LETS SEE THE TRIPLE S FORMULA FOR TIME MANAGEMENT!
A teacher entered a classroom with an empty jug and then filled the jug with big rocks. And asked the students whether it is full or not. Students repiled that it is full. Then the teacher brought smaller stones and they occupied the space between the rocks. Then again asked that whether it is full or not? The students replied that yes it is full. After that the teacher pour sand and the sand occupies the smaller gaps between stones. And then students said that actually now it is full. Then the teacher pour the water and the jug could not hold the water. Then the teacher said that now it is actually full. Then teacher asked the students what will happen if we do this process in reverse i.e putiing the big rocks at the last? Their will no space for the rocks. Then the teacher asked that what do you learn from this? The students said that this is the time management class.
So, what is the lesson to be learned. The lesson is If we compare the jar with the total amount of time that we have in our lives and we compare the different commodities that is point into the jar to the different activities we perform in our time. Then what is to be understood is depending upon the order in which we place our activities. Depending upon how we plan our activities with in the time that we have to that extent we will be able to manage our time very nicely. We can fit into more activites into same amount of time and achieve more in this life.
Now in what order the activities has to be fixed in the jar of time? Just like when the big rocks where put into the jar first, the jar could be filled up with more number of things. But when the big rocks where kept towards the end, the jar could not be filled up with all the things. So, similarly time managements expert says that we have to identify the most important activity in our life first and rest of the activities can be scheduled.
We can say managing time means making moment by moment correct decision which thing should be put on first priority but how to understand what need to be given first priority and what not.
For this the simple solution is Time management metrics. Now what does it means it means that dividing our activities. All the activities we perform can be divided into 4 quadrants.
1) Urgent activities and important activities: For example a student having the exam next day. For him studying is the most urgent and important activity.
2) Not urgent but important: Student going to study for exam which is 1 month later. So, here studying is not urgent but important.
3) Activities that are urgent but not important: For example a phone call is coming, it is urgent to pick up the phone, but may be not important call. Practically billboards in Mumbai are promoting urgent but not important activities. That is the whole propaganda of advertisement industry. A new movie has come in the market and there is an urge that I have to see as soon as possible. It seems to be very urgent. A person addicted to ciggarate, feels smoking as urgent. Most activities of the modern civilization can be categorised into this quadrant i.e. those which are urgent but not important.
4) Not urgent and not important: Sleeping unnecessarily. Time pass. People like to hang out. Now a days so many new activities are coming like internet is promoting activities like Orkut and facebook. Not urgent and not important.
Now, the whole time management involves bringing our activities more and more into second quadrant. That means the more we perform activities that are not urgent but important the more the quality of our life will improve. A simple example:
A student who studies regularly, his studies are not urgent but important. In this way he can perform well in long run. But if he does not perform not urgent but important activities but happens is he will find himself in urgent and important quadrant. He will find exam very close and he has to hurry up.And he has to do kind some fix study which won’t bring best out of him. Similarly, a working professional in this world if he doesn’t identify these kind of activities which dont seem to be urgent but are important and does not allot time for these activities first what happens is very soon he finds life in mess.
Doing a project on time may not seem to be an urgent activity but its an important. But the general tendency is to procrastinate. Let me do later. Until we feel it is urgent we do not want to solve the problem. Until we feel it is urgent, we can solve the problem but we cannot solve the problem in the best possible way. That is always the case. So, if you want to make a change in our life time management says that we have identify not urgent but important activities. Once we allot time for these first and then allot time for other activities later then in due course of time we will find that the quality of our life slowly improving. These are the big rocks. The most important things which dont seem to be urgent immediately. Its a common thing in hospital especially student is studying and a friend comes to him and he said to him why are you studying now exams are one month later. Come lets have fun. Lets go out, and the tendency is to succumb to such temptations. So, more we identify activities that are important in our lives but may not be seem to be urgent activities. We have to identify these activities and give priority to these first. And then other activities can be adjusted for the remaining amount of time.
Time management experts have given triple S formula: Here is what we are talking of TRIPLE S FORMULA
1) Shrink activities in First quadrant: Try to reduce the activites that are urgent and important activity. This can be done by doing activities on time. Otherwise it seems that we are always in urgency. We are not able to lead the satisfactory life.
2) Say no to third quadrant activities: Say no to activities that seems to be urgent but not important. Most of the time in activities that seems to be urgent but are not important because of the propaganda going on around us. If easy access to internet is there then students have syndrome to check the mail. They check mails in every 2 hours. They feel uneasy if they dont check the mails. One has to restrain his impulsive behaviour. In this world impulsive behavior is becoming popular more and more. Minds say something and we do immediately. If a student sits for studying and the mind says check the mail. It seems to be urgent activity, but actually its not important. So, say no to instincts.
3) Slacker activities should be avoided: Those activities comes in fourth quadrant. Time pass activity. Not urgent, not important. Time killing. Like sitting in front of internet and browsing through different web pages.
