What do you find to be the most difficult part of handling conflicts?
Controlling Time in Meetings
Respecting Time
Goal setting Interruption log
Job enlargement Time logs
Time waster To-do list
1. Identify time wasters. 2. Identify goals. 3. Set priorities. 4. Group activities and minimize
routine work.
5. Manage personal organization and self discipline.
6. Minimize time wasters.
Learning Outcomes After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
Key Terms
CHAPTER 13 • MANAGING TIME 173
T ime management is a misnomer. No one manages time: What is managed is how time is used. In today’s downsized health care organization, the pressure to do more in less time has increased. Job enlargement occurs when a flatter organizational structure causes positions to be combined and results in managers having more employees to supervise, a situation common today.
The managerial skills needed today are different from those in the past, according to a study by Gentry and colleagues (Gentry et al., 2008). Changes from the late 1980s until now include flatter organizational structures that result in more responsibilities shared throughout the orga- nization and a greater use of electronic communications. Technology has changed how manag- ers and staff interact. Geographic location is less important, as is time away from work. Being always connected can be both a time-saver and a time-stealer. Nonetheless, instant communica- tion is here to stay.
Teams often do what managers formerly dictated, with the best decisions coming out of the team’s cooperative efforts. Time management is equally important in teamwork as it is for indi- viduals. Teams must plan and organize their work to meet deadlines. Efficiency is paramount.
Time can be used proactively or reactively (Carrick, Carrick, & Yurkow, 2007). If you focus your energy on people and events over which you have some direct or indirect control, you are using a proactive approach. If, on the other hand, you spend most of your time on what concerns you most about other people and events, your efforts are less apt to be effective. For example, you can set and follow your goals and priorities or you can spend your time worrying, blaming, or making excuses about what you do not accomplish. This chapter is designed to help you be proactive in targeting your use of time.
Time Wasters Why do we waste time? It is one of our most valuable resources, and yet everyone admits to wasting it. Box 13-1 answers this question by showing some of the constraints on an individual’s ability to manage time effectively. These patterns of behavior must be understood and dealt with to be effective in managing time.