Time Management Essay Example for Free

Time Management Essay Introduction It is rightly said Time and Tide wait for none. An individual should understand the value of time for him to succeed in all aspects of life. People who waste time are the ones who fail to create an identity of their own. My Rational on my first action plan was: I have poor attitudes towards managing time, such as managing time to study. Developing effective study habits is important as they will help me to use my study time more productively and will also help to handle stress. Therefore, learning some effective memory techniques, developing a good support network and working with other class members will enhance our study habits (Anthony, 2012). So it is important for me to make an action plan about time management. Benefits of time management could be; Time Management makes an individual punctual and disciplined. One learns to work when it is actually required as a result of effective time management. To make the judicious use of time, individuals should prepare a TASK PLAN or a TO DO List at the start of the day to jot down activities which need to be done in a particular day as per their importance and urgency against the specific time slots assigned to each activity. A Task Plan gives individuals a sense of direction at the workplace. An individual knows how his day looks like and eventually works accordingly leading to an increased output (Management Study Guide [MSG]). If we do not have a proper time management skills, it will be more difficult to achieve the goals in your future. This report includes a deep research about time management skills. This includes a brief description of what is time management, how it helps in an organisation and some benefits improving your time management skills. And lastly the action plan with the actual outcomes. What is time management Time management is the art of arranging, organizing, scheduling, and  budgeting ones time for the purpose of generating more effective work and productivity. There are an abundance of books, classes, workshops, day-planners, and seminars on time management, which teach individuals and corporations how to be more organized and more productive. Time management has become crucial in recent years thanks to the 24/7, busy world in which we live (Wisegeek, 2013). Time management is important for everyone. While time management books and seminars often place their focus on business leaders and corporations, time management is also crucial for students, teachers, factory workers, professionals, and home makers. Time management is perhaps most essential for the person who owns his or her own business or who runs a business out of the home. Managing work and home responsibilities under the same roof takes a special type of time management (Wisegeek, 2013). An important aspect of time management is planning ahead. Sometimes, successful time management involves putting in more time at the outset in order to reorganize ones life. Though many time management books and teachings differ in their suggestions, most agree that the first step in efficient time management is to organize the workspace or home. Even if ones schedule is well-ordered, but the office and filing system are a disaster, time will be wasted trying to work efficiently in a disorderly place (Wisegeek, 2013). Lastly, good time management involves keeping a schedule of the tasks and activities that have been deemed important. Keeping a calendar or daily planner is helpful to stay on task, but self-discipline is also required. The most efficient to-do list in the world will not help someone who does not look at or follow his own daily planner (Wisegeek, 2013). Time management helping in organisations. Time Management refers to managing time effectively so that the right time is allocated to the right activity. Effective time management allows individuals to assign specific time slots to activities as per their importance. Time Management refers to making the best use of time as time is  always limited. Time Management plays a very important role not only in organizations but also in our personal lives. (Management Study Guide) Time Management includes: 1.Effective Planning 2.Setting goals and objectives 3.Setting deadlines 4.Delegation of responsibilities 5.Prioritizing activities as per their importance 6.Spending the right time on the right activity Effective planning: Plan your day well in advance. Prepare a To Do List or a TASK PLAN. Jot down the important activities that need to be done in a single day against the time that should be allocated to each activity. High Priority work should come on top followed by those which do not need much of your importance at the moment. Complete pending tasks one by one. Do not begin fresh work unless you have finished your previous task. Tick the ones you have already completed. Ensure you finish the tasks within the stipulated time frame (Management Study Guide). Setting goals and objectives: Working without goals and targets in an organization would be similar to a situation where the captain of the ship loses his way in the sea. Yes, you would be lost. Set targets for yourself and make sure they are realistic ones and achievable (Management Study Guide). Setting deadlines Set deadlines for yourself and strive hard to complete tasks ahead of the deadlines. Do not wait for your superiors to ask you every time. Learn to take ownership of work. One person who can best set the deadlines is you yourself. Ask yourself how much time needs to be devoted to a particular task and for how many days. Use a planner to mark the important dates against the set deadlines (Management Study Guide). Delegation of responsibilities: Learn to say NO at workplace. Dont do everything on your own. There are other people as well. One should not accept something which he knows is difficult for him. The roles and responsibilities must be delegated as per interest and specialization of employees for them to finish tasks within deadlines. A person who does not have knowledge about something needs more time than someone who knows the work well (Management Study Guide). Prioritizing Tasks Prioritize the tasks as per their importance and urgency. Know the difference between important and urgent work. Identify which tasks should be done within a day, which all should be done within a month and so on. Tasks which are most important should be done earlier (Management Study Guide). Spending the right time on right activity: Develop the habit of doing the right thing at the right time. Work done at the wrong time is not of much use. Dont waste a complete day on something which can be done in an hour or so. Also keep some time separate for your personal calls or checking updates on Facebook or Twitter. After all human being is not a machine (Management Study Guide). Organized Avoid keeping stacks of file and heaps of paper at your workstation. Throw what all you dont need. Put important documents in folders. Keep the files in their respective drawers with labels on top of each file. It saves time which goes on unnecessary searching (Management Study Guide). Dont misuse time Do not kill time by loitering or gossiping around. Concentrate on your work and finish assignments on time. Remember your organization is not paying you for playing games on computer or peeping into others cubicles. First complete your work and then do whatever you feel like doing. Dont wait till the last moment (Management Study Guide). Be Focussed One needs to be focused for effective time management. Develop  the habit of using planners, organizers, table top calendars for better time management. Set reminders on phones or your personal computers (Management Study Guide). Benefits of time management. Its normal to hear time management discussed in business circles; yet, it is a topic that can be of great benefit to everybody. Time is a challenge for all of us, whether were business people, workers, students or stay at home moms or dads. There seems to be less time in todays world, and thats why its a lot more important to learn how to properly manage our time. In this article, we are going to be discussing a few key reasons why time management is so important (Marie, 2012). A big benefit of time management is just how that it boosts your productivity. It is something that almost everybody hopes to be able to do. Seldom do you hear of individuals who feel that theyve got adequate time to do the things they need and wish to do. In lots of instances, the problem is not not enough time but rather the fact that you do not have an efficient way of managing your time. Time management shows you how to set priorities, and to focus on how much time youre wasting every day. The idea is not really to put yourself under more pressure to try and do more, but to utilize your time more wisely so you appear to have more of it (Marie, 2012). One positive advantage of time management is decreased levels of stress. Not having enough time is one of the main reasons we experience stress. Think about how tense you feel if you are worrying about being late for a scheduled visit or if youre stuck in traffic. These issues relate to time, and if you have this type of situation often you could probably benefit from some training in time management. Learning how to control schedule so that overwhelmed us and become an issue indicates that you are supervising your time efficiently. We often believe that the solution to our problems is doing things faster, but it could be even better and more relaxing if we learn how to manage our time better (Marie, 2012). Time management doesnt just include boosting your productivity and  efficiency; you also want to feel more pleasure and a better quality of life. Time is an important component of life and so we feel better about our lives when we have the ability to control our time. Conversely, feeling that were running out of time can create an overall feeling that we arent good in some part of life. Those who are genuinely successful are aware that time management is a crucial skill they have to get good at. It could be the one determining factor that lets you live in the moment and appreciate your life instead of feeling that time is a merciless boss (Marie, 2012). Time management is very significant in our present times, even more so than in previous decades. Existing technology allows us to do things faster than before and yet we feel forced to continually increase the pace. As an example, we continue to have difficulty keeping track of the large number of available information even with computers and other gadgets that are extremely powerful. Time management is the component that can give us a sense of control over time so we can quit rushing and loosen up (Marie, 2012).

Electric Cars and Air Pollution Essay -- Environment Environmental Tec

The goal of electric vehicles is to reduce air emissions associated with typical internal combustion vehicles (ICVs), thereby decreasing the emission of environmentally damaging products such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Since electric vehicles run on electricity generated from batteries and do not emit air pollutants, these vehicles are termed zero emission vehicles (ZEV). CARB mandated that ZEVs be 2% of the total automotive sales by 1998 and 10% by 2003. The push for ZEVs raises serious concerns about the environmental impacts of ZEVs due to their production and use. Is CARB’s push for ZEVs premature given the present state of battery technology? Will the production of ZEVs lead to unforeseen environmental destruction? Or are ZEVs the answer to our air pollution woes? This paper analyzes the feasibility of electric cars and the impacts of their production on the environment. The components of air pollution have been attributed to a number of serious health and environmental consequences. For example, air pollution can lead to eye, nose and throat irritation, as well as complications in breathing. Some chemicals in air pollution, such as benzene, cause cancer while other chemicals may cause birth defects, brain and nerve damage and long-term injury to the lungs and breathing passages. Not only does air pollution create distinct medical problems, it also creates environmental problems as well. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide are three examples of gases released into the atmosphere each year as a result of the combustion processes. Billions of pounds of pollutants are released each year from power plants and motor vehicles. These pollutants are causing serious problems for the environment. Motor... ...):10-15 Rahman, S.; de Castro, Arnulfo. 1995. Environmental Impacts of Electricity Generation: A Global Perspective. IEEE Transaction on Energy Conversion. 10(2): 307-312 Renner, R. 1996. Life-cycle analysis stirs continued debate on impact of electric cars. Environmental Science and Technology. 30(1):17A-18A Roque, J. A. 1995. Electric vehicle manufacturing in Southern California: local versus regional environmental hazards. Environment and Planning A. 27(6): 907-932 Savage, J. A. 1994. The Road Warriors: Utilities and Automakers Square Off on Alternative Fuel Vehicles. Business and Society Review. 88:6-8 Tucker, M. 1995. The Shocking State of Electric Car Technology. Business and Society Review. 93:44-47 http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/peg_caa/pegcaa04.html http://www.epa.gov/OMSWWW/11-vehs.htm http://www.epa.gov/oar/caa/contents.html

Background of Technology Project Essay

The Project to be studied is an implementation of a work assignment and tracking system in an IT department in a medium sized company. The IT Department before the project was started, had undergone a management change and a reorganization due to corporate cost cutting and restructuring. The previous structure of the IT organization was teams of people that support specific applications in the system, and the business users of a particular application contacted the team assigned to their application for system enhancements and support. There was no system for managing and tracking projects and tasks, and it was left to the managers of each team to handle project prioritization, assignment and tracking. This structure was changed to a pooled resource structure where IT staff people were grouped by functional areas (such as mainframe support group, pc support group, web applications, etc). The IT structure was no longer hierarchical and the work was no longer handed down in a top down approach thus creating a need for a systematic way of managing people and tasks to function effectively. SDLC (Systems Development Life Cycle) The Life Cycle for this particular project did not exactly match the order of the phases as described in the Systems Development Life Cycle concept. Because of the immediate reorganization of the IT organization, current projects encountered delays and the IT procedures and tasks were disrupted. This prompted a need for a quick reshuffling of work between the new groups and a quick and dirty way to manage the work at hand and incoming work until a better system is implemented. Initiation The initiation of a system (or project) begins when a business need or opportunity is identified. This happened for this project when a CIO was appointed to head the new IT organization and was asked to reduce head count by pooling the resources while at the same time still provide timely and effective service to the business users of the IT systems and applications. System Concept Development Phase In this phase of SDLC, the business need has been approved and the approaches for accomplishing the concept are reviewed for feasibility and appropriateness. Several approaches were considered for tackling the problem in the IT department. The first approach was an Excel spreadsheet to list all IT personnel and their assigned tasks but this turned out to be too cumbersome and hard for several persons to use. An in-house developed web based system was also considered and was in fact implemented but was cancelled since it was not flexible enough to handle the different tasks of the different IT groupings and the different sources of work requests. The last approach was either to buy an existing package that would fit the requirements and customize it for the IT organization’s structure and procedures or develop one in-house. Planning Phase In the planning phase, the concept/approach is further developed to describe how the business will operate once the approved system is implemented, and to define project resources, activities, schedules, tools, and reviews to ensure the products and /or services provide the required capability on-time and within budget. The planning phase for this particular project was being done while simple solutions were being used and implemented since there were time constraints and something had to be in place right away. A team was assembled to look into existing applications within the company or packages out in the market that would fit the requirement and assess its flexibility and long term viability for the organization. That team also had to come up with a process flow of how work will be handled in the new IT structure to help in the use of the short-term solutions and to help in finding a long-term solution. Finally, two long term approaches were proposed. One was that of customizing the packaged software that was currently being used by the Help Desk to track PC and Mainframe work requests for PC Technicians and Mainframe System  Programmers, which was from a company called Remedy. The other was to develop a work flow system in-house. Requirements Analysis Phase In this phase, functional user requirements are formally defined and delineate the requirements in terms of data, system performance, security, and maintainability requirements for the system. The functional user requirements for this project detailed all the different tasks that an IT organization performs and the information that needs to be tracked for each such as requestor, status, assigned IT person etc. One of the main requirements gathered was that of accessibility of the work flow system. Different people will be entering work requests such as business users and help desk personnel and the user interface and performance requirements for the two types would be far different. So the chosen system should have flexible interfaces and need to communicate work status and results back to the requester in a medium that is accessible company wide. Another main requirement is that the system can be implemented quickly and should be flexible enough to easily add features in the future. Design The physical characteristics of the system are designed during this phase. For this project, after reviewing the requirements, the only option that would work was an out of the box solution such as the Remedy Action Request System. Since it was already being used by the Help Desk team, it has already proven itself as a flexible and reliable system to use. As a help desk software it allows entry of work request, assigns work, allows a way to log the progress of a request and stores all the history regarding a request. Design was simply a matter of finding out the customizable options and features in Remedy and designing it for the different IT groups formed. Since help desk work was different as compared to application development work, two type of request were designed and one was for support/problems and one was an enhancement to the system or major project that have subtasks and  involved lots of people with different roles and responsibilities. For the IT staff a client server platform was needed for faster execution, and for accessibility and ease of use, a simple web-based interface was designed for the business users since they don’t need to see too much detail. Since company wide communications was done through email, work assignment, status and results need to be communicated through this medium. Development, Integration , Test and Implementation Phase The four phases for this project was combined into one because of the time constraints and since it was a packaged software approach and the main components no longer needed development and testing. Most of the development involved loading tables that the package uses such as logon ids, departments, user data etc, and the customization of the user interfaces. The necessary components of Remedy were installed and hooked up with the web servers and the email system. Before final rollout, it was given a trial basis by one representative in each IT group and finalized based on the recommendations of each representative. Once the work flow system was ready, the IT staff were trained on how to use it and how work should flow through the organization. Conclusion The project as a whole went through a couple of cycles of the SDLC due to different implementations. But the final result was relatively successful since it incorporated the ideas that Trepper suggested in his article â€Å"Getting an edge on the competition† which was about process management. According to Trepper, process management † should also cover the establishment of actual development phases and activities, creation of a workflow among participants, and selection and implementation of tools and techniques best suited to the task.† This was accomplished by the Remedy AR system. The customized Remedy AR System also incorporated the two principal source of best practices as listed by Trepper which is industry best practice and ones  developed within the company. The Remedy AR System already had the industry best practice since it is a widely used system and the company best practices were incorporated through the customization of the system based on recommendations of the different IT groups.

How To Make a Prototype

Before 1880, every inventor had to present a working model or prototype of his or her invention to the patent office as part of the patent application. You do not have to submit a prototype anymore, however, prototypes are great for several reasons. Legally a prototype proves what is called a reduction to practice. The United States used to hold the  first to invent rule, granting a patent to the first inventor who conceives and reduces the technology or invention to practice, for example, a working prototype or a well-written description. Today the United States follows the first to patent rule. However, a prototype is invaluable for business dealings if your invention is still at that stage of funding. Do not underestimate the power of having one.You can include photos of your prototype in your inventors log book.A prototype helps you figure out any design flaws your invention has and if it really works.It can help you make sure your invention is the right size, shape, and form.A prototype helps you sell or license an invention. You can use it during demonstrations.Making one can prepare you to write your patent application and make your patent drawings. How to Make a Prototype Some of the steps listed below apply in different ways to different types of inventions, for example, a simple wooden toy vs a complex electronic device. Use your common sense to apply the steps in ways that make sense to your individual case. Make a drawing(s) of your invention. If available use the descriptions or drawing from your inventors log book. Keep all the sketches in your logbook.If you know how you might want to make a CAD drawing of your invention. Simple CAD (computer-aided design) programs exist that you might be able to use yourself.Make a non-working model of your invention out of foam, wood, metal, paper, cardboard. This will test your inventions size and form.Make or plan how to make a working model of your invention. Depending on your invention, you might be casting in metal or plastic. Write down all the materials, supplies and tools you may need and identify the steps needed to assemble your prototype. You might need simple to complex engineering drawings for any electronics. At this stage, you might want to pick up a book or kit on prototyping. You might need to contact professional for quotes on what any work you need to be done will cost.You have to figure out how much a working prototype will cost to make. Remember one copy might be very expensive to make. Mass production brings down the cost per unit. If you can make your own prototype and you can afford it, do it.Do your research on the latest methods and alternatives. For example, plastic injection molds are expensive, however, a method of CAD called Rapid Prototyping is an alternative.Depending on your invention, your prototype might be very expensive to make. If that is the case you might want to produce a virtual prototype. Today, computer programs can simulate an invention in 3D and can test that an invention does work. Virtual prototypes can be made by a professional and they cost a thousand or more. They can make you a video or CD animation of your invention working.You may have to create a real working model of your invention if perhaps a buyer or licensee demands one.You may have to hire a professional prototyper, engineer or designer at some point in this process. Our Prototyping Resources includes directories of professionals. Before Hiring a Prototype Maker Discuss your project thoroughly. Make sure that you can communicate well to this person.In advance, agree on fees for the entire project. Prototype makers can charge very high fees by the hour.Tell them exactly what you want to include with as many details as possible. Include your drawings and possibly your virtual prototype files.Make sure anyone you talk to signs a nondisclosure agreement with you before you publicly disclose your invention.