Time Management Benefits and Strategies

Abstract

Time is the most valuable resource accessible to people (Khodakarami, 2007) which cannot be put away, recuperated or reassigned (Ali, 2008). Each human doings utilizes time, yet time is restricted in quantity because we only have twenty four hours per day, seven days per week, and so on. In this way, the provision of time is inflexible, and because of that the requirement for ideal use of time is imperative (Odumeru, 2013). Time has a huge significance in present business world because is a critical resource and a vital factor of project achievement. Leading the industry, to achieve competitive advantage, to decrease time dependent expenses can be convincing reasons for businesses to compress the agendas. Requirement to diminish project length is driving organizations to constantly look for methods and tools to do so. There are various planning systems accessible as well as numerous tools for decreasing project span which have been in used for quite a long time now. Yet at the same time data shows that there are a huge amount of projects that surpasses the arranged calendar. Along these lines, it tends to be inferred that implementation of these methods and systems alone is not adequate for gaining the advantages, it should be all around bolstered by great management practices, skilled work force, great structural culture, supportive management and dedicated owner.

Introduction

Companies all over the world find that they have to continually make changes to the way they work in order to stay ahead of the game, be profitable, and be relevant. Positive improvement of projects has been a basis for numerous organizations of competitive advantage. Time Management is fundamentally the capacity to plan and organize the time spent on tasks through the project. The outcome of efficient time management is improved efficiency and throughput. It is a main part of project management and comprises skills such as defining objectives, planning, and prioritizing for an enhanced execution. The enthusiasm for overseeing time is not new, it is usually an issue and worry for everybody to oversee whether in projects or in everyday life. Time management is an expression that with years has been associated with inconsistencies and uncertainties. Time management has been defined as the procedure of the handy use of time to perfect and finish a specific action at hand. Though, the variants tend to contrast from one researcher to another, each and every idea seems to be forgetting a specific perspective to do with time management (Eerde, 2003). The notion of time management is a conventional idea that has been talked about throughout the years; it is relevant to pretty much each and every aspect of life. Time cannot be overseen simply like other resources; it is an asset that is gotten instantly and must be utilized at whatever points it is received due to the fact that it cannot be put away nor delayed. Additionally, time is irreplaceable and once squandered cannot be recovered. Consequently, a few people claim that time is not controllable and as an alternative, what need to be administered is we. Discovering approaches to beat the competition is crucial to business success, and that is the reason improvement and imaginative schemes are constantly on the thoughts of businesses. This paper centers on providing a review of a study of time management research. It tries to cover the numerous ideas by dissimilar academics on the topic of effective time management and its benefits.

Definitions of time management   

Throughout the years, there have been no agreements on the correct meaning of time management. Numerous writers have surfaced with their meanings depending on what they think best fits the definition. Lakein (2001) expressed that time management alludes to the process of need willpower, defining a few objectives to help accomplish the needs and creating plans to attain these objectives. Others identified time management as the method for effective utilization of time particularly in achieving precise tasks within a specific time allotment (Jex & Elacqua, 2000). Open (2002) said that time management is as basic as making a plan and allotting time into it. Eiliam & Aharon (2003) expressed that time management is the making of self-regulation policies that emphasis on talking about some particular plans and how effective they are. According to Hall & Hursch (2000), time management is the utilization of specific strategies to help a person in attaining his/her set goals. For Koolhaas et al. (2001) time management can be defined as being an understanding into utilization of time. Though, some researchers never provided a definition of time management and they simply went ahead to give different information about management of time. According to Kaufman et al. (2006) time management could be depicted more as the conduct aimed at accomplishing efficient time utilization while executing certain goal-oriented undertakings. Time management is the comportment of arranging and defining objectives, arranging assignments, defining priorities, the gathering of different tasks and creating to-do-lists with the key objective being the viable utilization of time (Britton & Teaser, 2003). Johann Eder, Euthimios Panagos, Heinz Pozewauning & Micheal Rabinovich (1997) expressed that time management is additionally an arrangement of standards, practices, tools, skills, and systems that cooperate to enable people to get more worth of their time with the purpose of enhancing their quality of life.

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Other than the utilization of the expression time management, there were researchers who utilized the expression time structure to imply a similar thing. Bond & Feather (2004) utilized the expression time structure to describe the expression time management whereby they contended that there was a missing frequently acknowledged meaning of time management; therefore, they thought of defining the term time structure as an alternative.

Methods for Time Management   

The fast altering IT environment makes it difficult for organizations not only to stay on top with such an environmental variation with their own IT manpower only, but to preserve their competitiveness; organization should manage resource utilization correctly and improve IT ability of the workforces concurrently (Yang, 2016). Time management approaches are regularly related to the suggestion to set objectives. These objectives are saved and may be divided into a simple task list, an action plan, or a project. Writers may suggest a day by day, week by week, month to month or other planning times, typically immobile, yet once in a while variable. Dissimilar planning times might be related to various extent of review or planning. Scholars may or may not stress reviews of execution against plan.

Time management traits by different characters  

Lay & Schouwenburg (2004) claimed that there was a prevailing connection between people with the propensity of delaying and time management. According to the researchers, individuals with the propensity of procrastinating things have a habit of being behind schedules pretty much each and every time, having fewer hours remaining to achieve their tasks. These types of people usually have very few or no time management strategies at all. Procrastination appears to be similar to a disease. People with this characteristic never do anything at the correct time without pushing it forward; consequently, jobs continue overlapping to such an extent that some activities wind up not being taken care of. Individuals who continue procrastinating issues are bad time managers and wind up delivering lower results than what is anticipated.

Macan, et al. (2004) founded their argument in light of the fact there existed an association between time management and the two styles of managing a few activities at a particular time. There is the penchant to execute an activity at a time and the inclination to execute two or more activities at the same time. The scholars expressed that people who utilize the monochromic style will in general have a detailed arrangement contrasted with the individuals who incline toward the polychromic style.  Kaufman and Lindquist said that polychromic people are better at managing time because they can focus on at least two tasks without being distracted. However, good time management cannot be estimated by being either polychromic or monochromic; rather, the outcomes achieved should be the assessment of whether a person is good in time management or not. Some people may perform just one activity at a given time and provide excellent time management results. On the other hand, a polychromic may execute two or more activities at a given time and not be able to deliver satisfying results. The outcomes gotten from executing a specified task are what should be utilized to gauge how great people are in handling their time.

Measurements of time management

The vast majority of studies by most researchers focused on utilizing the questionnaires and only a small number utilized diaries and experiments. The Time Management Behavior Scale (TMBS) kind of survey was utilized by Macan et al. As indicated, the TMBS included a list of spread ideas of time management concepts analyzed utilizing the factor analysis. The scholars utilized the subscales of methodologies appropriate to time management, inclination of the organization including people favoring to work for companies that function in a positive way, defining precise objectives and priorities and distinctive perceptions on time control. The levels of reliability of the TMBS were moderate and varied greatly from different studies.

Bond & Feather (2004) surfaced with the Time Structure Questionnaire (TSQ). It comprises of things that demonstrate the degree to which time is utilized intentionally. The analysis aspect on this survey encompassed six factors, yet just five got the chance to be named; “an effective organization, the persistence of an individual, use of a structured routine, individuals depicting a sense of purpose and persistence in the course” (Bond & Feather, 2004) As per the scholars, the TSQ was extraordinary and had the legitimacy required; and it could be utilized in a time management research because it met the requirements of research tools.

Briton and Teaser (2007) thought of a Time Management Questionnaire which concentrated on examining behaviors that accompany time management and scheduling the apportionment of time. The measure included three main factors, “time attitudes, long-term planning and short-term planning” (Briton and Teaser, 2007), and the three factors gave a variance of thirty six. Different researchers such as Barling utilized the same measure for their examinations and determined that the factors were of great because they fitted their data pretty well.

The various times management processes have a consideration of the planning behavior, it is a quality of people in time management. Concerning the consistency and legitimacy of the tools, enhancements can be done. Numerous researchers favored the TMBS utilized by Macan as an extraordinary estimation of time management behavior.

The Institute of Academic Development (2017) in an article mentions that time management is not just about appropriate utilization of time; it is about the efficient and effective utilization of time. According to the article, as soon as you set time to complete a particular task, make sure that you perform that activity at the specified time. The Institute of Academic Development claims that one good step to turning into a better time manager is by primary guaranteeing that you get conscious of most of the required things that avert you from turning into a better time manager, few of which comprise getting easily distracted and procrastination. The article additionally says that a bit of break time should be incorporated into the plan. Repose is a significant factor for any person endeavoring to be a good time manager. The article attempts to go over the nitty particulars of what time management is about.

Conclusion  

Based on this literature review, it is obvious that numerous researchers have diverse ideas of what time management involves. Nevertheless, there are still gaps in their researches; this is a clear sign that an ever increasing number of analyses can still be undertaken on the topic related to the benefits of time management in a project. The above assessment of time management offers an imprint of the great significance devoted to time management in accomplishing pretty much each and every thing throughout everyday life. This paper has revealed what diverse researchers see time management to be. Some may have been pretty light in their examinations; however, others have gone deeper to provide extensive reports on the subject. The research demonstrates that when lacking appropriate time management, nothing will go as projected. People should be excited about how they utilize and deal with their time since time management is the thing that realizes the differences in the lives of various people (Misra and McKean, 2000).  All said and done, time management is an extensive idea with such a large number of perspectives under it. In my opinion, time management begins with oneself and the rest pursue. This is a thought that I have not seen discussed in the various definitions by the distinctive researchers. Numerous researches have been completed; however, there is still an enormous room for thorough examination. Individuals should center around understanding what precisely time management involves and train on actions such as earlier planning of tasks before completing them, make breaks in their plan for appropriate management procedures, utilize tools to gauge their time management aptitudes, do research to a greater extent on the topic and so on. All these will aid to enhanced time management among people.

References

• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2016.07.173
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050916313667