Rocco Costa, a graduate student at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California, was the winner of Journyx’s first annual scholarship after writing an essay on how to persuade someone who does not want to track his/her time on a per-product per-activity basis as to why it is in his/her best interest to do so.

You cannot mandate productivity; you must provide the tools to let people become their best. – Steve Jobs

I would add to Mr. Jobs’ observation that you can’t manage productivity if you can’t measure it. Persuading people to “become their best” at work depends on finding and meeting their needs. The “tools” for accomplishing this include using some kind of time management system.

Tracking the time spent on products and activities throughout the workday has many applications, most importantly as a cost-saving instrument for business. If a person can measure productivity within a given period, they not only know how their time is spent, but also whether it is the best “value” for the company. Both businesses and employees gain from this since workers can establish if they are functioning efficiently, and businesses can determine their deadlines, profits and costs on an hourly, daily, and even yearly basis. Enhanced productivity leads to maximized profits, which may then be distributed via promotions, raises, and even the creation of new jobs.

This tracking tool applies to all industries. Even the public sector – where measuring productivity and outputs is more abstract – acknowledges the substantial benefits. Nonprofits and international organizations increasingly look to such private sector methods as a way to improve efficiency and capacity. Their donors are beginning to behave like investors: they want to protect their “investment,” determine what a service is really worth, and set deadlines for results.

Read the rest of Rocco’s essay here.

For more information on the Journyx Scholarship Program and how to apply for the 2008 Award, click here.