Personal Development Plan Time management

What is time management? Time management involves making the best use of your time and getting more done in the time available. It means not wasting time on irrelevant things, instead focusing on important parts of the job. Ultimately this means working calmly and effectively, avoiding the panic and anxiety of the last minute rush.

Definition of Time management Time management means taking more control over how we spend our time and making sensible decisions about the way we use it. Time management is a choice, over which we do have control, it is also a habit which requires practice to learn. There may still be some areas where you don’t have control- for example you may have coursework to submit- some deadlines are not renegotiable! Do not waste time railing against these commitments- concentrate on finding those areas you do have the power to change and make the changes that will help you to become more effective.

Time is a valuable resource Most people claim that they do not have enough time. Often this is blamed on the organisation and colleagues for making too many demands. However we all have at least some control over how we spend our time. We can and do make choices, recognising this is the first step on the path to effective time management.

Aims and Learning outcomes of using your time productively identify your own management problems and time bandits Appreciate common problems of balancing priorities, and keeping to objectives Identify a realistic approach to improving your own time management Develop a more disciplined approach to your work Prioritise well, and be more effective at work Create good habits in time management, by putting thought into action.

Barriers to Being Effective How effective a time manager are you? What are the three main barriers you have that prevent you being effective? 1. 2. 3.

Where Does All My Time Go?- The Time Bandits And Traps A time bandit is a work practice, attitude or behaviour that leads to ineffective working practices or your time getting stolen or expropriated away from your core priorities and frittered on less important activities. Think about your own time management bandits and traps, do you see any patterns? One common pattern is to put the fun, exciting interesting , easy things first, and put off doing the boring, dull, difficult tasks until later- a pleasure principle.

Bandits and Traps Pleasure principle-going for the short-term gains, surrendering to wants and desires as they arise-immediately. In relation to your own work or study this principle will lead you to doing things you enjoy instead of focusing on your priorities. It is a mistake to think that taking the easy route will improve things in the long run. In reality giving into the pleasure principle in the short term results in a mess later on, because over time what happens is the accumulation of a whole mountain of tasks that have been ignored. This can lead to misery, anxiety and depression. Creating time for a balanced, enjoyable life takes planning and self-discipline.

The Last-Minute Rush and Adrenaline Junky Some people like to live life fast and furiously, and so working in a calm and systematic way can seem very boring. Waiting for a burst of energy, or the adrenaline rush that comes with the fear of a deadline looming can become a way of life, but does usually mean that when the job actually gets done, it is done in a haphazard panicky way, leaving the person exhausted after late-night working and long hours in order to finish it on time.

Time Management Types The procrastinator –should I start this paper or with these statistics- I don’t know! If it can’t be faced now it might be worse later! As well as getting nothing done, the agony is repeated over and over again when you return to complete the task. There are different reasons for procrastination: a) not having a starting point b) not having the energy c) not having the right information d) being indecisive over what exactly to get on and do. All that happens is that work piles up! It’s all too much, there are not enough hours in the day. People fool themselves into the thought that this is just a busy time. Once I’ve got this assignment or deadline over then life will be easier and I can relax. New deadlines occur as they rush from one hectic task to the next. Sometime this is self-generated: they can’t help but take on more and more and more. no one is superman or superwoman!

The Headless Chicken: action without thought. taking on too much work- working without priorities being too busy- spending too much time on things that are not at all important Feeling driven- giving the illusion of working hard, but not working productively The Butterfly: flitting from task to task. One result of not planning is someone who flits from task to task in a downward spiral of panic, getting into a mess, never getting the boost of closer of completion. Interruptions, Interruptions: Interruptions from others that distract us from our work, ‘self-interruptions’, ways in which we distract ourselves from our intended activities. What is your working environment like? Quiet and easy to concentrate in? Noisy or busy? What happens when you are concentrating on something really important and someone starts chatting to you as they pass your desk or door? Technology interrupts you – the phone, email, text and idle talk.

The escapologist: self- interrupters Anything to get out of doing work The doormat: yes, yes, yes Presenteeism: Impressing others Wasted spaces: 20% of time is spent waiting, travelling, lectures, small talk, all necessary requirements Perfectionist: agonises over every decision, every word Paper mountains: piles of paper on the desk, around the floor, a trail of paper that does not allow them to find anything that they need. It festers and excludes stress and incompetence. The D_I_Y enthusiast: Thinks that they can do everything themselves never delegating or sharing work with others, refusing to ask for help, lack of assertiveness or arrogance the belief that no one can do it as well.

Good Habits of Time Management Make a ‘to-do’ list in diary or on computer. You need to be able to add to the list every time you remember another thing to do. Add to your list and return to your task at hand- this will stop the ‘butterfly’ Writing things down will help you remember them and is a better recorder than your memory You need to devise a system to suit you, but many people have a general list. Some people rank the lists in order of importance. Identify your priorities and distinguish tasks that are urgent from tasks which are important. Ticking jobs off a ’to-do’ list can help you see and enjoy your achievements.