Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1 Chapter 2 Time Management: Making Time Work For You

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2 Why Can’t I Get Organized? Trauma in your personal life Disorganized upbringing Symptom of discontent

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 Self-test of Time Management Time management is a major skill that contributes to learner success Also a necessary skill for practical/vocational nurses to better manage their time in the clinical area to meet patient outcomes

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4 Benefits of Time Management Designed to help you do not only the things you have to get done, but also the things you want to finish in a definite time period Can put you in control of your life rather than making you a slave to it Techniques can help you gain some personal time for your family and yourself, so you will not feel that there is time only for school Can help you work smarter, not harder

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 5 Efficiency vs. Effectiveness Efficiency: involves doing things as quickly as possible Effectiveness: involves prioritizing tasks and doing them properly “Haste makes Waste”

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6 Review of Personal Goals Long-term goal You have set a goal to be a practical/vocational Short-term goal –To realize this long-term goal, you must break it down into smaller, more manageable goals –An example: is passing each of the courses you must take to graduate from the practical/vocational nursing program

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7 Right Brain or Left Brain? Left-brain thinking –Linear; step-by-step approach –Time-management tools generally reflect left-brain thinking. Right-brain thinking –Nonlinear; jumping around –Looks at picture as a whole –Right-brain thinkers prefer their own tools for time management. Which side is dominant for you?

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8 Getting Organized with the Nursing Process Time management planning can be accomplished in the context of the four phases of the nursing process: –Data collection –Planning –Implementation –Evaluation

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9 Data Collection Your roles and activities –Collect data about your personal roles and activities for the data collection portion of time management Your personal time use –A time log should be kept for approximately 1 week –to document how you use your personal time –A 1-day time log for a class day can give you a general idea of how you use your time at present

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10 Planning Results in a blueprint for action Involves thinking about how to prioritize activities Devise a written plan to program your time.

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11 Planning (cont’d) Arguments Against Planning –Do not have time to plan and pass off the suggestion about planning time –Look at planning as leading to inflexibility and loss of freedom

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12 Planning (cont’d) Old habits die hard –Studies have revealed that it takes at least 21 days of consistently repeating a new habit to break an old habit Scheduling time –The only special equipment you need for planning is some form of calendar

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13 Planning Tools Calendar Index cards Post-It notes Time line Personal digital assistant

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 14 Planning (cont’d) Setting priorities –Remember that there is a difference between importance and urgency –Not everything that is urgent is important

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 15 Planning (cont’d) Delegating activities –Delegating to children At first it may take some time to instruct your children, but in the long run it will be worthwhile Your child benefits by learning responsibility, skills, and independence –Dealing with a spouse Gather your thoughts and decide on the areas in which you think your spouse could be most helpful during this hectic time of your life The answer lies in communication

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 16 Implementation General hints –Have the fortitude to follow your schedule, even if your peers don’t –Make sure you never miss a class, regardless of peer pressure or any reason other than an emergency Procrastination –Besides fear of failure, other causes for putting off what is important are ill health, laziness, and past successful episodes of procrastination

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 17 Implementation Minitasking –A sure way to finish unpleasant, difficult, and time-consuming tasks is to reduce the entire task to a series of minitasks

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 18 Implementation Hints for handling the home or apartment –Pick up papers and magazines as you pass through a room –If you don’t have time to wash dishes, rinse and stack them, to be done later –Make your bed each morning when you first get up –Place dirty clothes in a laundry basket in your bedroom or bathroom instead of just heaping them on the floor –Clean the tub or shower after use –Put away any hair dryer, cool curling iron, or similar devices after use –A fun and fast way for an adult or child to dust is to wear a washed garden glove

Elsevier items and derived items © 2009, 2005 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 19 Evaluation Involves determining how well your plan is working and how you are progressing toward meeting your short-term goals and long-term goal It is a crucial part of time management Grades will tell you if you are devoting as much time as needed to make the grade in a course