TIME MANAGEMENT

ARIEL M. ORTUOSTE, RN

Time management is a technique for allocating ones time through the setting of goals, assigning priorities, identifying and eliminating wasted time, and using managerial techniques to reach goals efficiently.

Time management is making optimal use of available time.

Because time is a finite and valuable resource, learning to use it wisely requires both leadership skills and management functions.

TIME MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES

1. Planning anticipates the problems that will arise from actions without thought. It anticipates the crises that may occur or the resources needed to solve the problems.

2. Tasks to be accomplished should be done in sequence and should be prioritized according to importance. Failure to prioritize oftentimes results in spending more time on unimportant tasks.

3. Setting deadlines in ones work and adhering to them is an excellent exercise in self-discipline. It enables the one to have time for himself/herself because of the effective use of time.

4. deferring, postponing, or putting off decisions, actions, activities can become a habit which often times cause lost opportunities and productivity, generating personal or interpersonal crises.

5. Delegation permits a manager to take authority for decision making and to assign tasks to the lowest level possible consistent with his/her judgment, facts, and experience.

TIME SAVING TECHNIQUES, DEVICES, METHODS TO BETTER USE OF TIME

1. Conduct an inventory of your activities

Logging your activities for one day would show how much time is usually spent on each activity. Identify your own problems. Examine your old habits that get in the way of using your time well.

2. Set goals and objectives and write them down. - set priorities, plan on making things happen rather than reacting to crises.

3. With the use of calendars, executive planners, logs or journals, write what you expect to accomplish yearly, monthly, weekly, or daily. - use an easy method to keep this information concise and organized.

4. Break down large projects into smaller parts. - do first things first and concentrate on one thing at a time. Get all the data you need to avoid breaks in your work. - complete each task at the first time.

5. Devote a few minutes at the beginning of each day for planning. - at the end of each day, account for the tasks you have accomplished. Prepare a list what are to be done the following day.

6. Organize your work space so it is functional. - sort paper work on your table according to priority.

7. Close your door when you need to concentrate. - agree on a period of quite office time. Avoid having an open door policy during the entire workday.

8. Learn to delegate. - delegation extends results from what one can do to what one can control. It also develops subordinates initiative, skills, and confidence.

9. In a meeting, define the purpose clearly before starting. - distribute the agenda in advance and control interruptions during the meeting. Conduct the meeting according to time schedule.

10. Take or return phone calls during specified time. - maintain a telephone log so you can return calls at one time if possible.

11. Develop effective decision-making skills. - do not be afraid to say no.

12. Take rest breaks and make good use of your spare time. - reward yourself periodically.

Three Basic Steps in Time Management

1. Allow time for planning and establish priorities. 2. Complete the highest priority task whenever possible, and finish one task before beginning another. 3. Reprioritize based on the remaining tasks and on new information that may have been received.

The truth about time: It is irreversible and irreplaceable.

We cant save it and use it later. We cant elect not to spend it. We cant borrow it. We cant leave it or retrieve it.

Without adequate planning, however, the manager finds getting started difficult and begins to manage by crisis.

Five Priority Setting Traps (Vacarro, 2001)

1. Whatever hits first. 2. The path of least resistance. 3. The squeaky wheel. 4. Default. 5. Inspiration.

One simple means of prioritizing what needs to be accomplished is to divide all requests for our time into three categories: dont do, do later, and do now.

Myths About Time Management

C. Baer
The most active get the most done. The higher the level, the better the decision. Delay increases the quality of decisions. Delegation always saves time, worry, and responsibility. If I do it myself, it will get done faster and better than anyone else. Some individuals must overwork because they are indispensable. The most efficient worker is also the most effective. The harder you work, the more you get done.

Symptoms of Poor Time Management

Constant rushing Caught in crisis mode Fatigue or restlessness, overwhelmed feeling Constantly missing deadlines Insufficient time for rest or personal relationships Sense of being overwhelmed by demands and details Having to do what you dont want to, most of the time

Two mistakes common to novice managers are underestimating the importance of a daily plan and not allowing adequate time for planning.

Crisis Management
Always remember that time management should be proactive, not crisis driven. Allowing time at the beginning of the day to plan will help reduce the need for crisis management.

Procrastination
means to put off something until a future time, to postpone, or to delay needlessly.

Emmett (2000) says the following about procrastination:

Procrastination is not a character flaw, but is a set of behaviors, that were developed over a period of time; they are behaviors that can be changed. The dread of doing a task uses more time and energy than doing the task itself.

Personal organization knowing and

understanding how and why you use time or set priorities as you do
How you waste time What types of work you avoid What is the best time of day for you to work How long you can work before becoming non-productive

Making Lists
Remember that lists are planning tools and thus must be flexible! Re-examine items that remain on the list day after day. Perhaps they dont need to be done or they need to be broken down into smaller tasks. Only put as many items on the daily list as can reasonably be accomplished in a day.

Internal Time Wasters

Procrastination Poor planning Failure to establish goals and objectives Inability to delegate Inability to say no Management by crisis Haste Indecisiveness Open-door policy

External Time Wasters

Telephone interruptions Socializing Meetings Lack of information Poor communication Lack of feedback Lack of adequately described policies and procedures Incompetent co-workers Poor filing system Paperwork and reading

Monochronic and Polychronic Time Management Styles

Monochronic style begins and ends projects on time, has a clean and organized desk, and is highly structured. Polychronic style tends to change plans, emphasizes relationships rather than tasks, and often works in a cluttered or disorganized environment.

The Time Inventory

Helps the individual determine how much time he or she spends on a particular task and what time of day he or she is most productive. It is important to maintain the time inventory for several days or even weeks and to repeat it annually to see if long-term changes have been made.

Taking regularly scheduled breaks from work is important because they allow the worker to refresh both physically and mentally.

PREPARING THE BUDGET

A BUDGET is the annual operating plan, a financial road map and plan which serves as an estimate of future costs and a plan for utilization of manpower, material and other resources to cover capital projects in the operating programs.

A NURSING BUDGET is a plan for allocation of resources based on preconceived needs for a proposed series of programs to deliver patient care during one fiscal year.

A HOSPITAL BUDGET is a financial plan to meet future service expectations. These expectations are derived from the best judgment of the needs of the community. Budgeting translates these needs to manpower, equipment and supplies so that both services are provided at the highest level of quality at a minimum costs.

A budget is simply a plan for future activities expressed in operational as well as financial or monetary terms.
Revenue budget summarizes the income which management expects to generate during the planning period.

Expense budget describes the expected activity in operational and financial terms for a given period of time. Capital budget outlines the programmed acquisition disposals and improvements in an institutions physical capacity. Cash budget represents the planned cash receipts and disbursements as well as the cash balances expected during the planning period.

BENEFITS DERIVED FROM THE BUDGETARY PROCESS

1. PLANNING
A. Budgeting stimulates thinking in advance. It anticipates future opportunities or problems and prepares for them. B. It leads to specific planning such as the volume and type of services to be rendered and revenue to be derived therefrom; the number and type of personnel required, the cost, volume and type of supplies needed.

C. Budget preparation stimulates action and interaction.

2. COORDINATION
a. The budgetary process has a balancing effects on the total organization, that is, the quantity and quality of service to be given a patient should closely equal the expected revenue. b. Budgeting encourages exchange of information. c. The budget process stimulates team play or team approach.

3. COMPREHENSIVE CONTROL
a. The budgeting process gives the administration an opportunity to evaluate the thinking of the budget contributor. b. Once the budget standards are set, comparisons between actual expenditures and budgeted standards can be made with little or no effort. c. Though the budgeting process is flexible, it tends to define fixed and agreed upon goals.

FACTORS IN BUDGET PLANNING

1. The type of patient (medical, surgical, maternity, pediatric, communicable diseases, chronically ill), length of stay in the hospital, and the acuteness of the illness. 2. The size of the hospital and its bed occupancy.

3. The physical layout of the hospital, the size and plan of the wards or units, nurses stations, etc. 4. Personnel policies a. salaries paid to the various types of nursing personnel, including pay for overtime or shift differential. b. extent of vacation and sick leaves, etc. c. staff development programs

5. The grouping of the patients such as those in specialized areas. 6. Standards of nursing care. 7. Method of performing nursing care. 8. Method of documentation. 9. Proportion of nursing care provided by professional nurses and those given by nonprofessionals

10. The amount and quality of supervision available and provided.

COMPONENTS OF BUDGET

CASH BUDGETS
Forecast the amount of money received. It consist of beginning cash balance, estimates of the receipts and disbursements, and estimated balances for a given period corresponding to that of the operating and capital budget.

OPERATING BUDGET
Deals primarily with salaries, contractual services, employee benefits, laundry service, drugs and pharmaceuticals, inservice education, travels to professional meetings, etc.

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES BUDGET

Consist of accumulated data for fixed assets that are expected to be acquired during the budgeted period.

END