Management 13th Edition by John Schermerhorn,Daniel Bachrach

Exercise 24

LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF
It isn't a waste of time to occasionally relax... it is a waste to let friends dominate your time.
Time Management Unlocks Performance Capacity
W hen it comes to planning, one of the first things that often pops into mind is time. It is one of our most precious resources, and time management is an essential career skill.
Some 77% of managers in one survey said that the digital age has increased the number of decisions they have to make. Forty-three percent said there was less time available to make these decisions. Who hasn't complained or heard others complain, "There are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done"
Don't you wonder about the time you waste every day -instant messages, voice and text messages, drop-in visitors, surfing the Web, and more Of course, you have to be careful defining what "waste" means to you. It isn't a waste of time to occasionally relax, take a break from work or school or just day-to-day activities, and find pleasure in socializing. Breaks help us gather and replenish our energy. But it is a waste to let friends dominate your time so you don't work on a class paper until it's too late to write a really good one, or delay a decision to apply for an internship until the deadline has passed.
Time management is a form of planning that is consistently rated one of the top "must-have" skills for new graduates entering fast-paced and complicated careers in business and management. Many of us, perhaps most of us, keep to-do lists. But it's the rare person who is consistently successful in living up to their list. Planning can easily suffer the same fate as the to-do lists-it starts with the best of intentions, but may end up with little or nothing to show as to real results.
Can the "Checkup" shown here help you keep time management on your side
Time Management Checkup
List 1-What I have to do tomorrow
(A) Most important, top priority-these are things you must do.
(B) Important, not top priority-these are things you should do.
(C) Least important, low priority-these are things you might do.
(D) Not important, no priority-these are things you should not do.
Ask: Do my actions match the priorities
List 2-Time wasters
(A) Things I can control-they won't happen if I don't let them.
(B) Things I can't control-they happen and I can't do anything about it.
Ask: Are you taking control where you can
GET TO KNOW YOURSELF BETTER
Now is a good time to improve your planning capabilities. It's a key management function and a critical life skill. Start by getting in touch with how you manage and use your time. Task 1 -Keep a daily time log for at least two days, listing what you do and how long it takes. Then write up an analysis of where you seem to be wasting time and where you are using it well. Task 2 -Complete the lists requested in the Time Management Checkup. Double-check List 1 "B" items and reclassify any that are really "As" or "Cs." Look at your "As" and reclassify any that are really "Bs" or "Cs." Write a priority to-do list for your day tomorrow. Also check your time wasters in List 2. Write down a plan to take charge of things that are controllable.