Time Trap argues that the very idea of time management is a misnomer because one
really cannot manage time in the way other resources can be managed: financial capital,
physical capital, human capital, information and time. While each of the first four can be
augmented, reduced, transferred or otherwise controlled, Time cannot be manipulated.

Dr. Mackenzie contends that when it comes to time, one can only manage oneself in
relation to it. One cannot control time as one can control other resources – one can only
control how one uses it. In the world in which we live, time cannot be replaced or re-
created. It is therefore not for us to choose whether we spend or save time but to choose
only how we spend it.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT TIME

There are several misconceptions which we all have about time. They affect everyone
including those persons who may be considered quite successful and effective. Here are
some of the misconceptions identified by Dr. Mackenzie:
• Time management is simple - all it requires is common sense. While it is true that
the concept is simple, the self-discipline required to practice effective time
management is not easy.
• Work is best performed under pressure. Psychological studies show this to be no
more than an excuse for procrastination. One does not work well under pressure -
only does the best one can under the circumstances. Pressure and challenge must not
be confused. Lara’s performance when the West Indies Team is in trouble has more to
do with application and determination rather than pressure.
• I use a diary, a to-do list and have a secretary to keep me organized. One has to
keep oneself organized - no one can do it for others. The trouble with the disorganized
person is that he hardly has time to listen to his secretary or look at his diary.
• I do not have the time. The effective worker or manager often gets more work done
in the earlier hours of the morning than most laggards get done in the whole day. He
then no longer has to work against tight deadlines and under stress which contributes
to heart problems and not unusually the ultimate reduction of time on this earth.
• Time management might be good for some kinds of work but my job is creative.
Time management is not about routine: it is about self-discipline. Lack of discipline
prevents one from being great instead of simply good.
• Time management takes away the fun and freedom of spontaneity. Is working
under stress, forgetting appointments, making constant excuses and apologies to be
fun? Would it not be much more fun if by better organization one had one or two
more hours every day to spend with the family, to play games, read a good book, plan
for tomorrow and the day and week after or just relax?
WHY IS TIME MANAGEMENT SO IMPORTANT?

Time management is a common problem faced by most of us. Oftentimes, when you are
swarmed with multiple tasks at once, it becomes extremely difficult to identify which
ones you must complete first. Too often, people eat up what is supposed to be their free
time to be able to accomplish all pending tasks in time. It takes a considerate amount of
skill in order to manage your time properly. If you are one of these people, you are
usually able to control your time efficiently that you can even finish tasks ahead of time.
Let’s try to analyze the importance of Time Management in different fields.
Time Management in School/College: Due to more freedom merited to college students,
it can become quite challenging for new (freshman) students to cope with time
management. The liberty to choose your own schedule readily creates a false notion that
they can do whatever they want. On the other hand, it reflects one's priorities and how
you are able to properly appropriate them into your schedule. With lack of proper time
management, a student will have trouble coping up with deadlines set by professors.
Most students would tend to slack off during vacant hours that they end up accomplishing
nothing. If a student has prepared his or her own list of work for the day, he or she will be
able to properly allocate the time spent for extracurricular activities and assignments.
Time Management at Work: When it comes to your job, proper usage of your time is more
particular. This is because you are paid for the hours of service you render to the firm.
Hence, companies will try to ensure that each hour you spend at the office is utilized
effectively for work. Despite of this, employees still seek out ways to have a break. If
time is not properly managed, employees could easily eat up more time for their “breaks”
than what is actually spent on actual work. Hence, the company ends up requiring the
employee to do overtime work just to finish a project. If the overtime rendered is
reflected on your paycheck, then good for you. But if not, then you reap the unpleasant
effects of poor time management.
SYMPTOMS OF POOR TIME MANAGEMENT
Poor time management shows up by way of one or a combination of typical perceptible
symptoms. Managers would do well to look for and reflect on whether they are subject to
any of those symptoms with a view to take necessary corrective actions.
The following are some of the indicators of poor time management:
• Constant rushing (e.g. between meetings or tasks)
• Frequent delays (e.g. in attending meetings, meeting deadlines)
• Low productivity, energy and motivation (e.g. ‘I can’t seem to get worked up about
anything’)
• Frustration (e.g. ‘Oh, things just don’t move ahead)
• Impatience (e.g. ‘where the hell is that information I’ve asked him for?’)
• Chronic vacillation between alternatives (e.g. ‘whichever option I choose it is going
to put me at a big disadvantage. I don’t know which way to jump’)
• Difficulty setting and achieving goals (e.g. ‘I’m not sure what is expected of me’)
WHERE DOES ALL THE TIME GO?

It is quite surprising when you sit and think about where all the time in one day goes.
Twenty four hours is really a lot of time. But on most days it scarcely seems enough. But
this is because of certain misconceptions about time. Let us proceed to carefully examine
where all that time goes and find out if twenty four hours really is. For that I have listed
out certain points which will help you to get a realistic view about how much time you
really have in a day.
Point 1
We do not really get twenty four hours in a day. Maybe it’s because we always talk about
the twenty four hours in a day, we get the feeling that we really do have twenty four
hours to finish our daily business and the fact is that we do not. Assuming that you hit the
sack at least by twelve in the night and taking for granted the fact that you need at least
seven hours of sleep; let me fix your waking time at seven in the morning.
That means that you have already lost seven hours, which we can deduct from twenty
four, giving us only seventeen waking hours. Waking hours does not mean the hours you
take to wakeup but the hours that you are awake. So let us get that straight, we have only
17 hours in a day. Now if you think that all those seventeen hours can be used for
productive work, you are wrong again. For this come to the next point.
Point 2
The seventeen waking hours cannot be used completely for productive work. There are
many things that a human being should do in order to continue to live like a human being
and some of these things do take up a lot of time. Now the following list that I have
drawn up is sure to vary from person to person. But I have taken the times for each action
on what I felt to e reasonable times as far as any normal human being is concerned.
 Taking a shower.
Most of us take a shower at least once in a day and the time I think we can put down for
that is ten minutes. For those of you cleaner ones who shower twice a day put that as
twenty minutes.
 Answering the call of nature
Oh yes, we are all very cultured people who have the best of manners and upbringing. We
dress ourselves properly and conduct ourselves with the utmost poise. But there are
several times in a day when we have to go back to nature and summing up all those
things we do in the bath room I think a good half hour should be enough.
 Getting ready and tidying ourselves
When we move about in society definitely we have to look our best and adding up all the
minutes that we spend in front of that mirror, we get another ten minutes. For some
people of course, this figure comes up to half an hour. But I think ten minutes is good
enough.
 Eating
We need to eat to live and though I accept the fact that people have different eating habits
and times, I think that and I’m sure doctors will agree with me that a person needs three
meals a day and should take at least ten minutes to ingest a meal and not just gobble it
down. So that makes it 30 minutes for food.
 Time to relax
Please do not raise an argument now. I promise to deal with this bit later on. But right
now I would like to put down one hour as the time to relax, and this includes the time that
you get to yourself for prayer or meditation or just to stare out of your window or perhaps
the few extra minutes that you spend in your bed after waking up, waiting for the last
traces of sleep to go away.

 Time with family and friends

Please we are human beings, aren’t we? And we certainly cannot get along with our
business of life without chatting a few minutes every now and then with our friends and
the family too. So with your permission, I would like to deduct another hour from your
waking time.
So now what do we have left?
We started off with 17 hours of waking time. And we proceed to add up all the time that
we accounted for in the above mentioned points; let us see how much time we have left
for productive work provided we still want to exist as human beings.
The activities mentioned above would take when put together a good three hours and
twenty minutes. That is 3 hours and 20 minutes. I put it down in both numerals and words
so that you can get a real taste of the figure. Now if we proceed to subtract this figure
from our 17 hours of waking time, what do we get? We are left with just thirteen hours
forty minutes. In figures that is 13 hours 40 minutes. And that is a fact. That is all that we
get. So from now on don’t you think that it would be more realistic to say that we have
just thirteen hours and forty minutes to accomplish a day’s work and not twenty-four
hours. For if we continue to believe that we have twenty four hours, and then we are in
effect deceiving ourselves. But wait there is more to this story than meets the eye. These
crucial hours that we have painstakingly added up are not really put to constructive use.
There are certain things called time waster which you have to look out for and that is
what we are going to deal within our next chapter.
‘Time Killers’

Till now, we have been harping about how valuable time is and how time lost is time lost
forever and so on. But now we come to a strange concept and that is ‘Time Killers’. The
very word sound like sacrilege doesn’t it? How can one talk about killing such a valuable
resource. But that’s the way the story goes. There are a lots of time killers in this world
and what you have to do is that you have to identify these time killers, look out for them
and stay wary of tem. Only then can you put your available time to the maximum
possible use.
The time killers that I have listed below are more or less general. They are things that
most of us encounter. But apart from these, each one of us may have unique time killers
that are particular to our style of living and way of work. Be smart and identify these
killers. When I talk about killers, do not get the impression of masked men lurking in
shadows brandishing guns and knives. The killers that I am referring to are quite ordinary
every day things that we see and use in our lives but often do not realize how much of our
time they take away.

Seven terrible Time Killers

• Telephone calls
• Chatter boxes
• Traffic jams
• Finding parking spaces
• Meetings
• Bad machinery
• Long queues

The list could of course go on. But before we keep adding to the list, I would like to
elaborate on certain of the items listed above.
How to handle Time Killers

• The funny thing about telephone calls is that these instruments are indeed great
time savers. In fact the amount of time that people get to save thanks to telephones is
stupendous. The problem arises when telephones are not used properly. Most people do
not understand and even if they do they forget that telephones are not to be used for
lengthy conversations. For one thing, another person may be trying to reach you and there
is nothing as exasperating as trying to reach a person over the telephone and being
confronted with a busy tone. So the first thing about a telephone conversation is that it
should be brief.
Another thing about telephones is that most people do not know how to use a telephone
properly. In stead of immediately identifying themselves and asking directly for the
person they want, some people go on playing a lot of “who is speaking” games once they
make a call or answer the telephone.
Now coming to mobile phones there is a lot to be said and done. What should be done is
turn off your cell phone when you are having a conversation or a discussion with more
than one person. As soon as you get a call, you may ask the people you were talking to
excuse yourself but you leave them waiting while you chuckle and giggle over your
phone. Often we tend to give more importance to the caller than to the person we were
having the discussion with. Again the same rule applies here. Be brief. A mobile phone is
to be used to get an important message across to a person who you were not able to reach
on the land line.
• The next point is about those chatter boxes. Haven’t we all met them? They simply
love the sound of their own voices and once they open their mouths, there is no stopping
them. They waste not only your time but their time as well. Steer clear of such people.
Believe me, it is much easier to avoid such people than to tell them to shut up and if you
get a telephone call from such a person, use a caller ID facility or ask your secretary to
divert the call.
• Traffic jams and finding parking spaces. Any one who has lived in the city for
at least a day will know what I am talking about. There is no getting past a traffic jam at
the rush hour. And will someone tell me whit is called the rush hour when that is the time
when the traffic is the slowest.
The only thing you can do is anticipate the traffic jam and leave your home a half hour or
one hour early. But that does not really keep the time killer at bay. It just helps you to
avoid being late. In this respect you have two options. Either you could find something
constructive to do while you wait for the traffic to move along or the traffic light to
change or a better option would be to take subway and walk the rest of the way. You can
get a long a lot faster on your feet and it is a lot better for your health as well. By doing
so, you can also get rid of the headache of finding a parking space.
• Not surprisingly lengthy meetings and discussions can prove to be awful time
killers particularly if the meeting does not have a clear agenda and if there are people
who love top talk among the group. It has been found that most middle and senior level
mangers spend nearly 70% of their work time talking. And in most organizations,
parleying has been made into a fine art.
• Bad machinery is a time waster. How many of us have wanted to sit and scream
and bang the daylights out of a pc that does not give us the required data or information.
A computer that takes a long time to start up, a photocopier that gives shamefully faint
photocopies, even a leaky faucet or a stubborn drawer or door knob can waste a lot of
time and send us up the wall. If you have such equipment or machinery, get it changed at
the earliest possible date. It is worth the amount of time and energy that you waste on it
every day.
• Long queues certainly waste a lot of time. That does not mean that you have to
jump the queue. If you can get the job done over the telephone or can reserve your ticket
in advance, do it, even if it means a few extra dollars, it is worth the time you may have
to spend waiting.
Apart from these each person may have particular time wasters, like for instance, a car
that refuses to start in the morning, difficult hair that insists on looking like Medusas head
on a bad snake day, an elevator that takes forever to reach your floor. Use your common
sense and try to find alternate methods or even better, if you cannot find an alternate
method, you could put the time to some use like read your morning paper in the elevator.
You will get a better idea of how to get over time killers once we handle the section
called the time savers.
Lining Up Your Ducks: Prioritize!

“Lining up your ducks” is a familiar and charming phrase. It derives from the tendency of
baby ducklings to swim in a perfectly straight line behind their mother. If the ducklings
begin to stray too far, the mother duck will invariably “shepherd” them back into line—
thus, “getting her ducks in a row.”
The application of this phrase to time management is clear. If you deal with things in a
logical, orderly sequence, you’re sure to bring efficiency and results to your efforts.
When your “ducks” begin to stray too far afield, danger is lurking—for them and for you.
Let’s face it. 24 hours in a day is not enough time for many people to do everything in
their schedule. It is therefore imperative that people perform their activities in the order
of priority. Time management experts like Stephen Covey S R (The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People; Simon & Schuster) have developed a model called a time
management matrix.
This model enables managers to prioritize their activities and use their time more
effectively. With the help of the model, they can evaluate their activities in terms of
importance and urgency.

The art of prioritizing covers 4 major task groups:

1. Important and Urgent
2. Not Important but Urgent
3. Not Urgent but Important
4. Not Important and Not Urgent
TIME MANAGEMENT MATRIX
Important and Urgent
Quadrant 1 represents things which are both urgent and important – labeled
“firefighting”. The activities need to be dealt with immediately, and they are important.
These tasks are the ones that must be done right away, or consequences may result. An
example would be bills that are due today. If you don’t pay your bills on time, you would
incur additional charges or they might cut off their services to you. Activities belonging
to this category need to be acted upon without delay. You should give them the highest
priority.

Important but Not Urgent

Quadrant 2 represents things which are important, but not urgent - labelled “Quality
Time”. Although the activities here are important, and contribute to achieving the goals
and priorities - they do not have to be done right now. As a result, they can be scheduled
when they can be given quality thought to them.
A good example would be the preparation of an important talk, or mentoring a key
individual. Prayer time, family time and personal relaxation/recreation are also part of
Quadrant 2.

Urgent but Not Important

Quadrant 3 represents distractions. They must be dealt with right now, but frankly, are not
important. For example, when a person answers an unwanted phone call, - he/she has had
to interrupt whatever he/she is doing to answer it.

Not Important and Not Urgent

Quadrant 4 represents Time Wasting. You might think activities in this section are not
worth people’s time, so they won’t engage in these activities much. You would be
surprised to know that people spend most of their time doing things that are both
unimportant and non-urgent, such as watching TV and movies, playing video games,
senseless chatting for hours on the phone, shopping for new clothes, etc.
Of course, it is essential for people to relax and unwind once in a while.
”All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” as they say. But you should be strict in
limiting your time for these activities; that is, if you really want to accomplish a lot in
your life.
Treat activities belonging to this section with the lowest priority. If you really want to
succeed, strictly limit your time in doing these activities or don’t do them at all. Focus on
those that will bring you fruitful results.
Numbered Priority Tactic
Here’s one of the most powerful techniques that you can use to manage your time
efficiently – the Numbered Priority Tactic.
Buy a very small notebook that you can put in your pocket. You should be able to bring it
anywhere you go. At the front page of the notebook, put the title: Important and
Urgent. At the back page, put the title: Important but Not Urgent.
If an idea or event you encounter is Urgent but Not Important, then forget it. You want
to utilize your time well, won’t you? If you think it’s significant in some way, then you
may put it under Important and Urgent. Ignore Not Important and Not Urgent tasks.
Every time something comes up during your daily work or on your mind, put it in the
appropriate page of your little notebook. So let’s say your boss told you to submit a report
due tomorrow. Write it down on your notebook under Important and Urgent. Then your
friend told you that there’s a big 2-day sale at the downtown furniture store. You may put
it under Important and Urgent if you simply must have that furniture you’re drooling
for months. But if you think your house would do fine without it, then don’t write it
anymore. As you’re walking down the street you suddenly thought of a great new idea for
your part-time business. You may put it under Important but Not Urgent.
As the day goes on, write down each and every idea, thought, or event that comes to your
mind. As the list increases in each category, examine each of them carefully and start
numbering each item in the order of priority - with 1 being the highest priority. Start
working on Number 1, and never go to Number 2 until you’re done with Number 1 for
each category. If distractions come about, you may take care of them first but always
come back to your numbered list when you’re done.
Because priorities may change, you may switch or change the numbers of the items in the
list. You may also transfer one item from Important and Urgent to Important but Not
Urgent, and vice-versa. When you do any changes, make sure your notebook stays clean.
Transfer your writings to a new page when you see that it’s getting untidy. Start off with a
new page every day.
This method can enable you to achieve more in one week than what most people can
accomplish in a month. The important thing you must do is to buy that little notebook and
to start doing this super tactic right now! Time is running fast.
Pareto's Principle or the 80/20 Rule
It was developed in the 19th century. The principle states that 80 percent of our
unfocused effort generates only 20 percent of our end results, and that 80 percent of our
results are achieved from 20 percent of the overall energy expended. Many students and
professionals spend the day in a frenzy of activity, but achieve very little of their desired
results because they are not concentrating on the right things. In the 1950s, the focus was
on the manager and his organization skills. Later in that decade, James McKay authored
the first book on time management.
Stephen R. Covey describes the first generation of modern time management techniques
as notes and checklist reminders. The second generation focused on planning and
preparation through the use of calendars and appointment books. The third generation
was committed to "planning, prioritizing and controlling." Once again, these techniques
were not working. Covey describes several myth of third generation time management
and its ideals of the following:
• Planning for efficiency
• Personal values' prioritization
• Controlling other people
ABC System
Alan Lakein developed the “ABC technique.” This approach uses letters to prioritize
what is truly important to the individual. In labeling a task as A, B or C, the individual is
actually categorizing these tasks as short-term, intermediate or long-range goals. This
system can be taken one step further by assigning numerical rank to each task. For
example, A-1 is the most important task and A-2 is secondary to A-1. The ABC technique
of prioritization was limited because "A" list priorities may be confused with urgency
more often than true importance. Some "B" and "C" ranked priorities may actually be
more important, but not as urgent.
Covey has developed another prioritization technique that deals with the problem of
importance versus urgency. In the later half of this century, time management instruments
and instruction has blossomed into a sophisticated business. The professional is left to a
personal search for those instruments that will be the most effective and efficient for his
or her lifestyle. The professional who does not use time management skills may risk
missing appointments and due dates of assignments. No good excuses can be given for
being lazy in this

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