No Time to Manage!

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO …

A French mining engineer named Henri Fayol developed a set of scientific principles for the modern day management of business. Through his experience in implementing those principles, he turned a mine running close to bankruptcy, into one of abundant success.

He famously said,

"To manage is to forecast, to plan, to organise, to command, to coordinate, and, to control…"

His five functional principles were sound then, and still pass muster today.

Many of us are like that old mine of his aren't we? We've got no time to manage ourselves, we seem bankrupt of time, and, we seem bereft of ways to turn our days into successes.

Let s look at how you can adopt, adapt, and apply Fayol's tried and trusted business principles, to help address your own personal Time Management challenges.

FROM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, TO TIME MANAGEMENT...

For Fayol, the job of the manager was to manage, and the job of the worker was to act. This manager-worker "Say-Do" relationship was intensely hierarchical; productivity was achieved by harnessing the specialisations that existed in a diverse workforce.

For those principles to be effective, managers needed to own and manage the things they were responsible for. The same was true for workers.

… From Forecasting, to Taking Ownership

Forecasting was his first principle, meaning that managers first took charge of, then invisioned different and better futures. His approach presupposed that individuals owned their situation, and took responsibility to change it for the better.

Whereas Fayol looked at productivity from a business perspective, Time Management looks at it through the lens of Personal Productivity. There is no "Manager-Worker" separation; productivity integrates, taking a holistic approach to the challenge.

Therefore, when you find you have no time to manage, resolution is down to you alone.

So, when it comes to the management of your personal time, ask yourself these three questions; do you own your situations, are you prepared to take responsibility for them, and, are you committed to make the changes required in order to improve them?

If the answer is yes, yes, and yes, then do please read on …

… From Planning, to Setting Realistic Goals

The planning process causes you to project out into an uncertain future, to identify those future things that are important to your success. These are your goals, yet you often find it challenging to set them, don't you?

There always will be levels of uncertainty surrounding them, though that should not stop you imagining and constructing them; are they the right goals for success, will you be able to achieve them, will achievement of them bring you the results you desire?

Goals let you determine where you invest your finite time resource. Not having goals means your time quickly fritters away, stressfully, with no purpose, and, with no successes.

… From Organising, to Determining Priorities

Productive people recognise that they cannot do everything, especially as the pace of life today puts too many choices in front of us all, doesn't it? Therefore, organising for success means determining your key Priorities, and sticking closely to them.

Very importantly, setting Priorities means understanding the differences between what is important and what is urgent. To do this effectively, requires clarity around your goals.

That said, you may find the Priority setting stage difficult, as it requires you to make decisions, and, to organise and explain your choices. It often may require you to defend the choices to your boss, especially when newer priorities crop up; does this sound familiar?

… From Commanding, to Taking Action Steps

The only person's Time you can manage effectively, is your own. So, "Commanding" means telling yourself what to do. The best and most usual method, is to prepare an Action Plan, what is commonly called a "To Do List".

It really doesn't matter whether you keep your list on paper, or in an electronic form, but it does matter that you do this. Your "To Do List" guides you to pick the next most effective task on your journey to success. Being without one can feel like orienteering using a map, but no compass; the potential to feel lost navigating the journey to your future, is high.

… From Coordinating, to Constantly Communicating

Setting Goals, assigning Priorities, and creating a "To Do List" are great things "to do". That said, the modern worker never works alone, so it's important to let others know.

Teamwork is core to business success today, and sharing in advance the focus of your energies and efforts, will really help you achieve. Letting others know can be really empowering; it provides both you and your colleagues with that much more certainty.

Knowing what you are doing also gives your teammates opportunities to help you too; think about that.

Communicating is also key when new demands on your time arise, especially those that come from above. As your boss knows what you are working on and why, it allows you to have constructive conversations about re-prioritising current tasks, if required by new tasks.

… From Controlling, to Reporting & Correcting

Last but not least, you need to know how you are tracking toward your success. Making sure that your To Do actions are time bound, allows you to keep track of your progress.

Corrections may be required when you've underestimated the duration, or, when additional steps are required, or, when new incoming tasks have a higher priority.

The bottom line, is that the Control phase allows you to report to others when you are on-track, whether you are going off-track, and, any additional help and resources you might need to achieve and sustain that success.

IN CLOSING…

Fayol's principles are powerfully productive in the breadth of business. Try them out, and see how taking a more active approach to managing your Time can result in less stress, and produce positively Productive results. Enjoy!

• Forecasting - Taking Ownership
• Planning - Setting Realistic Goals
• Organising - Determining Priorities
• Commanding Taking Action Steps
• Coordinating - Constantly Communicating
• Controlling - Reporting & Correcting

Wouldn't you like to learn more about how to boost your personal productivity? Look out for DocuLink Exclusive Seminar on 27 July 2010 (Tuesday).

Written by Patrick O'Brien

Patrick O'Brien is the Managing Director of The Amanuenses Network Pte Ltd. Amanuenses delivers soft-skills Training Solutions that focus on Team Productivity, and, Personal Effectiveness. Patrick can be reached via the website www.Amanuenses.Net, and other soft-skills related articles can be found under the Knowledge link.