Introduction
DISPLAY 9.5 Time Wasters
If a crisis does occur, the individual may need to set aside the original priorities for the day and reorganize, communicate, and delegate a new plan reflecting the new priorities associated with the unexpected event causing the crisis.
Dealing With Interruptions
All managers experience interruptions, but lower level managers typically experience the most. This occurs in part because first- and middle-level managers are more involved in daily planning than higher level managers and thus directly interact with a greater number of subordinates. In addition, many lower level managers do not have a quiet workspace or clerical help to filter interruptions. Frequent work interruptions result in situational stress and lowered job satisfaction. Managers need to develop skill in preventing interruptions that threaten effective time management.
Lower level managers experience more interruptions than higher level managers.
Dealing with interruptions also requires leadership skills. Leaders role model flexibility and the ability to regroup when new information or tasks emerge as priorities. Followers often look to see how their leaders are coping with change and even crisis and their reactions often mirror those of their leaders. That is often why a staff nurse who feels harried or out of control 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 wasters warrant special attention here (Display 9.5). The first of these surprisingly is technology, which generally has been promoted as a time saver for most people. Indeed, technology can and does save time. E- mail now makes instantaneous, asynchronous communication to multiple parties possible simultaneously, and the Internet provides virtually unlimited access to emerging, state of the science knowledge globally. In addition, social networks such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter have created new opportunities for communicating in real time to vast networks of users.
1. Technology (Internet, gaming, e-mail, and social media sites) 2. Socializing
3. Paperwork overload 4. A poor filing system 5. Interruptions
Yet, this same technology increasingly consumes more and more of our time. Many individuals find themselves randomly searching the Internet or playing online games to distract themselves from the tasks at hand. In addition, the need to check and respond to so many different communication mediums (e-mail, blackberries, voice mail, pagers, and social networking sites) is time-consuming in and of itself. Time
Management Ninja (2013) suggests, “You don’t need to check email 100 times a day. Email is not intended to be instant communication. Rather, check it morning, noon, and close of day” (para. 12).
You do not need to check e-mail 100 times a day.
Finally, all this technology can make it difficult to find an appropriate balance between the need for virtual and face-to-face interaction and between work and personal life. Time Management Ninja (2013) suggests that “not unplugging” is a huge risk to time management because no one can be “on” all the time. Individuals who do not unplug from their work and devices will burn out, and the boundaries between work and personal life will blur.
A second time waster is socializing. Socializing with colleagues during the workday can waste significant amounts of time in a workday. Although socializing can help workers meet relationship needs or build power, it can tremendously deter productivity. This is especially true for managers with an open-door policy.
Subordinates can be discouraged from taking up a manager’s time with idle chatter in several ways:
Do not make yourself overly accessible. Make it easy for people to ignore you. Try not to “work” at the nursing station, if this is possible. If charting is to be done, sit with your back to others. If you have an office, close the door. Have people make appointments to see you. All these behaviors will discourage casual socializers.
Interrupt. When someone is rambling on without getting to the point, break in and say gently, “Excuse me. Somehow I’m not getting your message. What exactly are you saying?”
Avoid promoting socialization. Having several comfortable chairs in your office, a full candy dish, and posters on your walls that 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 to the conversation.
Schedule long-winded pests. If someone has a pattern of lengthy chatter and manages to corner you on rounds or at the nurse’s station, say, “I can’t speak with you now, but I’m going to have some free time at 11 AM. Why don’t you see me then?” Unless the meeting is important, the person who just wishes to chat will not bother to make a formal appointment. If you would like to chat and have the time to do so, use coffee breaks and lunch hours for socializing.
Other external time wasters that a manager must conquer are paperwork overload and a poor filing system.
Managers are generally inundated with paper clutter, including organizational memos, staffing requests, quality assurance reports, incident reports, and patient evaluations. Because paperwork is often redundant or unnecessary, the manager needs to become an expert at handling it. Whenever possible, incoming
correspondence should be handled the day it arrives; it should either be thrown away or filed according to the date to be completed. Try to address each piece of correspondence only once.
An adequate filing system also is invaluable to handling paper overload. Keeping correspondence organized in easily retrievable files rather than disorganized stacks saves time when the manager needs to find specific information. The manager also may want to consider increased use of computerization and e-mail to reduce the paper use and to increase response time in time-sensitive communication.
Finally, interruptions can cause a great deal of time wasting as attention is continually diverted from the
task at hand. All managers need protected time to respond to time-sensitive phone calls or e-mails, and it is important not to be disturbed during these times unless there is an urgent request for an answer or guidance on dealing with an emergency situation.
Personal Time Management
Personal time management refers in part to self-knowledge. Self-awareness is a leadership skill. For people who are not certain of their own short- and long-term goals, time management, in general, poses difficulties.
Managing time is difficult if a person is unsure of his or her priorities for time management, including personal short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals.
These goals give structure to what should be accomplished today, tomorrow, and in the future. However, goals alone are not enough; a concrete plan with timelines is needed. Plans outlined in manageable steps are clearer, more realistic, and attainable. By being self-aware and setting goals accordingly, people determine how their time will be spent. If goals are not set, others often end up deciding how a person should spend his or her time.
Indeed, many college students often report feeling time challenged and overwhelmed by their numerous academic, work, and personal commitments. This may reflect a lack of priority or goal setting or it may simply be a reflection of too many things to be reasonably accomplished in the time frame given. Indeed, Greene and Maggs (2015) note that during college, class attendance is discretionary, clubs and organizations vie for members, and employment becomes an important strategy to offset tuition and living expenses.
Students must learn to navigate the demands of this new environment in order to maximize their present and future well-being.
To better understand how college students allocate their time, Greene and Maggs (2015), examined longitudinal diary data of college students. They found that the amount of time college students devote to employment and leisure has increased over the past 40 years. They also found support for their hypothesis that increasing time in one productive activity resulted in less time available for other productive activities. On days when students spent more time than average on employment, they spent less time on academics. These findings suggested that students may be trading academic time for more time in employment, and thus, their time management is more focused on meeting short-term goals than long-term goals (see Examining the Evidence 9.1).
EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE 9.1
Source: Greene, K., & Maggs, J. (2015). Revisiting the time trade-off hypothesis: Work, organized activities, and academics during college. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 44(8), 1623–1637.
doi:10.1007/s10964-014-0215-7
This study explored college students’ time spent on employment, organized activities, and academics using longitudinal daily diary data that followed students for seven semesters across their first through fourth year of college (with up to 14 daily web surveys per semester, for a maximum of 98 observation days per student). The research was guided by two primary goals: the
exploration of demographic predictors of time spent on employment, organized activities, and academics during college, and a test of the time trade-off hypothesis which predicted that these activities would be associated with less time spent on academics (across days and semesters).
The study found that on average, students spent 31 minutes on employment, 2 hours on organized activities, and slightly less than 3 hours on academics each day. Females spent more time on employment (37 minutes) than males (25 minutes), and students whose parents did not attend college spent more time on employment (45 minutes) than students who had one or more parent with a
college degree (26 minutes). In comparing these results with prior studies, the researchers noted that the amount of time college students devote to
employment and leisure has increased over the past 40 years.
They also found support for their hypothesis that increasing time in one productive activity resulted in less time available for other productive activities.
On days when students spent more time than average on employment, they spent less time on academics. The negative associations between employment and academics were most pronounced on weekdays. The researchers also noted that students may balance certain activities across days, whereas other activities may be in competition over longer time frames (i.e., semesters).
The study raised questions about how adolescents and young adult students should spend their time and the harm or the benefit that may result when students trade off academic time for employment. The transition from high school to college gives adolescents more control over how to spend their time, making it a particularly important period in which to study time use. By providing information about how college students allocate their time, the study advanced theory and provided much needed information to professionals working in higher education.
Think for a moment about last week. Did you accomplish all that you wanted to accomplish? How much time did you or others waste? In your clinical practice, did you spend your time hunting for supplies and medicines instead of teaching your patient about his or her diabetes? Too often, irrelevant decisions and insignificant activities take priority over real purposes. Clearly, work redesign, clarification of job
descriptions, or a change in the type of care delivery system may alleviate some of these problems. However, the same general principle holds: Individuals who are self-aware and have clearly identified personal goals and priorities have greater control over how they expend their energy and what they accomplish.
When individuals lack this self-awareness, they may find it difficult to find a balance between time spent on personal and professional priorities. Indeed, a study of more than 50,000 employees from a variety of
manufacturing and service organizations found that 2 out of every 5 employees were dissatisfied with the balance between their work and their personal lives (Hansen, 2016). Effective time management then is an essential part of finding that balance between work life and personal life.
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 personal time management. These are shown in Display 9.6. All 12 habits are directed at being self-aware regarding what is important to accomplish in one’s life, staying focused on the things that matter, taking care of oneself, and following through in a timely and consistent manner.