Time Management and Prioritization

Time management is about managing what we do with time. It involves prioritizing tasks to get things done and putting forth effort in ratio to the desired result. There are various principles and techniques which we can use to give us a better idea of how to get the most of our most precious yet finite resource – time.

Law of Diminishing Returns

According to the Law of Diminishing Returns, putting forth more effort doesn’t always reduce the duration when people are getting in each other’s way, when each person waits for another to do something. Having an uncooperative or unorganized team can lead to increases in cost due to paying for more labor despite poor results.

Fixed-Duration Activities

Some tasks have a fixed duration such as baking a cake, installing a software program or waiting for water to boil. No matter how much effort is expended, the duration of the task is fixed.

Efficiency vs productivity

When we talk about productivity we are concerned with the results or output, whereas efficiency refers to the quality of a work process and can include measurements of accuracy, precision and decreases in waste of materials or time. One way to manage low-value tasks is to stop doing them and delegate them to others or redesign the workflow  in such a way that it consistently produces the desired results.

Constraints create stress if not managed properly

Constraints are factors which limit options or possibilities. Examples of constraints can be budget limitations, deadlines, materials and/or equipment, as well as pre-set requirements such as organization policies. Time is in and of itself a constraint, but with proper planning it can be managed for maximum efficiency and output.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The Yerkes–Dodson law demonstrates that there is a relationship between pressure and performance where  performance increases with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a point.

The Yerkes-Dodson Law  was developed in 1908 by psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson who experimented with giving mild electrical shocks to rats to stimulate and motivate them to complete a maze. This only worked when the shocks were not too strong which could result in the rats doing anything to escape. It showed that increasing stress or arousal levels can be good to increase motivation and attention span, but only up to a point, then the results can be negative.

Athletic performance offers another great example of the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Determining the ideal arousal can vary from one task to the next.³ For example, if performing mundane or routine tasks such as washing the dishes or doing laundry, the level of arousal is not as important as the level needed to complete a research paper or memorize information – where low levels of arousal can cause one to lose focus or fall asleep, while high levels of arousal may make it difficult to concentrate. Levels of arousal can be important for athletic performance or playing a musical instrument where high levels of  arousal may be needed for precision or motivation to perform at optimal levels.  Too much arousal can cause stress and result in poor performance or the inability to concentrate, such as practicing a speech or preparing for an exam, where the anxiety is good at first, but when it reaches a certain level, it can be crippling. The type of task and its complexity will determine the proper level of arousal to get the best results. 

The Pareto principle

The Pareto principle states that approximately 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes in many areas. This principle is also called the 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few, or the principle of factor sparsity.

If, for example,  20% of employees are completing  80% of the work, you may want to think of a compensation structure to encourage their behavior, or if 20% of your customers are responsible for 80% of your sales, you may want to analyze and develop this segment of the market.

Self-Discipline to manage time

One way of managing time is to make the most of it by allocating it to activities that produce the most results and limiting or avoiding activities which limit results. For example, if we limit the time spent socializing or surfing the net, or having meetings which lack structure and planning, we can maximize output and efficiency by reallocating our time or efforts in social interactions which produce value-added results, and determining the best use of our time while balancing the need for diversions and relaxation. We may find a way to build them into our schedule so that we can maximize the efficiency of our efforts outside of such allocated time.

We may find the need for governance or adherence to rules, principles or policies, as well as traditions can save time or take up time needlessly. It is important to stay committed to staying on task, while prioritizing and concentrating on what produces the best results. The important thing is staying consistent and developing a system which is easy to follow.

Getting Started

The first step is to define what needs to be done. Second, it needs to be broken down into manageable parts or steps with an organized sequence that produces maximum results and efficiency. This may be determined through careful trial and error or by modeling a top-performer who consistently gets the desired results. Part of organization is giving attention to urgent matters and knowing what the results of a given action will be and who will benefit.  One way of doing this is using the Eisenhower Decision Matrix which is a task management tool designed to organize and prioritize tasks by determining their urgency and importance. It involves dividing tasks into four boxes based on the order of importance and to determine which tasks can be eliminated altogether.

It is important to start with tasks which require the most effort, then to balance our schedule between tasks that are urgent and have a high level of importance, as opposed to those that can wait or produce the least results. In the final analysis, it is good to review and see if the desired results were all completed on time. If not, what could be done differently? Also, it is good to determine strategies that worked and didn’t work to maximize results the next time around.
If you still feel you need more help or support, I would be glad to chat with you in a 30 minute free consultation to help you to come up with an action plan.

About Amy Sindicic

I am a trained Life Coach who has helped many people, like you, to reach their goals, and get the most out of life. I look forward to meeting you and discussing whether or not this is right for you.