Managing Yourself IntroductionThe purpose of this report is to examine and evaluate the importance of effective time management and the causes of stress in the workplace and how they affect the ability of the Procurement department to achieve its objectives. Time management is the process by which individuals, consciously or unconsciously, allocate time to various activities they perform both at work and at home. Strengths and Weaknesses of Time Management Effective time management is necessary because, according to Tracy, “new tasks keep coming.” and “you will always fall behind on some of your tasks, probably many of them” (Tracy 2001). The Pareto principle can be applied to all sectors of the economy. Applied to time management it suggests that 80% of your positive contribution will come from 20% of your tasks. Therefore it is important to allocate our time effectively so that we can complete the most important tasks that will provide the greatest overall benefit to both the individual and the department. I filled out a questionnaire (Appendix 1) and distributed it to myself and eight other members of the purchasing department. The responses suggest that overall the department has strong time management skills. Among the tools and techniques they use are "to-do lists", calendar reminders for deadlines, post-it reminders, scheduling regular meetings and planning the agenda as early as possible, and planning and allocating time for prepare for meetings or complete tasks.A simple time management technique is to make a “to-do list.” This is a common and basic time management tool and can be used to plan on various levels, daily, weekly, monthly and so on. Listing all the tasks needed to c...... middle of paper ...... successfully, how do they work? What skills do they have? What techniques do they use? By learning from these people you can improve at your job. Step Four: Do you have the tools and resources you need to do your job well? If not, you have to work for them, training, equipment, staff etc. Step five: You need to agree with your boss what defines good performance in your job. You should have a clear understanding of your business goals and objectives, the goals of your teams or departments and how they fit into the overall business strategy, and how your staff tasks and objectives will help both your team and the company achieve his goal. Understanding this, you should understand which elements of your work are important and which you need to prioritize, and which elements are less important and can be abandoned, which allows you to manage work stress