Time Management

• At any given time nurses are employees, students, spouses, parents and children.

• Cultural upbringing and gender.

• Monochronic & Polychronic

• Monochronic - In this style a person is very time oriented and likes to do one thing at a time, feel that deadlines are important, like well thought out plans, dislike interruptions and like their personal space.
• Polychronic - In this style a person does many things at once and are easily distracted, they tolerate interruptions, deadlines are goals not absolutes & these people can change plans more easily.
• Tendencies toward these two styles are ingrained through childhood experiences and are gender related.
• Time management strategies may be altered due to a need to adapt to circumstances such as going back to school or to match spousal preferences.
• Understanding personal inclinations toward time management may go a long way in dissipating conflict.

• Most time management diagnostic tools are rooted in the American business culture and are primarily of a monochronic outlook.

• Today, nurses must have the skills not only to organize personal time in the workplace, but also to coordinate the activities of other workers.
• The roles of staff nurse and manager are blended in many cases.

• Procrastination, perfectionism and not be able to prioritize.

• Procrastination - is often viewed ad a block to effective use of time.
• Perfectionism - is a common personality attribute in nurses. It can lead to procrastination for fear of making a mistake or it can cause nurses to do a job over & over again to get it just right. Having reasonable standards for practice helps to alleviate the need to be perfect.
• Not being able to Prioritize - may also impair the ability to be an effective time manager. Nurses need to be able to determine what has to be done immediately and what can wait for a later time in the workday or workweek.
• Prioritization may be place in four categories:
• Important & urgent
• Not important but urgent
• Not important and not urgent
• Important but not urgent

• Keep a time log or calendar, focus on getting starting while keeping the goal in mind, anticipate, organize your paperwork, use resources wisely, be positive and attentive to your personal needs, learn to say no, conduct effective meetings and end the workday on time.

• Keep a time log or calendar - A daily hour-by-hour log can help to give structure to the multitude of things that must be accomplished. For example to keep up with medications, treatments, teaching sessions, home-visits and committee meetings. A monthly calendar can provide structure for day-to-day things in the workplace or personal lives.
• Focus on getting started while keeping the goal in mind - Getting started on a task motivates you toward completing the task and looking at the final goal & thinking backwards allows you to break down the task into manageable parts.
• Anticipate - Try to think of those things not planned for that could arise, in other words plan for the unexpected & be flexible in dealing with urgent matters. For example in the possibility of staff absences plan for back-up staffing.
• Organize that paperwork - Know what to keep & what to throw away. If it isn't important throw it away! Each piece of paperwork should only be handled once. In reshuffling papers, important ones may get lost. Reply immediately to requests when you can & place important items where you can readily find them. Note: That some papers however should be handled more than 20 times.
• Use resources wisely - By using voice mail & electronic mail messages can be retrieved & answered during time that is personally convenient. However, technology has not replaced hard copies of procedure manuals & other references. These help to quickly locate resources. Routine information can also be placed in a memo book or on the computer. Systems for monitoring for replacement materials are also helpful very helpful. Remember your colleagues are an excellent resource as well.
• Be positive and attentive to personal needs - Feeling overburdened leads to feeling tired & hinders your ability to be productive. Try to see problems as challenges rather than roadblocks to success. Make time each day to attend to your own health. Take breaks and manage your stress i.e. workout or take walks.
• Learn to say "No"- Nurse leaders & others may feel guilty if they refuse to take on extra duties. Keeping a list of every committee one is on and every project to be completed can help nurse leaders to see when one more task is just too much. When one commitment is added, another should be deleted.
• Conduct an effective meeting - Meetings in themselves can be time wasters. Prepare an agenda that outlines the reason for the meeting, and stick to the agenda. Start the meeting on time & end it on time. Redirect conversations that get too far afield of the topic at hand. A conference room may be a better meeting place than an office where the telephone may interrupt conversations.
• End the workday on time - End the workday as close to on time as possible. Since the workload is expanding one cannot realistically expect to complete all that is required each day. Staying longer and always taking work home may indicate that a lot of time has been wasted during the day. Note: That for some creative projects working longer may be smarter.

• The tips used are only good if they are integrated into your personal style and the culture of the workplace.
• Traditional tips may not be as useful as advertised (as noted in 'Note" above) so be creative and flexible.
• Balance efficiency with what is important.
• Slowing down may actually be more efficient than working at an accelerated pace.

• Taking a few moments to plan daily activities and periodically taking stock of life goals and using time-management strategies that fit our personal style can help all of us to be more effective and efficient time managers.

The End! J