A520.2.6_RB_Time Mgmt_Wathen_Sandra

A520.2.6_RB_Time Management_Wathen_Sandra

This is my blog for assessing my management skills, evaluating how these skills have increased my locus of control.  This includes three new areas in which improved time management skills will reduce my stress.  In addition, I will have an action plan on how to integrate these into my daily routine.

Current assessment of my management skills is that I must continually re-evaluate to identify and eliminate stressors altogether.  I will need to learn to manage time and stress.  As the old saying goes “too much to do, and too little time to do them”.  Although some time stressors can be a motivator for getting my work done, I must be aware that it can also be harmful if not managed well.

The four key sources of stress are:  Time Stressors, Encounter Stressors, Situational Stressors and Anticipatory Stressors.  I realize that I can eliminate time stressors through the use of effective time management.  I will need to develop skills for eliminating time stressors.  One is to use time efficiently each day and over the long term. 

I need to be efficient as well as effective with time management, as this will assist me with getting the planned things done before the unplanned which will cause some of my most important tasks to never get done.

I will have a personal action plan for gaining control over my time and to develop effective organization.  As such, I will try to spend more time on important matters rather than urgent items; determining relevance of importance. 

Develop self-awareness for maintaining my awareness of my own core values so that I have a set of basic principles to guide my behavior.    Things that I plan to do are:

·         Conduct Initial time management survey

·         Generate “to-do lists”

·         Event calendars and planers

·         Learn to say “no”

·         When reading, read selectively as too not overload information or material

·         Make a list of things to accomplish each day; focusing on the things I want to achieve 

·         Keep things more organized as too not take a lot of time to find things

·         Prioritize my work or tasks; leaving less important items on the lower priority of the list

·         Complete one important item but strive to do things simultaneously

From a more personal level I need to think about how to save time for important matters, keep track of time, set deadlines, continue to be productive during slow time, do busy work at a set time of the day, schedule personal time for myself, write down long-term objectives, don’t procrastinate, and always seek ways to improve my time management. 

From a more professional level I need to hold routine meetings at the end of the day and hold short meetings standing up, set time limits on meetings and appointments, cancel meetings once in a while especially if they are not needed, have agendas that I stick to, always start meetings on time, prepare minutes to meetings and follow up with meetings, encourage subordinates to suggest solutions to problems.  I also need to meet visitors in the doorway versus sitting in my office, go to subordinates office for brief meetings to control length of meeting, don’t over schedule the day or be a slave to the phone and my emails.  I need to have a place to work uninterrupted for getting things done so that I can have mind focus.  Also, I need to do something definite with every piece of paperwork even if that means throwing it away.  Keep the workplace clean and delegate work is also something that I need to strive to do routinely.

So what does this all mean?  It means I need to find life balance with concentration of time management both at work and at home; to remove stressors.  To do this I must find the things that case negative physiological, psychological and social reactions; coping with stress.  The best way for me to eliminate stress is to do so through effective time management, delegation, collaboration, interpersonal competence, work redesign, prioritizing, goal setting and setting myself up with small wins.    I also need to improve my resiliency.  This will be done through me developing an exercise program and improving my diet.