Worksite Wellness Lesson Time Management Worksite Wellness Lesson

Household responsibilities Meal preparation Laundry Family How do we spend our time? Work Household responsibilities Meal preparation Laundry Family Additional responsibilities Leisure activities Social media Television/Movies/Gaming Additional areas?

Time management quiz Do you often: (Answer Yes or No) Feel there is just not enough time in a day? Start to work on a project and realize it is going to take twice as long as you thought? Feel like you rush from one thing to another but never accomplish a thing? Over-extend yourself socially and/or volunteer wise? Handle a piece of paper more than 2-3 times? Know you have a million things to do but can’t get any of them done? Feel constantly time-pressured? Set goals and never achieve them? Put off difficult or disliked jobs until last minute? Spend a lot of time doing things you don’t enjoy?

Meaning of quiz Count the number of “yes” responses. Compare your number to the following: Score: If your total number of Yes answers was: 0 Great. You are highly organized, know your limits, and plan your time accordingly. 1-3 You manage your time pretty well now but may be slipping in some areas. You usually stick to a schedule but sometimes over-extend yourself. You need to polish your scheduling skills. 4-6 Watch Out! Your time is slipping away from you. Your time management schedule is sporadic, and before you know it things are piling up so fast you can’t keep track of them. You definitely need to organize your time more carefully. 7-10 Uh-Oh! You are the typical “where did the time go” candidate. It is time for you to learn some time management skills and get control of your life.

Effects on personal life Detriments of not Managing Time: Frustration and Stress Poor self esteem Not enough time to accomplish goals Spend less time with family and friends Play less Benefits of Time Management: 1. You will have less stress in your life 2. You will have more time for the things that you want to do 3. You will be able to spend more time with family & friends 4. You will be able to play more 5. You will feel better about yourself

Goal of time management The goal for effective time management is to positively affect your quality of life. If you manage your time well you will have feelings of effectiveness and accomplishment.

Brainstorm tips for managing time

Tips for time management Make a plan for each day Learn to say “No” (and don’t feel guilty) to nonessential tasks Keep a time diary or schedule to determine how personal time is spent (use handout) Inventory your time at work and make a schedule to show how you spend your time (look for time wasters) Revise the schedule as needed Focus on the important things Keep a “to-do” list with the time to be spent on each item Consider a “to-do” list for work, home, and personal Prioritize the items on your list Delegate if possible whenever and wherever you can Do things right/well the first time Limit distractions as much as possible when working on projects Don’t procrastinate Organize and de-clutter your workspace Try to handle pieces of paper only once… Get 7-9 hours of sleep to improve your focus Take a time management course Take breaks when you need to decrease your stress Use your computer to decrease clutter and stay organized Try not to be a perfectionist Schedule time to eat healthy and exercise for better health Reward yourself for improving your time management skills Assess how you are spending your time so you can use it wisely

Time management activity Over the next week you can track how you are spending your time (or even a Thursday – Saturday). Use the time management worksheet to track how your time is spent each hour. Next use the “This is how I spend my time” sheet to transfer from the time worksheet grid to see which areas take most of your time. These tools will help you identify areas that you allow to “steal” your time away.

Which areas took up most of your time? Were you surprised? Next steps Which areas took up most of your time? Were you surprised? Would you like to change that? How? Make a plan for how you will move forward to take control over your time.

Time management is really self management. remember “Dost thou love life, then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of” —Benjamin Franklin Time management is really self management.