Four-frame model of successful time management

It seems many of us are capable of divvying up our time and the time of our employees properly and in a rational way. If that’s the case, why do we often face a shortage of this prominent, valuable, and sadly finite resource? At first, it seems we do everything right: jot down plans in our notebooks, minimise distractions, and stick to our goals. Perhaps the root cause of our losses and time deficit is failing to follow effective time management rules? Let’s try to find out what causes this and learn how to properly manage our time effectively and rationally.

To do this, we need to talk about the four-frame model of time management. If we want to understand its principles, we must first define what time management actually means. Effective time management is a science, a tool or teaching about properly managing, distributing, organising, recording, and using time.

Why do we need the time management process?

• It is a tool that allows you to complete the most set tasks in the shortest time possible;

• Time management process helps us set our work priorities straight;

• It gives us the opportunity to focus on the most vital tasks first and tackle less important responsibilities only after dealing with high-priority assignments;

• By following proper time management models you will have time for leisure, family, and a vibrant life outside of work.

Of course, you shouldn’t forget that effective time management will lead you to master new important skills and methods used in achieving specific goals and completing crucial projects. The time management process is a huge mechanism that involves a wide variety of actions, skills, and abilities like any other discipline. These include proper goal planning, delegating responsibility, making lists and plans, monitoring, analysing time costs, evaluating the value of various actions, setting priorities, etc.

What exactly is a four-frame model?

Classic time management emerged some time ago, back when there was a solitary approach towards management. The world is constantly developing, and the same can be said about the study of effective time distribution. After the 2012 release of the “Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership” book by Lee Bolman and Terry Deal, time management processes started being viewed as a complex, multi-layered apparatus. That’s when the “four-frame model” notion first appeared. It is a system of controlling your time as well as the system, process, yourself, and other people.

The main difference between monostatic and four-frame management is that traditional time management, which is more oriented towards controlling time, was based on a single component — its priority. More specifically, it concerned doing your work tasks depending on their importance. The four-frame model is a more detailed, accurate, and multi-faceted tool that uncovers patterns and different time management models.

In simpler terms, to make your and your employee’s work effective and successful, you must forget about viewing the time management process as a one-sided issue. When doing your job, you have to pay attention to all four factors mentioned below. Each of them will help you reach your goals and stay on schedule.

• You have to learn how to use every minute of your time properly and control it completely;

• A good company director must develop a system for carrying out certain tasks, whether this concerns his own duties or work executed by his employees;

• You must be in complete control of how employees work on certain tasks and projects. We don’t suggest constantly controlling every aspect of the work process. Not to mention that a company CEO has to inspect and supervise some of the most valuable or problematic work areas;

• The final and no less important four-frame time management factor: a good boss has to have self-discipline as well as the ability to control his subordinates, be self-collected, and make rational and sequential decisions.

Of course, one shouldn’t forget about self-discipline as it is important for employees of any rank, from the highest to the lowest levels. When both you and your employee are orderly and polite, planning effective time management will be a breeze. If you don’t have a proper level of self-organisation and aren’t good at setting your priorities straight, you will find it hard to systematise and structure your own time.

By using this model out of all the time management models, you will start controlling your own time, your employee’s time, and the work process as a whole. It seems as if this tool was specially tailored for your perception of time, your attitude towards life and work. It will take your system's peculiarities and work process into account and will be oriented towards the people around you.