Acquire More Efficient
Time Management

Get more efficient time management by dividing up large projects into smaller do-able chunks.

They say, it is easier to cross several hills than one large mountain. And this is the motto behind this concept of having more efficient time management.

It helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed by some mammoth task that is large, urgent and important. By nature, when we feel a task is too large we tend to shy away from doing it at all. This is why you break the large project down into smaller achievable steps or mini-projects.

Start with the definition of the project and the aims that are to be achieved. There are several ways to break down a project.

Dividing according to Timeline

You can break a project down into a set of timeline influenced mini-projects. For example,

• By the first quarter of this year, the aims will be reached by 15%

• By the second quarter, the aims will be achieved by 50%

• Final target end date, end of year with 100% achievement of aims.

Dividing The Project According To Aims

You can divide this down by using a scale of achievement of one of the aims.

• Project 1: Aim will be achieved by 40%

• Project 2: Aim will be achieved by 60%

• Project 3: Aim no 2 will be addressed by a different team and should be implemented within 6 months

Functional Division of any Project

This would involve dividing up the tasks into mini-projects whose responsibility for fulfillment would be given to particular functions. For example:

• Purchasing must implement the new Supplier Strategy

• Quality Function must update testing and reporting policies on the suppliers

• R&D must provide appropriate testing facilities and training for the quality personnel.

• Environmental department must formulate their procedures to be agreed upon with the suppliers.

If this is a task that you and you alone must carry out, then try to follow the above guidelines for a different approach. It is important that small achievable steps are formed out of the giant leap of a project. Otherwise the feeling of being overwhelmed may prevent you ever starting in the first place.

It is also very motivational to see a stage being achieved. I never dreamed that this website would grow so large – but all along the way I set myself little targets which were easier to achieve. Each time I met a target then, I was motivated to get to the next one.

Dividing the Project into Phases.

The Six Sigma approach for example breaks down projects into the phases of

D= Defining Phase

M = Measurement Phase

A = Analyzing Phase

I = Implementing Phase

C = Checking Phase

Conclusion to Efficient Time Management section:

The idea is to become more efficient by breaking whatever you are doing into small bite-size chunks. However you manage this, your time management will be more manageable and therefore more efficient. 

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