Time Management
CSI’s time management process is the act of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity.
Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects, and goals complying with a due date. Initially, time management referred to just business or work activities, but eventually the term broadened to include personal activities as well. A time management system is a designed combination of processes, tools, techniques, and methods. Time management is usually a necessity in any project development as it determines the project completion time and scope.
The major themes arising from the literature on time management include the following:
- Creating an environment conducive to effectiveness
- Setting of priorities
- Carrying out activity around those priorities
- The related process of reduction of time spent on non-priorities
- Incentives to modify behavior to ensure compliance with time-related deadlines.
Creating an effective environment
- “Get organized” – the triage of paperwork and of the tasks
- “Protecting one’s time” by insulation, isolation, and delegation
- “Achievement through goal-management and through goal-focus” – motivational emphasis
- “Recovering from bad time-habits” – recovery from underlying psychological problems, e.g. procrastination
- “Work in priority order” – set goals and prioritize
- “Set gravitational goals” – that attract actions automatically
