Time management

Objectives:

At the end of the report the student manager shall be able to:

1. Discuss time management

2. Understand the three basic steps of time management
3. Familiarize the different ways to set priorities
4. Know how to manage time at work
5. Discuss the two styles of time management
5. Know the importance of taking breaks
6. Know how to deal with interruptions
7. Understand the leadership roles and management functions in time management

Time management

Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount
of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time
management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when
accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals. This set encompasses a wide scope of activities,
and these include planning, allocating, setting goals, delegation, analysis of time spent,
monitoring, organizing, scheduling, and prioritizing. Initially, time management referred to just
business or work activities, but eventually the term broadened to include personal activities as
well. A time management system is a designed combination of processes, tools, techniques, and
methods.

Three basic steps in Time Management

1. Allow for planning and

establish priorities

2. Complete the highest priority task

whenever possible and finish one task
before beginning another

3. Prioritize based on the remaining tasks

and new information that may have been
received
 Planning takes time; it requires the ability to think to analyze data, envision alternatives,
and make decisions. Setting aside the time at the beginning of each day to plan a day allows the
manager to spend time on high-priority tasks. During this planning time, the manager should
review short-tem, intermediate, and long-term goals and determine what progress will be made
toward these goals.
Because managers are inundated with many requests for their time and energy, the next
step in time management is prioritizing. Priority setting is perhaps the most critical skill in good
time management, because all actions we take have some type of relative importance.
The last step is reprioritizing. Often the managers priorities or list will change during a
day, week, or longer because new information is received. If the manager does not take time to
reprioritize after each major tasks is accomplished, other priorities set earlier may no longer be
accurate.

Priority Setting

A priority is simply the preference given to one activity over other activities. The tasks
that manager must get done should placed on a to-do list, and then prioritized to rank the order of
performance. When tasks are already prioritized, focus on only one activity at a time.

There are several ways to set priorities.

I. Vacarro (2001) suggests there are five priority setting traps.

First Trap: Whatever Hits First this trap occurs when an individual is simply responds
to things as they happen rather than thinking first and then acting.
Second Trap: Path of Least resistance the individual makes an erroneous assumption
that it is always easier to do a task by himself or herself and fails to delegate
appropriately.
Third Trap: Squeaky Wheel in this trap, the individual falls prey to those who are most
vocal about their urgent requests. Compounding the trap is that the individual
often feels a need to respond to the time frame imposed by the squeaky wheel,
rather than his or her own.
Fourth Trap: Default the individual feels obligated to make on tasks that no one else
has come forward to do. To keep this happening, the individual must determine
whatever the undergone job is truly his/her truly responsibility and whether it
serves to accomplish his or her stated goals.
Fifth Trap: Inspiration the individual wait until they become inspired to accomplish
a task.
 II. The Eisenhower Method

A basic "Eisenhower box" to help evaluate urgency and

importance. Items may be placed at more precise points within
each quadrant.
All tasks are evaluated using the criteria
important/unimportant and urgent/not urgent and put in
according quadrants. Tasks in unimportant/not urgent are
dropped, tasks in important/urgent are done immediately and
personally, tasks in unimportant/urgent are delegated and tasks in
important/not urgent get an end date and are done personally.
This method is said to have been used by US President
Dwight D. Eisenhower, and is outlined in a quote attributed to him: What is important is seldom
urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.

III. POSEC method

POSEC is an acronym for Prioritize by Organizing, Streamlining, Economizing and

Contributing.
The method dictates a template which emphasizes an average individual's immediate
sense of emotional and monetary security. It suggests that by attending to one's personal
responsibilities first, an individual is better positioned to shoulder collective responsibilities.
Inherent in the acronym is a hierarchy of self-realization which mirrors Abraham Maslow's
"Hierarchy of needs".
1. Prioritize - Your time and define your life by goals.
2. Organizing - Things you have to accomplish regularly to be successful. (Family and
Finances)
3. Streamlining - Things you may not like to do, but must do. (Work and Chores)
4. Economizing - Things you should do or may even like to do, but they're not pressingly
urgent. (Pastimes and Socializing)
5. Contributing - By paying attention to the few remaining things that make a difference.
(Social Obligations).

IV. Form of to do list (Adapted from Harbridge House Training Materials Boston)

To prioritize activities, it is important to begin by answering three priority determination

questions such as:
1. Do I have to be personally involved in this activity because of my inherent and
unique knowledge or skills? There are certain cases when you are the only one who
can do a tasks; and therefore you must involved.
2. Is the task within my major area of responsibility or will it affect the performance of
my department or unit?
3. When is the deadline? Is quick action is needed? Should I work on the activity reight
now?
Based on the answers to the three questions on priority determination, a manager can
delegate a task or assign it as high, medium, or low priority.

Delegating. The task is delegated id the answer to the question 1 is no. it is not
necessary to answer questions 2 and 3 because a priority is not assigned to the
task; however, planning the delegation and delegating the task are prioritized.
High Priority. A high priority is assigned if the answer is yes to all the manager
questions. You need to be involved; it is the major responsibility of the manager;
and quick action is needed.
Medium Priority. A medium priority is assigned if the answer is yes to Q1 and Q2 but to
Q3.
Low Priority. A low priority is assigned if the answer is yes to Q1 but no Q2 or Q3.

D - Delegate no to no. 1 NO. 1 NO. 2 NO. 3 D, H, M and

H YYY L
M YYN
L YNN
Activity on Saturday
Morning
Report on NSA II X M 2
Duty at hospital H 1
Attend Town Fiesta X M 4
Date with your GF/BF X X L 3
Pay electric and water X D
bill of apartment

Managing Time at Work

All workers need to allow time for daily planning to appropriately manage time at
work. The planner must pause and decide how people, activities, and materials are going
to put together to carry out the objectives. The following suggestions using industrial
engineering principles may assist the staff nurse in planning his or her work:

Gather all the supplies/equipment that will be needed before starting an

activity
Group activities that are in the same location. Use time estimates.
Document your nursing interventions as soon as possible after an activity is
completed.
Always strive to end the workday on time.
 Daily planning actions that may help the unit manager identify and utilize time as
a resource most efficiently might include.
At the start of each workday, identify key priorities to be accomplished that
day. Identify what specific actions is need to be taken to accomplish those
priorities and in what order they should be done. Also identify specific actions
that should be taken to meet ongoing long-term goals.
Determine the level of achievement you expect for each prioritized task. Is
maximizing or satisfising approach more appropriate or more reasonable for
each of the goals you have identified?
Assess the staff assigned to work with you. Assign work that must be
delegated to staff members who are both capable of and willing to accomplish
priority task you have identified. Be sure you have clearly expressed any
expectations you may have about how and when a delegated task must be
completed.
Review the short and long-term plans of the unit regularly. Include colleagues
and subordinates in identifying unit problems or concerns so they can be fully
involved in planning for needed change.
Plan ahead for meetings. Prepare and distribute advance agendas.
Allow time at several points throughout the day and at the end of the day o
asses progress in meeting established daily goals and to determine if
unanticipated events have been occurred or if new information has been
received that may have altered your original plan.

Monochronic and Polychronic Time Management Styles

Monochromic style refer to do one thing at a time

- tend to begin and finish projects on time
- have organized desk
- highly structured
Polychronic style do two or more things simultaneously
- tend to change plans
- borrow and lend things frequently
- emphasize relationships than tasks

Taking Breaks

- To refresh physically and mentally

- Strongman and Burts (2000) studies of student, hunger/thirst, boredom,
feeling tired, lack of concentration, and mental exhaustion were identified
reasons for taking breaks. Most respondents taking breaks from mental task
than physical tasks. Respondents who took shorter breaks, more often, tended
to perform at higher levels.
Dealing with interruptions

Lancester (1984) has identified 10 external time wasters that keep managers from
accomplishing their tasks.

External Time-wasters
Internal Time-wasters
1. Telephone interruptions 1. Procrastination
2. Socializing 2. Poor planning
3. Meetings 3. Failure to establish goals and
4. Lack of information objectives
5. Poor communication 4. Inability to delegate
6. Lack of feedback 5. Inability to say no
7. Lack of adequately described policies 6. Management by crisis
and procedures 7. Haste
8. Incompetent coworkers 8. Indecisiveness
9. Poor filing system 9. Open-door policy
10. Paper work and reading

People can be discouraged from taking up a managers time with idle chatter in
several ways.
1. Dont make yourself over accessible
2. Interrupt
3. Avoid promoting socialization
4. Be brief
5. Schedule long-winded pests

Integrating leadership roles and management functions in time management

Leadership Roles
1. Is self-aware regarding personal blocks and barriers to efficient time management as
well as how ones own value system influences ones own use of time and the
expectations of followers.
2. Functions as a role model, supporter, and resource person to subordinates in setting
priorities.
3. Assist followers in working cooperatively to maximize time use.
4. Prevents and/or filters interruptions that prevent effective time management
5. Prioritizes professional over technical and amenity care time users whenever possible
6. Role models flexibility in working cooperatively with other people whose primarily
time management style is different.
7. Presents a calm and reassuring demeanor during periods of high unit activity.
Management Functions
1. Appropriately prioritize day to day planning to meet short-term and long-term unit
goals
2. Builds time for planning into the work schedule
3. Analyzes how time is managed on the unit level using job analysis and time-and-
motion studies.
4. Eliminates environmental barriers to effective time management for unit staff
5. Handles paper works promptly and efficiency and maintains a neat work area.
6. Breaks down large tasks into smaller ones that can more easily be accomplished by
unit members
7. Utilizes appropriate technology to facilitate timely communication and
documentation
8. Discriminates between inadequate staffing and inefficient use of time resources and
inadequate to complete assigned tasks.