Time Management

symptoms of poor time management

• constant rushing

• caught in crisis mode

• fatigue/listlessness, overwhelmed feeling

• constantly missing deadlines

• insufficient time for rest/personal relationships

• sense of being overwhelmed by demands and details

• having to do what you dont want to most of the time

the 2 common mistakes in planning

• underestimating the importance of a daily plan

• not allowing adequate time for planning

what makes a plan good?

anticipates workload and allows for flexibility when patient conditions change

3 basic steps in time management

1. allow time for planning and establish priorities

2. complete the highest priority task whenever possible and finish one task before beginning another

3. reprioritize based on the remaining tasks and on new information that may have been received

priority setting

• perhaps the most critical skill in good time management because all actions we take have some type of relative importance

• simple way to prioritize is to divide all requests into 3 categories: dont do, do later, and do now

how to create a time-efficient work environment

• gather all supplies needed before starting an activity

• group activities that are in the same location

• use time estimates

• document nursing interventions as soon as possible after they are completed

• always strive to end the work day on time

planning isnt always about the environment but also daily routines

daily planning actions to maximize time management

• identify key priorities to be accomplished that day

• determine the expected level of achievement of a prioritized task

• assess the staff assigned to work with you

• review the short and long term plans of the unit

• plan ahead for meetings

• allow time to assess progress of goal attainment

• take regular breaks and use electronic calendars

• prepare for meetings, leaving time to assess progress, and scheduling short breaks

• planning is only effective if we understand our personal work habits

personal organization

• knowing and understanding how/why you use time/set priorities as you do

• requires self awareness

questions to ask for assessing personal organization

• how do you waste time?

• what type of work do you avoid?

• what is the best time of day for you to work?

• how long can you work before becoming nonproductive?

lists

• must be flexible

• only put as many items on the daily list as can be reasonably accomplished in the day

• being punctual implies that you value other peoples time and creates an imperative for them to value your time

examples of internal time wasters

• procrastination

• poor planning

• failure to establish goals/objectives

• inability to delegate

• inability to say no

• management by crisis

• haste

• indecisiveness

external time wasters

• open door policy

• telephone interruptions

• socializing

• meetings

• lack of info

• poor communication

• lack of feedback

• lack of adequately described policies/procedures

• incompetent coworkers

• poor filing system

• paperwork/reading

procrastination

• means to put off something until a future time, to postpone, or to delay needlessly

• not a character flaw but is a set of behaviors developed over a period of time, behavior can be changed

• dread of doing a task uses more time and energy than doing the task itself

evidence based solutions to procrastination

1. 2 minute rule

2. break large tasks down

3. implementation intentions

4. self-monitoring tools

implementation intentions

use “if then” statements such as “if its 10 AM after med pass, then I will document vitals”

self monitoring tools

checklists, apps, or reminders 

chunk learning

complex information is broken down into smaller, more manageable groups or "chunks" to make it easier to remember and understand → reduces avoidance

what makes personal time management difficult for someone?

if person is unsure of their priorities for time management, including short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals

time inventory

• helps individual determine how much they spend on a particular task and what time of day they are most productive

• important to maintain the time inventory for several days/weeks and to repeat it annually to see if long term changes have been made

• schedule regular breaks from work is important to allow the worker to refresh both physically and mentally