Tips to increase productivity by managing time well

Time Management – Tips to increase productivity by managing time well

Time is the most valuable resource you have, after people. Time limits are the important components of managerial control. Shortage of time is the common refrain of every business executive. To make the best use of available time is not only an art but science also. The success has always kissed the feet of those people who have mastered the sense of time.

It is a long established fact that working harder is equal to working longer, but working longer will not itself improve employee efficiency. The phrase ‘work smarter’, ‘not harder’ is appropriate in the office environment where factors such as team work, training, motivation, organization and planning are all critical to survive in the competitive world. Here I would like to mention the quote by Dr. Chang Pao-Cheng, President of China Productivity Center.

“Successful people are usually excellent at managing time, which can be viewed as both a skill and an art form that everyone needs to both learn and practice. Time is the fairest resource that nature has bestowed on us, each and every one of us having the same 24 hours a day. As such, time management is not about time as much as about how to allocate time.”

Should making efforts towards improving office productivity be considered a priority for every organization? Yes, of course. Productivity is directly proportional to profitability. The topmost priority in every business should be ‘Employee Productivity’.

It is always difficult to decide the changes that need to be made for increasing productivity. So, for this organisations need to have policies and strategies to improve efficiency in their offices. Productivity initiatives should match the pace with corporate culture.

Interaction among employees is very crucial to improve office productivity. So, keeping this in mind HR managers must create detailed and systematic plans for supporting the needs of employees as well as the mission of the organization. Along with this, it is very essential to provide incentives to the best employee to boost their inner conscience to work even more efficiently from now onwards.

But, again a question raises here that is it solely the duty of the top management to initiate productivity measures? The answer is surely a big no. It is the duty of operational functionaries to take stock of work flow and accordingly adopt measures to increase productivity.

However, top management does have a role to play in ensuring that the process of implementing productivity measures, moves on smoothly or else more the confusion, less will be the productivity. Their responsibilities include everything from sanctioning resources removing ‘bottlenecks’ to providing training and support. (Note – Bottleneck is a point in the enterprise when the flow of data is stopped entirely. In easy terms it is a barrier in communication.)

In fact, constrictions are prime reason for such productivity measures not being implemented as per plans. Bottlenecks may evolve as a reason for frustration among the employees. There is lack of enthusiasm for carrying forwards the tasks, thus indirectly resulting in loss of productivity. That is why it is essential to identify and remove bottlenecks as one of the first steps.

Let’s move onto something interesting. Here, I would like to explain you the Importance of Time with realistic and relatable examples. Instead of mentioning those old points of importance I have tried to mention those points which our readers can correlate.

1. To realize the value of 1 year- Ask a student who has failed in his examinations.
2. To realize the value of 1 month- Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
3. To realize the value of 1 week- Ask an editor of a weekly magazine.
4. To realize the value of 1 day- Ask a daily wage labourer.
5. To realize the value of 1 hour- Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
6. To realize the value of 1 minute- Ask a person who has missed the train.
7. To realize the value of 1 second- Ask a person who has survived in an accident.
8. To realize the value of 1 milli second- Ask a person who has won a silver medal in Olympics.

So, by these examples I am sure you would have understood the importance of time in life. Similarly, importance of time should be considered very useful in the office work as well. Delay, even by a minute may give you huge losses instead of expected profits. Since there is no sure technique for improving office efficiency, it is better to initially focus on some essential areas and keep it as simple as possible.

Culture of Time Management should be inculcated in the office work. Even the personal life of employees should be taken into consideration. ‘Increase in Productivity leads to increase in profits!’

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