Time Management nething is pertculaly hard f you divide eine smal jas. “Hey Ferd things which matter most must nave be atthe mercy of tinge that matior least lean Viagarg vo Gomthe CROSSWALK THis CHAPTER ADDRESSES: ESN Essental It Basc organzational and systoms leadership for qualty care and pation! safoty [BSN Essential Vi: Interprofessional communication and colaboration fer improving patient halt cutzernas NSN Essential I: Organizatonal and systems leadership AONE Nurse Executive Competency |: Communication and relationship buliing ‘AONE Nurse Executive Competency Il: & knowledge ofthe health-care envronmont SEN Competency: Saicty SEN Competency: Toarmork and collaboration LEARNING OBJECTIVES rh ener wat ‘ana how tv is asaged both prsnay ard at tho un lof ho organization 1 Sito the impartance ef along adequate tne or daly pang and prot eating & ecb now panning ‘tales rune te percopton he une nade to Cope & io «Compt tasks acorig tthe pry ee hey hav ben essignad whorve oxsbla 5 bi onlin steps inte planing tat opretsaton con orc {Ratt conor ital ant eral te wast we stevens tt canbe kan toredie her Moock + Spt ansewnyenonns st aeone gugFonapyeting an « iontiyhow achnalogy opiatens sh a ana theIntrtt, ebcommuncatins, ane socal rooting can bob lcitate and tinder peo tre maragonet + moo sberirte and oloversinazining tne so, endgudng ware ts sues imponentato ard corlacon Another part of the planning process is short-term planning, This operstional planning focuses on achieving specific tasks. Short-term plans involve a period of 1 hour to 3 years tnd are usually less complex than strategic or long-range plans. Short-term planning may be done smavally, cuarerly. monthly. weekly. daily. or even bourly.482° UNIT JI ROLES AND FUNCTIONS iy PLANNING Previoss chapters examined fhe ms for pent plaming of resources such as money equipment, uppis, and ator. Tine isa equally ipotaat resource. Being overwhelmed by werk and tne constants ead to icressed eros the omission of important tasks, and ghveal festngs of sess are imeistveness. Wlndors arto empower others to achieve Poona and yhared goals they need to become experts ine planning sl implemeniton OF goal atainment IF mansgers are to diectemployecs effectively and marmot rescues, they must int be able o find theme tod 0. Tn ether words, bah mst become hme management can be defined as naking optimal ase of avalible tine. Fomisak (2012) notesthatmany people wth poor me manazerent sills pend ornate amounts oF time buming the candle at oth end, laming others fr ter ine infienciow and gating ter to work harder Te reality is thaeach person sven 86200 seconds every day ne fs they please ae when they are wasted, they can never eereve. Hemisak(p 1) goes ‘on to suggest that “we invite all the activities in onr lives and unless we choose differently, nothing will change.” Good time management skills allow an Indivéual to spend timo on things that matter. ‘The keys then to optimizing time management must include prioritizing duties, managing and controlling erises, redusing stress, and balancing work and personal time (Homisak, 2012), All ofthese activities require some degree of beth Ieadersbip skills and management functiors. Leadership roles and management functions needed for effective te management are included in Display 9.1 Terr LEADERSHIP ROLES 1. Isseltaware egarcing persona locks ard barriers to efcion tine managomnt 2, Recognizes how ara's cw vais ayaton infuencea hs orher uae of tne andthe expectations of fallower. 8, Functions as « role moda, eupporter and resource person to others in seting prntion for goal |4 Asoit flowers in working cooperatively to maximize ire use Prevents andor ster intemuptione that preven: efectia tine menegemon. Role madols lib in werkh ceoperatiay with ether paople whose primary ime management ‘she is diforont 2 Pmsarta a calm and ranesuring damaanc curing perc of high unit actu. 2. Piorticee coflting and overapping requeeto fr tie. 8. Appropriately determines the qual of work needed in tasks to be completed MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS. 1. Approprity proitzes day-to-day planning to meet shor-term and long-term unt goal 2. Buide ine for plaming nto the work ached 3, Anaiyzae how time is managed on the unt level by using job analysis and time-and-motion ‘shies | Eirnatos enirnmantal baie to efective Hina manager fr werkars Handles paperwork promply are efiienty and maintain a neat work aoa. Bresks down large tasks info smaller ones that oan more easly be accomplished by uit manbers. Unizes appropriste technology fo aclitate timely communication ard documentation. 8, Dicriminstes between inadequate etafing and inefcent use cf time when time resources are inadequate o complete assign tasks.Chapior 9 Tine Management 189, IM THREE BASIC STEPS TO TIME MANAGEMENT ‘There are dee basic steps to time management (Fig. 91). The fist step requires that ine be set aside for planning and establishing priostie, The second step entails completing the highest priority task (as determined in step 1) whenever possible and finishing one task before beginning another. Tn the final stop, tho person must ropricrtize what tasks will be accomplished based on new information received. Because this isa cyclic process, all three steps mast be accomplished sequentially. {7 taking Time to Plan and Establishing Priorities Planring is essential if an individual isto manage by efficiency rather than by crisis and the old adage “ful to plan—plan to fal” is timeless. Managers who are new to time management ‘may underestimate tho importance of regular planning and fail to allot enough time for it. In addition, many individuals fail ro allow enough time for their plans to be camied out. Baiyun ard Quanquan (2012) agree, noting that while many individuals make plans, often ‘that plan is noe completed in the time predicted. And despite the fact that the time allowed, ‘© cany out their plan is shown over and over again to be inadequate, most individuals continue to be optimistic that their new forecasts, which are no different, will be realistic. ‘This phenomenon is known as planing facies. For example, te student wino caries home 2 fall backpack every night with the expectation that every assignment or task contained ‘within the backpack will be completed is generally aware that they ravely get more than one or two significan: items done in that time span. Yet, they continue to be hopeful that tis will be differen the next time and their behavior eamtinues unchanged. 4. low dino fr planning, and ‘etal prirtos. 2. Complots tha highest prionty task \whanover possible, andfinsh one ‘ask tefre beglning arator 3. Roprlritize based on the remalning tasks and on rew infomation that may have boon racahed. FIGURE 8.1» The tres base steps In tine maransrert.184 UNIT IIl_ ROLES AND FUNCTIONSIN PLANNING Researchers suggest this occars because many individuals forget that in the past, they were imerrupted unexpectedly or because individuals may rot consider all the subcomponenss of ‘task When planning (Baiyn & Quangvan, 2012). In addition, individuals may have been ‘overly narrow in thelr focus on she task or subconsciously disregarded memories of how long. similar tasks have taken ia the past. Most people simply want to believe that tasks will always _g0 well and thet no probloms will rise. This antoalitic arsumption leads to scious planning femors ard poor time management. Planning occurs first in the management process because the ability to be organized develops from good planning. During planning, there should be time to think about hew plans ‘will be translated into action, The planner must pause and decide how people, activities, and materials are going to be put together to carry out the abjectives. ‘Many individuals believe that they are unproductive if they take time out early in their day to design a plan for action, rather than immediately beginning work on tasks, Without adequate planning, however, the individual finds it difficult to get started and begins w ‘manage by erirs, neddtion, thers can he no sense of achievement at day's end ifthe goals for the cay are not clearly delineated Unfortunately, tvo mistakes common in planning 2r0 underestimating the importance of a daily plan and not allowing adequete ime for planning. Similarly, Pugsley (2009) suggests that many students fail to establish a plan for completing their learning activities. Sometimes this is because they are unclear about what the finished ‘product must look like. Other iimes, they are unsure when assignments are due or how to break large assignments down into workable subcomponents. In all of these cases, the end result is thar che students ability to achieve the desired outcome, within the required timeline, is threatened, To counter this, Pugsley suggests students adape a “SMART? approach planning that allows leamers to make effective use of every study perind, whether the learning activities are formal or informal (Display #2) ‘Whether you are 2 student, a manager, ora staff nurse, planning takes time; it requires the ability to think, analyze data, envision alternatives, and make decisions. Examples e Cd ‘Sat specie, clear goale to be accomplished, Record your progress as maasurable progress maintsna your intorot enty the teps needed to accomplish your goals Be resins about jour Sine cantkaintn andl set goala tht con ba accomplished within theat consrairs. ‘Sat atime frame and plen fortis. po peee “Aaa om: Ploy 2006 May) Hon a oly fear Eda to: Pinar Oa 2000), 106-108 Making Big Projects Manageable “Think of the last major paper you wrote for a class, Did you set short-term and intermedicte deadines? Did you break the task down into emallo: tasks to eliminate & last-minute ctsis? What shorterm and intermediate deadlines have you sat to ascampish maor projects that have besn essignod to you the quaiter or sorestor? Are you realistic about the im that wil be roquited to complete the task or are you likely to experience planning falaces”Chapter 9 TimeManagemert 185 of the types of plans a charge nurse might make in day-to-day planning include staffing schedules, patient care assignments, coordination of lunch- and work-break schedules, ancl interdinciplinary coordination of patient cars. Examples of an azute core staf? nurse's day-to-day planning might include determining how handoff reports will be given and received: the timing and method used for intial patient assessirents: the coocdination of medication dministration, treatments, and procedures; ard the organization of document of the day's activities, The Time-Efficient Work Environment Some staff nurses appear disorganized in their efforts to care for patlens. ‘This may be the result of poor planning or it may be.a aymptomn of a wore environment that is not conda to efficient time management. ‘The following suggestions, using. industial enginest principles, may assist the staff nurse in planning work activities, especially when the ceuvironmiem: poses obstacles to time efficiency: + Gather all the supplies and equipment that will be needed before staring an activin. Breaking a job dawn mentally into parts before beginning the activity may help the staff _urse identify what sapplies and equipment will be needed to complete the activity + Group activities that are inthe same location. 1 youhave walked along distance down a hallway, aterupt to do several things there before going back tothe nurses station If you are a home health nurse, group patient visits geogrephically when possible o minimize ‘ravel time and maximize time with patents + Use rime estimates. For example, if you know an intermittent intravenous medication AV piggyback) will take 30 minutes to complete, then use that time estimate for planning tome other activity that ean be completed in that 30-minute window of time. + Document your nursing interventions as soon as possible after an activity is completed. {Waiting util the end of the workday to complete necessary documentation increases the risk of inaccuracies and incomplete documentation, + Always stive to end the workday on time. Although this is not always possible, delegating appropriately to others and making sure that the workload goal for any given day is reasonable are two strategies that will accomplish this goal Like staff nurses, unit managers need to coordinate how their duties will be carried out and devise methods to make work simpler and more efficient. Often, this includes simple tasks such as organizing how supplies are stored or determining the most efficient lunch ard break schedules for staf. In addition, ic Is the manager's responsibility to see that anlts are appropriately stocked with the equipment nutses need to do their work ‘This reduces the time spent in xying to locate needed supplies. ‘This was certainly the case at Neepawa Health Center in Manitoba, which implemented ‘a nursing strategy in 2010 called Releasing Tine to Care: The Productive Ward (RTC) (Examining the Evidence 9.1). Uhimately, the goal in planning work and activities is to facilitate greater productivity and satisfaction. Examining the Evider Soure: Foro 1 (2012 Mor tine oar Catan Naas, 1089), 22-71 Forler shared the story af the eiserganzation and djintednass she ciacoverad when she ‘plned the rursing staf of Nespawa Health Cenler in Manitoba in 2008. Forter noted that staf Spent go much ime searching fr supplies ta pallet care was no! getting done;thal wards and Conenued188 UNIT III ROLES AND FUNCTIONS IN PLANNING supply areas were chaoti that turnover raport took upward ef 40 minutes; and that cormmunica~ ‘Yon between staff membere end departments wee poor. ‘To combat the prablem, Neepawa Health Centar implementad a nursing strategy n 2910 called Releasing Time to Care: The Productive Ward (RTC). One of the many goal of this program was to nerease the efficiency af care so that less tme would be spert searcning for suppliae to that more time could ke spent at the patient bedside, In additon, axperte provided tairing as well as support materials for staff an time management and an anaysis ‘as completed af work dasign so that enviranmantal factors causirg siaff to waste tine coule be identified and addressed. “Lean” manufactuiing processes, lke those used ty Toyota to eliminate all tasks workers éo, that are not directly related to the buiding oi vehicles, ware ‘applied tothe nursing werkunits with the goal being ta alninaie unnecessary paperwork anc ‘Searching for supplies. Work madules wore alse declutiered and rearganizes, Forier noted that while the pracees took aome ima and hard wor, the auteomoa were clearly worth the effort The time avaiable for diect care increased sigrificently and staff tumaver became almost nenepistent Daily planning actions that may help the unit manager identify and utilize time as a rescurce mast efficiently might include the following: + Atthe stat of each workday, identify key privities tobe accomplished that day: Identify ‘what specific actions need to be taken to accomplish these pricrties and in what order they should be done. Also, identify specific actions that stould be taken to meetongoing, long-term goals. + Determine the level of achievement that you expect for eact prionitized task. Ts maximizing or “satisficing” approzch mote appropriate or more reasonable for exch of the goals you have identified? ‘+ Assoss the staff assigned to work with you. Assign work that mast be delegated to staff ‘members who are beth capable and willing to accomplisk the priority task that you have identified Be sure that you have clearly expressed any expectations you may have about hhow and when adelogated task must be completed. (Delegstion is discussed farther in Chaprer 70.) + Review the short- and long-term plans of the unit regularly. Inckide colleagues. and subordinates in identifying unit problems or concemms so that they can be fully involved in planning for needed change, + Plan ahead fer meetings. Prepare and distribute agendas in advance. + Allow time at several points throughout the day ard at the end of the day to assess progress in meeting established daly goals and to determine if unanticipated events have ‘oevurted oF i new information has been received that may have altered your original plan. Ongoing realities for the unit manager include work situations that are constantly changing, and with them, setting new priorities and adjusting older ones Setting now provtis or adjusting priorities to reflec ever-changing work situations isan ‘ongoing reality for the unit managor. + "Take regularly scheduled breaks. Planning for periodic breaks from sork daring the sworkeay isan integral part of an individual’ time and task management. These work breaks allow hoth managers and staff i refresh physically and mentally. + Using an alactronic calendar to organize your day can help make a éay feel less chaotic. Tt ean also heln vo ident narkers of snnee time that win ene se for breaksChapter 9 Tine Managenont 187 ‘Setting Daily Priorities, ‘Asgume that you ae the registered nuree (RN) leador ot & team wth ene Heensed vecatonal puree and ane nurding aesicant on the 7 4 to-@ ri shit at an acute care hospital. The threo of {you aro responsible for proving total arato 10 patients. Pionitze tho folowing Isto! 10 thnes ‘that yeu need to accempoh thie moring. Uso a1" forthe ft thing you wit de and a "10" for tho last. Bo prepared to provide ratioalo for your prioties. ____ Check mesleaten ceres/shoets aganst the petient medieaion recor. “Liston te night hit roport 11:00 Pate 7:00 an Take brief walking rounds to cosets the night abit ropont and to intoduse yourall to patients Hang tour 9:00 as 1V mestcations “Setup the schedule fo: breaks ard lunch among your team members Gwe 8s hw preop on pation going to aurgay at 0:00 120 ns brealdet aye. with taam members to plan the schadula forthe day and to lary rea, Read charts of patiants who are new 0 you. Check 6:00 mu blood gluccse laboratory rsuls for 7:20 wx nsuln administration, Priority Setting and Procrastination [Because most individuals are inundated with requests for their time and energy, the next step in time management is prioritizing. which may well be the key to good time management Unforranately, some individuals lack self-awareness about what is important and therefore how to spend their time, Prionty setting is perhaps the most crcl ski n good tre management, because all actons lwo take have some type of relative importance, One simple means of prioritizing what needs to be accomplished is to divige all cequests into three eategories: “don't do," “de later” and “do now” (Display 9.3). The “don’t do” items probably reflect problems thet will take care of themselves, are alteady outdated, oF are beter accomplished by someone else, The individual ether throws away the unnecossa:y information or passes it on to the appropriate person in a timely fashion. In ether case, the individeal remover unneeded clater from his or har work ares. C == 2. ‘Dolaer 2 Da new" Some “do later” items reflect trivial problems or those that do not have immeciate deadlines; thus, they may be procrastinatad. To procrastinate means to put off somathing anti) fume time, to postpone, of to delay needlessly. Although procrastination may be appropriate in some eases, the rolity is that mere oft than not, it ia a batiar to effective time managemeat.188 UNIT IIL RCLESAND FUNCTIONS IN PLANNING Procrastination is ecfficlt problem to solve because it rarely results from a single catse and can involve 3 combination of dysfunctional attitudes, rtionalizaions, and resentment. "The key in procrastination is to use it appropriately and selectively, Procrastination is rarely appropriate when it is dane to avoid a tse because itis overwhelming or unpleasant. "Before seting “do late” items aside, the leader-manager mast be sute that large projects have heen hmmken down into smaller projects and that a specific timeline ane plan for Implementation ae ia place. The plan should include shor-ierm, iuermediate, aad final endlines, Likewite, one cannot ignore items withont immediate time Hints Forever and mest make a definite time commitment in the near future to address these requests ‘The “do now” raquasts most commonly reflect a unit's cay to-day operational nesds, ‘These requests may include dally staffing needs, dealing with equipment shorages, meeting tchedules, conducting hiring interviews, and giving performance appraisals. “Do now” requests also may represent items that tad been put off earlier, Targeting Personal Procrastination Spend a fow moments reflecting on the last 2 weoks of your fe, What are the things you put of doing? Do these things form pattein? For stance, do you alvays pul off wing « achool paper until the last minuto? Do you wat to do certain tase at work unt you cannot avoid tho ‘task any longer? What things do you de whan you realy do nat want do something? Do you at? Pay vidao games? Watch TV Reac? Assignment Wite ono-pago essay on at last two things that you procrastinate and then develop two stategiee fer breaking each ofthese habit, Making Lists Jn prioritizing all tho “do now” items, the leadar manager may find preparing a written list helpful. Remember, however, that = list is «plan, not a product, and thatthe creation of the line isnot the final gocl."The list i «planning tool. ‘Although the individual may use monthly or weekly lists. a list also can assist in coordineting caily operations. Tis daily list however, should not be longer than what can be realistically accomplished in 1 day: otherwise, it demotivates instead of assists. Tn addition, although the leader-manager must be cognizant of and plan for routine tasks, itis not always necessary to place them on the list because they may only distract attention fom other priority tasks. Lists should allow adequate time for each task and have blocks of| time builtin forthe unexpected. In additian, individuals who ws lists to help them erganize thele day must be careful not to confuse importance and wigency. Nota important things ave ‘urgent, and not all urgent things are important ‘This is especially true when the urgency is coming from an external soarce important things are urgont, and not ail rgeat things ere important Jn adcition, the individual should periodically review lists from previous days to soe what ‘vas not accomplished or completed Ife tast appears on alistfor several successive days the manager must reexamine it and assoss why it wes not accomplished, Sometiics, tasks just need to heremaved fram thelist This oscars when a task has low priority, ar when iis beter189 dane by someone elas, Other timer, undone tasks on the lst shoalé be discarded because they ave no longer elevant or they represent & need that no longer exist, ‘Sometimes, however, iteras on the list remsin unaccomplished because they are not divided into stape or tasks that can be completed. Breaking abig job down into smaller parts can make the task seem more manageable. For example, many well-meaning people begin ‘thinking zbout completing their tax returns in early Jamuary but feel overwhelmed by a project ‘that cannot he accomplished in T day. Tf preparing a tax return is not broken dow into several smaller tasks with intermediate deadlines, it may be almast perpetually procratinated. Some projects are not accomplished because they are net broken down into manageable tasks. Reprioritizing ‘The last step in time management is repricviizing, Often, one’s priorities or list will change dusing a day, week, or longer because new information is recsived. Ifthe individual docs not take time to reprioritize after each major task is accomplished, ether priorities set earlier may no longer he accurate, In addition, despite outstanding planning, an oscasional evisis may erupt, No amourt of planning can prevent an occasional crisis. Tf a criss does occur, the individual may noed to sc aside the original priorities for the day and recrganize, communicate, and delegatea new plan reflecting the new prioviies associated >with the nnexpected event causing the crisis, Creating Planning Lists Do you male a daly plan to organize what needs to be dons? Mentally or an paper, develop 4 lt of ve tems thet must be eccompished tocay. Prorize that Hat. Now make a ist of vo items that must be done this week. Piotize that ist as well Dealing with interruptions All managers experience intcrruptions, but lower-level managers typically experience the most ‘This occurs in part becaase first- and middle-level managers are more involved in daily planning than higher-level managers and thas dirsctiy interact with a greater amber of subordinates, In addition, many lower-level managers do not have a quict workspace or clerical help to filter interruptions. Frequent work interruptions result in situational sess and lowered job satisfaction. Managers need to develop skill in preventing interruptions that ‘threaten effective time management Lomer-lovl managers experience more interruptions than higher-level managers Dealing with interruptions also requires leadership skills, Leaders role model flexibility and ‘the ability 1o regroup When new information or tasks emerge as priviies, Followers often look to see how their leaders are coping with change and even crisis and their rea190 UNIT IIL ROLES AND FUNCTIONS IN PLANKING often mirror those of ther lenders That is often why a staff nurse who feels hartied cr out of ccontel typically finds these same feelings reflected in the individuals he or she is assigned. to work with Time Wasters, ‘There are many time wasters, and the time wasters that are used most often vary by the individual, Four time waters warrant special stention here (eee Display 9.4). The first of those suprisingly is technology, which generally has bson promoted an a tiie never For ost people. Indeed, tectnclogy can and does save time. E-trall now makes instantaneous, asyachronus communication to multiple parties possible simultaneously and the Interne: provides virtwally unlimited access to emerging, sate of the science Inowiedge glotally. In dition, social networes such az Facebook, MySpace, Pinteres, and Twitter have created ‘ow opportunitiss for commuaricating in realtime to vast networks of usere |. Technology (Interet, gaming, nal, and ecole media alte) 9: Seoiciong 9. Paperwork overbad A poor fling eyter 5 Intesptons Yer, this same technology increasingly consumes mare and more of or time. Many individuale find themselves randomly seerching the Imornet or playing online games to ‘dswact themselves from the tasks at hand, In ation, the need to check and respond to so many different communication meciums (e-mail, Hackberries, voice mail, pagers, and social networking sites) i ime consuming in and of itself. Svehatig (2013, para 17) suggests that “many of us have fallen into the cosial media black hole, and it can be tricky to find a balance with no parameters in place.” She ‘suggests using an egg timer or some other timing device to limit the time you spent on social networking sites when you have important tasks that mast be accomplished. Time ‘Management Ninja (2013, para 10) agrees, suggesting “You don’t need to check email 100, ‘times a day. Email is not intended to be instant communication Rather, check it momning, oon, and close of day’ ‘You do not need to check e-mail 100 times a day. Finally, all this technology can make it difficalt ta find sn aparopriate balance hetween the need for virtual anc face-to-face interaction and berween worle and porsonal life ‘Time Management Ninja 2013) suggests that “not unplugging” is 2 huge risk to time management since no one can be “on” all the time. Individuals who do not anglug from their work and devices will bura out and the boundaries between work and personal life vill bi ‘A second time waster is socializing, Socializing with colleagues daring the workday can ‘waste significant amouats of time in a workday. Although socializing caa belp workers moet relationsaip needs or baild power, t can tremendously deter productivity. This is especially te for manazers with an open-door policy. Subordinates can be disecuraged from taking up manager's fme with idle chatter in several waysCchaplor © Time Management 191 + Do not make yourself overly accessible, Make it easy for people to igncre you. Try not to “work” atthe nursing sation, if this is possible I charting ist be done, sit with your back to others. If you have an office close the door. Have people make appointments to ‘90 you. All those bshevioms will discourege casual socializers, + Interrupt, When someone is rambling on withont getting to the point, break in and say gently, “Excuse me, Somehow Prot getting your message. What exactly are you saying’ + Avoid promoting sociazation. Faxing several comfortable chairs in your office, 2 full candy dish, and posters on yonr walls tha: invite comments encourage socializing in ‘your office + Be brief Watch your own long-winded comments, and stand up when you are finished This Will signal an end tothe conversaticn + Schedule long-winded pests. M someote has a patter of lengthy chatter and manages to comer you on rounds or a the ars” station, say,“ can’ speak with you nov, but I'm going to have some fre time at 11 sv. Why doa't you see me then” Unless the rnscting is important fhe peron who just wishes to chat will not bcther to make formal appointment If you would like to chat and have the time todo so, are coffee breaks and hac hours or soiling (Other external time wasters that 2 manager must conquer are paperwork overlead and a poor filing system, Managers are generally inandated with paper slater, inching organizational mens, staffing requess, quay assurance repos, incident repors, and paentevaluations. Because paperwork is ofen redundant orunecesary, the manager needs to become an exper at handling &. Whenever possible, incoming corrponcence shot be handled the cay it areves it shoal either be thrown away or fled zccording to the date tobe completed. Try to adress each piace of corerpondenco only ence ‘An adequate filing system also Is Invallable to handing paper ovedload. Keeping comespondence orgarined in encily rtievahe les rather than disonganized stacks save time ‘when the anager needs to find sperific information, "The manager ali may want to consider increased use of computerization and e-muil to redice the paper se and to increase response Finally, interaptions can cause a pest deal of time wasting as attention is continually diverted from the task st hand. All managers need protected time t0 respond to time sensitive pone calls or e-mals and its imponant not to be disturbed during these times ‘nloss thor isan urgent raquost for an answer or guidanse on dealing with an emergency situation. “Once staff recognize that the manager iy serous abour Keeping protected tine sn not accepting sll ypes af interraptions then it wil hecome standard practice” (Ashurst, 2013, p51). PERSONAL TIME MANAGEMENT Poysonal time management refers In part to sel-knowledge, Self-awareness Is a leadeship skill, For people who are not certain oftheir on short-ta long-term goels, time management, in goneral, poses cificuties. Svehaug (2013) suggests that to most appropriately manage time, each individual should step back and think about what they try want to accompl'sh tnd the time thay are wiling and able to dedicate to achieving that goal. Honesty should be the key in performing this exercise because there Is no right or wrong ansWeL Moneging timo ie dificult parton io uncurs ef hie or hor priertioe fot timo mat ‘maluaing personal sr-term, intermediate, ana tong-term goats.192 [UNIT I ROLES AND FUNCTIONSIN PLANING ‘These goals give structure to what should be accomplished today, morrow, and in the future. However, goal alone are nat enough; a concrete plan with timelines ic needed Plans outlined inmanageable steps are clearer, more reals, and attainable. By being sel-aware and seting goals accordingly, people determine how their time will be spent, If goals are not set, others fften end up deciding how a parson should spend hie ar her time ‘Think for a moment about last week Did you accomplish all that you wanted to accomplish? Hew mach tine did you or others waste? Tn your clinical practi, did you spend your time hunting for supplies and mecicines instead of reaching your patient about hls ot her diabetes? Too often, irelevant decisions and insignificant activities take priority lover real purposes. Clealy, work redesign, clarfiation of job descriptions ea change in the type of care delivery system may alleviate some of these problems. However, the same ‘general principle holds: professional auses who are self-aware and have clearly Iceatiied personel goals anc priorities have grestar control over how they expend their energy and what they accomplish, ‘When individuals lack this seitawareness, dey may find it difficult w find a balance between time spent on personal and professional priorities, Indcod, a audy of more than ‘50,000 employees from a vaviety of manufacturing and service erganiztions found that two (ut of every five employees were dissatisfied withthe balance between their work and their personal lives (Hanson, nd). Effective timo managemeat then isan essential past of finding that balance between work lie and personal lite ‘Brans (2013), building on thinking done by Benjamin Franklin more than 300 years ago, suggests that there are 12 habits that should be nurtured for optimum porsonal time management. These are shown in Display 9.5, All 12 habits are cected at being TS eed Habit 1: Strive fo be authanti Ba honest with yume abut hat you wart ard hy you co whet 5 do. abit 2: Favor rusting rvlallnehipe, Bud ltrshpa with ppl ou can ual nd eat o, and neko our thowe same people can tt end cout on yo, Hobt 3: Nalntain fest tht wil cve oumantmum enera Exorssa eat wel and at enough sop. Habit 4 Listen to your Botythms end organize your dy accordingly. Pay atisation t azuer uctutone fn your phycal and mactl nary lovle throughout th day end schedule fash sccordly. abit 5: So vary few prorioe ad stick to them, Sloot a masimu of two tings that your Highest party atd work on ber Habit: Tur deum things hat are inconsistent with your profes. Say no other pron whan thor request isnot poy fr you and you do nt haw he tne te Fab HabIt7: Sot aide timo for focusad effort. Schoo tns evs dy fo wark an jst one bin. obit: Aways loo for ways of doing thinge tir end testo tos o ace ou do ovr snd ‘re again ard look for waye of proving Pow you de them. obit 9: Butd sold processes. Sot up procosoe the! at and that on without our teen obit 10: Spot voubie ahosd ane sve probions immediatly. Set sad tro tottrk stout whet Ta ahead an fae al psblana a oon a you can Habit 1: Break your goals ito smal units o work, and think ony abut one unit ta tne. ‘Spar mort of yor ta working on fa fakin fot ofyou, and wold dreaming a rach about the big god Hobit 12: Fhish what is impotent and stop dona what s no longer worthwhise. Donat sop ching what you considered woth starting unos ther in good rear o getup ‘Baas Aled am Bra P2079 nay 1) oc ve manage ant rar B98 Fre Rr ‘yz 2 tom tapinnntesonikapabar20\ 30 fe mache Inemangena be rasan aoTSChapter 9 Tine Manegerant 199. self-aware regarding what the things that matter, taki {In addition to being self-aware regarding the values that influence how people prioritize the use of their ims, pooplo must he aelFaware regarding thoir general tendency to complete tesks in Isolation or in combination. Some people prefer to do one ching ata tine, ‘whereas others typically da two or more things simultansontly: Some individuals begin and ish projects on time, have clean and organized desks because of handling each piece of ‘paperwork only onse, and are highly structured. Others tan to change pians, horraw and Tend things frequently, emphasize relationships raher than tasks, and build longer-term relationships. Ics importart 10 recognize one's own preferred time management style and to be selfeware about how this orientation may affect your imeraction with others in the ‘workplace. A significant part of personal time management depends on self-awareness cout how and when a person is most produetive. Everyone has ways to waste time or steer clear of cenain activates. important to accomplish ia one's life, staying focused on care of oneself, and following through in 2 timely and Everyone avoids certain typos of work oh ethods of wasting tine, Likewise, each porsen works better at cortain timos of the day or for corcain lengths of time. Svehaug (2013) calls this finding your productivity sweet spor. Selt-aware people schedule complex or dificult tacks daring the perinds when they are most praductve fang simpler or routine tasks during less productive times. Finally, each individual should be cognizant of how he or she valuae the time of others. For example, being punstaal {goes beyond common courtesy. Tardiness reflects some disregard for the value of other ‘people's time. ‘Alach of punctualty suggests that you donot value other peope's tie. Using a Time Inventory [Because most paople have an inaccurate perception of te time they spendon «particular task for the total amount of time they are productive during the day, atime invencory may provide insight. A time inventory is shown in Display 9.6, A time inventory allows yom :0 compare ‘hat you piauned te do, as outlined ny your appointments and “to co” enules, with what you actnaly Matison 2013) notes that one ofthe biggest mistakes students make when they attempt to get organized isto try amd squeeze all responsibilities into their week without taking into cconaderation that there are only 24 houra ina day. “Going without sloop, relationship time, food or exercise is not a good option” (para 9) When using a time inventors, Mattison suggests plotting in sloop first and then the time thar is immovable, including classes and clinicals Once tat is done, stucents shuld plug inthe things that are importa to thar, such as family time or chueca. Next, sty time and ‘plained break times should be includ inthe time inventory. Because the greatest henefit from a time inventory is being able to objectively identify ‘patems of behavior, it may be necessary to maintain the time inventory for several days or even several weeks. It may also be helpful to repeat the time inventory annually to see if long:corm behavior changes have bcon noted. Remember, there is no was to bog, Borrow, oF steal more nours in the day I time is babitclly used ine*fectively, managing time will be vary stressful194 UNIT Ill ROLES ANDFUNCTIONSINFLANNING a a Writing a Personal Time Inventory Uso the time invortory shown in Display 9.6 to identfy your actvti for a 24-hour paviod. Record your atria en the time inventoyy on 2 rogular basis. Ge specie. Do not trust your meray, Star the periods ol tine when you were most pracuetive. Cirle peri of time When you wore least productive Do nt includ slp time. Was this typical day for you? Could you have modi your atisty during your last productive te periods? H ao, how? = Ee =: ae = a| a Chaptor 9 Tine Managenent 195 INTEGRATING LEADERSHIP ROLES AND MANAGEMENT FUNGTIONS TH TIME MANAGEMENT ‘There is a close relationship between time management and stress. Managing time appropriately redaces sess and incresses productivity. The cwreat satus of heaith care, the muning shorage, and decreasing reimbursements have resulted in many heclth-care organizations trying to do more with less. The effective wee of time management tools, therefore, becomes even more important to enable leader-managers to meet personal and professional goals. ‘The leadership skills needed to manage time resources draw heavily on interpersonal communication skills. The leader is a resource and role model to subordinates in how to ‘manage time. As has been stressed in other phases of the management process, the leadership skill of self-awareness is also necessary in time management. Leaders must understand their own value system, which influences how they use time and how they expect subordinates to ‘we time. “The management functions inierent in using time resources wisely are more related 10 ‘productivity. The manager mast be able to prioritize sctivities of unit functioning to mect shor- and long-term unit seeds, To do this, the leader-manager must initiate an analysis of time management on the unit level, involve team members and gain their cooperation in ‘maximizing time use. and guide work to its conclusion and successful implementation, Successful leader-managers are able to integrate leadership skills and management functions; they accomplish unit goals in a timely and efficient manner in a concerted effort with subordinates. They also recognize time as a valuable unit resource and shave responsibilty forthe use of that resource with subordinates. Perhaps most importantly, the Integrated leader-manager with well-developed, time management skills can maintain greater contol overtime and energy constraints in his or her personal and professional lie © Soting ade ime athe begining of each ‘ume on righ-rony aks 1 Mary nec al pray pling ain vt 10 completa atk,