The Rural Voice, 1981-09, Page 29GUEST COLUMN
Managing your time better
Time is the one resource that cannot be stockpiled. Time is a
non-renewable resource. You cannot afford to waste it. "A stitch
in time save nine."
Every individual runs out of time in his life. Whether it be daily,
weekly or just occasionally, depends on how one manages his
time. It is said that the only way that you can get time is by taking it
away from something else. usually at the expense of leisure time
or domestic activities.
Since a farmer usually controls his own time, how he manages it
could determine the profitability of his farming enterprise. The
following are fifteen of the top timewasters: telephone interrupts;
drop in visitors or salesmen; meetings; crisis management; lack
objectives,priorities, plan; cluttered desk; ineffective delegation;
attempting too much; poor communications; inadequate, in-
accurate or delayed information; procrastination; confused
responsibility/authority; inability to say no; unfinished tasks; lack
of self discipline.
The principles of Time Management have been applied to
industry for many years but only recently has interest been shown
in the agriculture sector.
Time Awareness Principle
When a task is to be done, there are three interrelated factors
involved in the Time Awareness Principle. If the level of
performance of a task and the monetary resources used for that
task remain within satisfactory limits, time can be traded off for
either of these. Therefore, less time can be used if you accept a
by Neil Hemingway
lower level of performance or are prepared to put in more
resources.
Addition Principle
When more than one task can be done during the same time
period, a substantial amount of time can be saved.
Time Investment Principle
If a long task or repeated activity is to be done. a period of
planning at the beginning may yield a dividend in time that
exceeds the total allotted time for the project.
Multiplication Principle
A task can sometimes be done in a way so that it contributes
substantially to other tasks, thereby saving most of the time
required for the other task.
As manags of time, one must weigh the effectiveness of a job
against the efficiency of the job. Sometimes, it is more effective to
have a professional tradesman perform the task, quickly and
efficiently. Scheduling the task for the right time and developing
alternative ideas to accomplish the job are essential. The
utilization of the Addition Principle and the Multiplication
Principle by a manager can greatly reduce time allocation for a
particular task.
If a schedule can be made at the beginning of each week which
is not too restrictive, the work period becomes planned and
possibly calculated. A managing schedule should include time for
activities which must be done, time for yourself and time for
others. Time must be set aside each week to plan and review the
(cont. on page 42)
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GOOD DRAINAGE
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The result of this unique mix is the strongest concrete tile in the business—Seaforth Tile tests
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Make Seaforth your first stop for quality concrete tile: we have immediate delivery to the
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2 ft lengths -8, 10, 12, 14, 16 inch diameters, loose.
4 ft lengths -18, 21, 24, 27, 30 inch diameters, loose.
P.O. Box 820, Seaforth, Ontario NOK 1 WO
(519) 527-0511 (Seaforth) or (519) 689-4543 (Fletcher)
THE RURAL VOICE/SEPTEMBER 1981 PG. 27