Time Management

Jennifer Peel, PhDDirector of Education, Graduate Medical Education(How much can you cram into your life and how much more can you handle?)

First things firstYou cant manage time!

TimeManagementSelf

Purpose of Time (Self) ManagementStress=Managing time well can prevent much of the stress we are subject to.Balance=Good time habits can enable us to achieve a more balanced life, with adequate time and energy for work, home, family, self.Mackenzie, 1997

Purpose of Time (Self) ManagementProductivity=If you can become more effective with your time, you automatically increase your productivity.Goals=To make progress toward achieving your personal and professional goals, you need available time. Nothing can be done when youre out of time.Mackenzie, 1997

Misconceptions about Time ManagementTime management is nothing but common sense.I work best under pressure.I use an appointment calendar and a to-do list. Isnt that good enough?Im a spontaneous person. Time management will take all of the fun out of life.I dont have time to learn how to do all of this.

Building Blocks of Time ManagementGoalsTask ListTime Management ToolScheduled Planning Session

Planning Puts You in ControlSet long-range goals and objectives linked to them.

Effective GoalsSpecificMeasurableAchievableRealisticTimedSMART

Planning Puts You in ControlSet long-range goals and objectives linked to them.Establish priorities among those goals and objectives based on their long-range importance and short-range urgency.

PrioritiesFive Priority-Setting TrapsWhatever hits firstPath of least resistanceSqueaky wheelDefaultInspiration

Vaccaro, 2001

PrioritiesPriority Matrix

Mackenzie, 1997ImportanceUrgency

LowHighLowHigh

The 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle)Theory of predictable imbalanceThe relationship between input and output is rarely, if ever, balanced. 20% of your efforts produce 80% of the results.Vaccaro, 2000

The 80/20 RuleWhere are you?Youre in your 80% if youre:Working on tasks other people want you to, but have no investment in themFrequently working on tasks labeled urgentSpending time on tasks youre not good atComplaining all of the time

The 80/20 RuleWhere are you?Youre in your 20% if youre:Engaged in activities that advance your overall purpose in lifeDoing things you have always wanted to do or that make you feel good about yourselfWorking on tasks you dont like, but youre doing them know they related to the bigger pictureSmiling

Implementing the 80/20 RuleRead less. Identify the 20% of the journals you get that are most valuable.Keep current. Make yourself aware of new technological innovations.Remember the basics. Let your ethics and values guide your decision making, and youre bound to end up focusing on your 20%.

Planning Puts You in ControlSet long-range goals and objectives linked to them.Establish priorities among those goals and objectives based on their long-range importance and short-range urgency.Learn your personal energy cycle and sketch out an ideal day based on your best working times.

The Ideal Day

Mackenzie, 1997A Template for Your Daily Plan5:30-6:00 amCommute6:00-6:30 amReview Patient Charts6:30-8:30 amRounds8:30-11:30 am11:30-noonLunchNoon-

Planning Puts You in ControlSet long-range goals and objectives linked to them.Establish priorities among those goals and objectives based on their long-range importance and short-range urgency.Learn your personal energy cycle and sketch out an ideal day based on your best working times.Use the above three to create a plan for the day and write it down!

Putting it All Together

Mackenzie, 1997Start with long-range goals and objectives.Relate the days activities to those goals.Assign priorities to the days tasks according to their contribution to your overall goals.Schedule tasks according to priority and to the degree of concentration required.Stay on track, using the plan to guide you through crises and interruptions.

Time WastersLeaving tasks unfinishedInadequate staffSocializingConfused responsibility or authority

Poor communicationInadequate controls and progress reportsIncomplete informationTravel

Time WastersManagement by crisisTelephone interruptionsInadequate planningDrop-in visitorsIneffective delegationPersonal disorganizationLack of self-disciplineInability to say noProcrastinationMeetingsPaperwork

Just say noWhy is it so hard?Most of us have been taught that no is disrespectful and even insulting.We tend to value other peoples time more highly than our own.We have a need to cooperate and a desire to be liked.There are often unconscious concerns of being thought of as lazy or selfish.

Just say noHow do you say it?I cant do it right now, but I can fit it in later.I am not the best qualified person for that job, how about askingI just dont have any room in my schedule for the next few weeks.I cant focus on that right now.

Just say noHow do you say it?I have made a commitment to complete my current project/task ahead of any other.Normally I would say yes, but Ive had a few things come up unexpectedly and I have to deal with those first.I would rather say no than end up doing a second rate job for you.

ProcrastinationTheres a recognizable pattern to procrastination.There are ways to stop:Set meaningful goals.Dont believe in magic.Make good choices.Deal with the unpleasant.Do it.Dont do it yet.Ditch it.Delegate it.Vacarro, 1999

Categories of Time WastersThe Crisis ManagerThe Undisciplined ProcrastinatorThe Easily DistractedThe Perfectionist ResiternThe Systematically InefficientThe Non-CommunicatorThe Impulsive Wanderer

Getting Started

Begin each week by using your time management device to examine your task list/schedule and plan the coming week.Prioritize your tasks!Carry your planning device with you and start each day by checking your task list and your schedule for the next 3 days.Mark recurrent dates in your planner for the entire year.

Getting Started

Use retrograde planning to assure that you dont forget special projects or deadlines. Projects should be broken into components and retrograde planning should be done from the due date.What is the best use of my time right now?Take advantage of small bites of time.Plan activities according to your physiology.Build in time for exercise.

**Time is finite. There is only so much of it, and no matter what you do, you cant get more. Time is the only resource that must be spent the instant it is received, and it must be spent at one fixed rate: sixty seconds per minute, sixty minutes per hour. Thus, the very notion of time management is a misnomer. For we cannot manage time. We can only manage ourselves in relation to time. We cannot control how much time we have; we can only control how we use it. We cannot choose whether to spend it, but only how. Once weve wasted time, its goneand it cannot be replaced.*Most professionals are successful in spite of themselves. How much more productive could you be and less stressed with better time management?

NOBODY works best under pressure. Unless painted into a corner, some people lack the self-discipline to focus on completing a task. This is a favorite statement of procrastinators and perfectionists who fear that their best efforts may no be good enough. They avoid being measured by letting things go until the last minute then claiming, I COULD have done this better IF I had had more time. By not managing your time, you deny yourself the opportunity to do outstanding work.

These methods lack integration, focus and an opportunity to plan your future. The test time management tool is an integrated system that allows for easy retrieval of information, tracking of projects, is focused on goals and records key decisions.

Most time management experts agree that the average person can gain 2 hours per day through the use of time management techniques. Rushing to meet forgotten deadlines, or worrying about things that you need to do breeds stress. The added flexibility one enjoys through time management techniques actually promote creativity and spontaneity. You dont have time NOT to learn hoe to manage your time!

**Establishing specific goals is the first step in effective time management. This is absolutely critical, and it is often overlooked. Your goals set the focus for how you spend your time. As you become more adept at using your time effectively, you find that you make greater progress toward your goals.*People often confuse goals, or objectives, with priorities. Quite simply, priorities are objectives that have been ranked in order of importance. There are, however, five common priority setting traps.Do you choose your priorities simply by responding to things as they happen? If so, your priorities are really choosing you. Clarify your priorities by determining each tasks importance and level or urgency. This means negotiating with people to respond in a time frame thats convenient to you and agreeable to them. Its just easier to do it myself? You need to ask yourself these questions: Am I trying to avoid conflict? Does the task at hand require a medical degree?But do their requests really demand your immediate attention? If not, give them a specific time or date when they can expect you to respond. They may squeak a little more initially, but eventually theyll get your message and your priorities will remain your priorities, not theirs.It doesnt look like anyone is really going to start working on this report. I guess Ill do it. Setting your priorities by default guarantees that truly important tasks will be put on the back burner. To prevent this, before taking on that report, ask yourself when the report is due and whether its really your responsibility. If it isnt, determine who is responsible and ask them to give you periodic updates on their progress.If you wait until youre inspired to complete a task, it probably isnt going to happen. Instead, remind yourself that completing the task might have a pay-off. High-priority items wont always be the easiest and most pleasant tasks on your list, but dig in and do them anyway, and youll be glad you did.*How are you spending your time? Research of high-performing organizations suggests that the most successful people spend 65 to 80 percent of their time on activities that are important, but not urgent. Such activities include training and education, goal setting and relationship building. The typical person spends about 15 percent of his or her time on those activities and much more (50-60 percent) on putting out fires for urgent, but not important activities such as interruptions and handling other peoples priorities.*Learning to recognize and then focus on that 20% is the key to making the most effective use of your time. Twenty percent of your colleagues, staff and patients probably give you 80 percent of the support and satisfaction you need. They are your true advocates and you need to take care of them. Lets look at some examples to implementing the 80/20 rule.****All of us have significant tasks that occur more or less regularly. Who decides when you do these things, at what hour of the day? You do. Now add to that the idea of your personal energy cycle. Most of us have certain times of the day when were more energetic, mentally fresher, and other times when were less effective. Many people have an energy dip right after lunch (Siesta!). Study yourself for a few days. Are you a slow starter, or do you do your best work first thing in the morning? Plot your own energy cycle, and plan your day around it. Schedule your key tasks for your best working times, and work on those tasks at the same time each day.**If you dont have goals, you may not be aware of where youre heading so it wont really matter if you procrastinate. Thats one way to rationalize it, but it wont get you very far. Youll be more likely to tackle an unpleasant task if you see the larger value in it.Decide that the project is important enough for you to schedule its beginning and completion dates on your calendar. If its not important enough to merit calendar space, then perhaps you should drop the idea of working on it. Even scheduling something to start six months or a year from now is better than waiting for a block of time thats never going to come.No one can do it all, so choose carefully what you will do in this lifetime. If youre doing something important to you, then you arent procrastinating. There should be no guilt in admitting that youre working first on whats most important and letting other tasks wait. But, if letting things wait leaves you feeling a loss financially, personally, professionally, or in terms of your self-esteem, then you need to get tough on procrastination.Avoiding something unpleasant is the #1 reason why people procrastinate.Dont do it yet=prudent postponementIf youre not sure what to do, putting off an unpleasant task may be wise.*Crisis Manager=This person is always putting out fires and does not concentrate on advanced planning or learning from mistakes to avoid future crises. This lack of planning compounds any underlying disorganization.Set a daily and weekly plan and stick to it.Anticipate problemsLearn from the pastDont ovverractUtilize electronic aids

Undisciplined Procrastinator=a lack of self-discipline and enjoyment of socializing often lead this resident to procrastinate. Whether from fatigue or a lack of interest, absent self-discipline prevents him from achieving necessary goals. His socializing can either be a cause of or an excuse for the snowballing effect of procrastination.Develop self-disciplineMatch tasks to energy levelSet deadlines for yourselfDevelop techniques to cue the end of social time.

Easily Distracted=This resident allows himself to be readily diverted from the task at hand whether by people or events. A lack of focus and an inability to prioritize prevent him from being optimally effective.Use text pagersHandle calls efficientlyFrame time for visitors/family meetingsSet realistic deadlinesReward yourself on finishing

Perfectionist Resitern=I can do it best myself is often this persons motto. This belief, whether from fear of failure or another cause, prevents him from effectively using other team members to help the team function efficiently. The inability to delegate can apply both to those below and above.Estimate time betterResist taking overLearn to delegateGive clear instructionsSupport and coach as neededLearn to say no

Systematically Inefficient=He allows the inefficiencies of the system to dictate his productivity. He is not able to develop personal systems to solve or, at the least, to deal with systemic inefficiencies over which he may believe he has no control.Avoid unnecessary meetingsHandle paperwork as it happensTeach team members better use of timePropose solutions to system inefficiencies

Non-Communicator=He is unable to communicate his goals and plans effectively to those around him. She does not provide or obtain regular updates on progress toward goals and does not define, for himself or others, their roles at the start of a new task.Understand/confirm whos responsible.Be a good listenerClarify assumptionsAsk for feedbackSet time for progress reports

Impulsive Wanderer=this person is often backtracking, retracing his steps because he made decisions too hastily and without all the facts. Do a thorough initial assessmentCoordinate planning

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