Self-management is one of the most important conditions for achieving success. Having learned how to properly allocate your time, you can work more efficiently towards achieving your goals.
Self-management definition
To the question of which resource in human life is the most limited, many do not answer correctly. This is not money or other benefits, namely time. Only by learning how to properly distribute it to perform certain actions, you can get as close as possible to achieving your goals.
Self-management is a technique that involves the rational use of temporary resources (also called time management). This technique allows you to achieve better results at lower loads. It also refers to the application of effective methods that provide resource savings.
If we take into account the goal of self-management, then it is to maximize the use of all available resources and reduce the time spent on the performance of certain operations.
The essence of self-management can be expressed in the following provisions:
- definition of goals (they must certainly be realistic and, preferably, specific);
- creation of a picture of success in one’s consciousness (include here your financial situation, environment and other moments);
- the use of the technique of "big leaps", which implies a quick transition to specific actions;
- unconditional faith in one's own strength and achievement of success;
- focus on the main goals and screening secondary;
- ability to control oneself and start anew in case of unsuccessful experience.
We can say that at the moment self-management is an objective necessity not only for enterprise managers, but also for any other person who wants to use his time efficiently and manage to do as much work as possible. It should become a kind of habit, which is achieved through long-term work on oneself, development of perseverance, as well as the ability to think rationally.
Self-management functions
Every day solving certain tasks, we sometimes don’t think about what we are doing in self-management. Nevertheless, in order to achieve truly significant results, it is important to approach this process consciously and consistently. The following self-management functions can be distinguished:
- goal setting (you should clearly imagine the end result in real terms that you would like to achieve as a result of your activities);
- drawing up a plan (developing a detailed "road map" that will determine your steps towards the goals);
- decision-making (each step is accompanied by the presence of several alternatives from which you must make a choice);
- organization of your working time and space (you must develop a convenient work schedule for yourself and adhere to it clearly, without being distracted by extraneous activities);
- constant self-control (it is important to analyze the compliance of the achieved results with planned not only at the final, but also at intermediate stages of work);
- establishing communications and information channels (this is perhaps one of the most important functions, which is closely interconnected with all the others).
The above functions in the indicated sequence can also be perceived as stages of self-government. It is worth noting the critical importance of each of them, and therefore step over one or another point is unacceptable. It is important to understand that, despite the fact that at first glance it looks complicated, and also takes a lot of time, over time these actions will reach automatism. Keep in mind that self-management is not just a duty, but a developed habit of an effective and successful leader.
What determines the need for managerial self-management
The concept of self-management was developed due to the fact that not every person knows how to properly organize their work time and space. As a result, some goals remain unattainable. So, we can distinguish the following factors that impede success and determine the need for such a phenomenon as self-management of a leader:
- inability to rationally spend their time and physical resources;
- lack of clear priorities both in life and in business matters;
- inability to define their own goals;
- freezing self-development work (having reached a certain level, a person considers further self-education inappropriate, and therefore begins to lag behind business trends);
- lack of skills in making managerial decisions;
- the use of a pragmatic approach to solve problems and the inability to use creative methods;
- inability to communicate with people, as well as exert due influence and pressure on them;
- lack of knowledge in the field of management;
- inability to manage subordinates and effectively organize their work;
- paying insufficient time and attention to both their own training and staff training;
- lack of skills in the field of forming an efficiently working team (this is not only about the selection of personnel, but also their placement in jobs).
It is worth noting that the manager’s self-management is important not only in the context of his personal career achievements, but also to ensure the successful operation of the enterprise as a whole. Only an effective manager can lead the organization and its employees to success. Only that person who has learned to manage himself and his time effectively can cope with a large organization.
The essence of self-motivation
Self-management and self-motivation are some of the most important moments not only in the work of a leader, but also in the everyday life of a person who strives for success. It is important not only to learn how to manage your time, but also to develop an inner desire to work, due to certain incentives. The function of self-motivation should not be underestimated. Sometimes a person can be unsettled when others do not believe in his success or consciously underestimate his dignity. This same mechanism encourages you to further actions, regardless of external circumstances.
Real success can only be achieved if mechanisms such as self-management and self-motivation accompany your activity. The fastest way to boost yourself is to listen to your inner incentives. So, pay attention to your physiological needs. To satisfy most of them, you will certainly need certain funds that are simply impossible to get if you are inactive, sitting on social networks or watching television programs.
The needs of a higher level are security and confidence in the future. So, a person constantly needs housing, clothing, entertainment, as well as a certain supply of funds to meet other needs. The strength of motivation depends only on how high your bar is. Living in a rented apartment or in your own house, dressing in the market or in a branded store, relaxing in a country house or prestigious resorts, setting aside a small amount or impressive capital for the future - the strength of internal incentives will depend on your aspirations.
Despite the fact that many deny the influence of public opinion, it is sometimes the main factor in self-motivation. So, for example, a person can go to work so as not to be considered a loafer and at the same time be content with a low position and average wage. Self-motivation encourages some people to actively move up the career ladder, to obtain high social status, as well as significant cash income.
Thus, self-motivation is based on the needs of the person described by the Maslow Pyramid. At the bottom, base stage are physiological needs. After they are completely satisfied, there is a desire to feel confident in the future, strength of position and security. Each person also seeks to occupy a certain social position and create an appropriate opinion about himself.
Self-management technique
Self-management methods can be divided into several categories:
- The method of organizational management involves planning further activities, based on an objective analysis of the current situation. We are talking about both internal and external factors.
- The method of stress self-regulation is to learn how to resist external negative influences, while maintaining psychological balance and performance.
- Autogenic training is one of the main procedures on which self-management is based. Briefly, it can be described as self-hypnosis and self-conviction in one's own strengths and abilities.
- Meditation is often used to quickly restore strength and emotional balance between hard work.
We can say that self-management is a continuous work on oneself. It is not only about the formation of certain professional skills and the ability to effectively spend your working time. It also refers to work on your own psyche. As a result, a person must become confident in his own abilities, and also learn to maintain self-control in stressful situations.
Self-management
Self-management technology is a certain sequence of stages, which is consonant with its main goals. First you need to determine the goal, as well as the criteria that will testify to its achievement. For this, it is necessary to clearly analyze the current state of affairs, after which the realistically achievable future indicators will become apparent. It is important that the end result has some clear expression (for example, quantitative).
At the next stage, it is necessary to pay attention to the factor of information that is necessary in order to realize the goal of self-management. Data can come from both internal and external sources. Moreover, they should be relevant (that is, correspond to the real picture of what is happening).
Planning is to develop a clear algorithm of actions to achieve your goals. At the same time, it is important to foresee possible fluctuations in the internal or external environment in order to determine alternative algorithms that will allow avoiding negative consequences and crisis conditions.
Decision making is one of the most important stages of which self-management consists. The organization of this process should be given special attention. Comfortable working conditions must be created, as well as the full provision of information so that actions are meaningful and consistent with the current state of affairs.
For the effective implementation of decisions made, it is important to ensure comfortable working conditions. In this case, both physiological and psychological characteristics must be observed. Key tasks should be implemented independently, and secondary tasks can be delegated to subordinates.
At all stages of the work, continuous monitoring of the results obtained should be made with a view to their compliance with the planned ones. This will allow time to identify deviations and respond accordingly.
The principles of the organization of working time
The principles of self-management can be described as follows:
- Clear planning and distribution of operations should be subject to only 60% of working time. At the same time, the remaining 40% should remain unoccupied in case of unforeseen circumstances, urgent negotiations, as well as contacts both within the organization and outside it. In addition, the things you have planned purely physically can take more time.
- Planning of working hours should not be of an instant nature. This work should be carried out regularly and systematically. In addition, you can constantly make adjustments to the developed action program.
- Planned indicators should be realistic and be developed on the basis of the real capabilities of each individual person. The basis can be taken reporting indicators of previous periods or special calculations.
- For effective self-management, an important role is played by such a concept as compensation for time losses. This means that if you have a “window” today, it is better to spend it on part of the tasks planned for tomorrow.
- When compiling a report on the work done, record not the number of actions performed, but the results achieved in real terms. This will help create an objective picture of the implementation of the plan.
- In order for the work to be done in a timely manner, it is important that the plans be clearly agreed in time. It is advisable to complete the work a little earlier than the deadline in order to be able to make the necessary adjustments.
- If plans are drawn up at different levels (director, line managers, subordinates), then they must be agreed in time.
The benefits of self-management
Effective self-management gives a lot of advantages to both the leaders of the organization and the people involved in any other field of activity. We are talking about the following positive points:
- a significant reduction in time costs, as well as other resources for the performance of certain works;
- organization of an effective mechanism of labor activity, which provides higher economic and other results than under ordinary conditions;
- the absence of stressful situations that are associated with haste due to fear of not having time to finish work on time;
- if the work is carried out efficiently, as well as within the set deadlines, then it brings moral satisfaction to both managers and their subordinates;
- if labor has a visible result, then this is a kind of motivation for further action;
- with each clearly planned step, the level of professionalism and qualification grows;
- in the process of self-management, you are looking for short ways to achieve goals, the implementation of which previously took a significant amount of time.
It is worth noting that the time spent on planning and organizing work is fully paid off not only by the end results of the activity, but also by the acquired skills in managing own resources.
Components of self-management
The self-management system implies a combination of a number of interconnected elements that ensure the effective organization of the work process. The following main components can be distinguished:
- time management implies the correct determination of the proportions of labor and rest, as well as the distribution of the duration of each of the operations;
- financial management consists in determining the free resources, as well as those that must be used to achieve the goal;
- communication management means the search for connections and sources of information in both internal and external environments;
- workspace management means the correct organization of the workplace in accordance with ergonomic and other requirements.
It is worth noting that self-management is a complex process, and therefore it is necessary to approach it comprehensively. If you miss one or more of the components, then the so-called bottlenecks arise in the plan, which can adversely affect the quality of the work, as well as the timing of its implementation. Preparation for the execution of a particular workflow requires certain efforts and may take some time, which will later pay off with the results.
conclusions
One of the necessary conditions for successful and productive work is self-management. It lies in the ability to correctly distribute available resources, including temporary ones. It is worth noting that quite often this concept is identified with time management. And this is not surprising, because it is the ability to properly organize your working day that determines the speed and quality of achieving goals. At the moment, given the current pace of life, as well as the level of competition, self-management is becoming an objective necessity for those people who are focused on the result.
It is worth noting that the functions of self-government in many respects correspond to the functions of management.First you need to develop a goal that will determine the direction in which you need to move. It is further detailed by drawing up a plan. Its implementation is a consistent adoption of a chain of managerial decisions, as well as the organization of the work process. If we are talking about an enterprise, then communication between all its divisions should be established. And do not forget about such a function as control, which can be not only final, but also intermediate.
It is important to pay attention not only to management, but also to self-motivation. In order to understand what drives a person to achieve certain goals, it is worth exploring Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Its base is made up of physiological needs. This is food, clothing, and more. Having provided the necessary minimum, a person thinks about how to feel safe. The point here is to have confidence in the future (most often, financial well-being is implied). The highest category of needs that motivate people to work is social status.