Time Management and Other Management Skills - Term Paper Example

Learning Contract and Action Plan Report Management Skills Tutor/Lecturer: Due: Student Name: Executive Summary Time management skills are an ability that everyone should have, but is very important for managers as they are in a position where they must make sure that others are using their time wisely. According to Croft (1996), “Most managers today are experiencing increased workloads and reduced resources to achieve challenging business goals. Faced with this scenario the skills associated with time management have grown in importance” (p. vii). The key to time management includes being able to understand how time is being spent during any given day to help understand where improvements can be made. The first theory examined for assistance in improving time management was being able to identify time wasters that can come about in a day. These are all the tasks that can be eliminated or set aside for another time to make more time for more important tasks that have a higher priority for getting done. The next theory that was used to improve time management skills was learning how to be able to say no to co-workers and friends when they are requesting an individual to take on additional duties. There are times when it is possible to be able to take on extra work that others may be unable to do, but it is important to know how to say no to work that will unbalance a schedule (Croft, 1996, p. 98). The following week tested the third and fourth theories. The third theory requires learning that efficiency is about being able to know how to put complicated tasks things aside when they are too difficult to tackle at that moment and coming back to them with a fresh mind (Rees and Porter, 2008, p. 39). This allows a person to use their time effectively without trying to force a schedule that may not work at that particular time, so it is important to be flexible when working on tasks in a day. The fourth theory speaks on how it is important to schedule a day based on priority of what needs to be done at a particular time (Rees and Porter, 2008, p. 37). Each of these theories and time management tricks were tested during a four week period. The results have shown positively that understanding and applying time management theories can allow for a person to change the way that they use their time in a day to be more effective. Contents 1.0 Time Management Page 4 2.0 Time recognition Page 4 3.0 Time Wasters Page 4 4.0 Being Assertive Page 5 5.0 Efficient Use of Time Page 5 6.0 Scheduling by Priorities Page 5 7.0 Findings Page 6 8.0 Conclusion Page 7 9.0 References Page 9 1.0 Time Management The best way to determine how time is being used in any given day is to set up a time journal or log that shows exactly what activities are being done at what time and for how long. It can also be helpful to note how much was accomplished during these time periods as time that is being spent staring at a piece of paper can be considered a time waster. According to Kreitner (2008), “In these fast-paced times, managers should not confuse being busy with being effective and efficient. Results are what really count” (p. 156). Keeping a log for a week can help to identify any issues or problems with time management that might not be noticeable without keeping documentation. This log can then be compared with a log after different theories are implemented to see how successful the time management has been using those theories. 2.0 Time Recognition The best way to determine how time is being used in any given day is to set up a time journal or log that shows exactly what activities are being done at what time and for how long. It can also be helpful to note how much was accomplished during these time periods as time that is being spent staring at a piece of paper can be considered a time waster. According to Kreitner (2008), “In these fast-paced times, managers should not confuse being busy with being effective and efficient. Results are what really count” (p. 156). Keeping a log for a week can help to identify any issues or problems with time management that might not be noticeable without keeping documentation. This log can then be compared with a log after different theories are implemented to see how successful the time management has been using those theories. 3.0 Time Wasters Time wasters are activities that prevent an individual from using their time wisely. Some individuals may find that they have scheduled themselves time to work on a certain project, but are unable to work on that particular project. Due to the fact that this was scheduled for that time, they may feel unable to change their schedule to accommodate this change. Another type of time waster is something that is being done that is unnecessary, such as traveling from point A to point B, and then back to point A. Time wasters are things that need to be completely eliminated from a person’s daily tasks as they keep the person from achieving the goal that they have set for themselves (Croft, 1996, p. 77). By completely the time log in the previous week it is possible to identify those tasks that are acting as deadweight to a schedule. 4.0 Being Assertive Being assertive without being aggressive allows for an individual to be able to not take on too many extra tasks during their day that might otherwise overwhelm the schedule that they have put into place for that time period. According to Griffin (2012), “Juggling all these demands successfully requires a clear understanding of priorities, scheduling, and a number of related factors” (p. 199). Having this understanding will allow for a person to be able to know whether or not a task will be possible for them to accomplish in the time period that they have been given for the task without eliminating a priority that they had already set or stressing themselves out over. 5.0 Efficient Use of Time It is important to understand that keeping yourself busy does not necessarily mean that you are being “effective and efficient” (Kreitner, 2008, p. 156). Busy work that is not really accomplishing something for the person that has other tasks that need to be completed is not using their time management skills effectively. A person must be able to see clearly which tasks are the ones that can be done instead of time wasters, busy work or additional tasks that are not necessary. 6.0 Scheduling by Priorities It is important to understand what tasks will have a higher priority than other tasks during the day. Being able to do tasks based on their priority will help a person become more efficient in the way that they manage their time during a day. The things that need to be done right away are put first with other tasks either being delegated to saved for a less busy time in the schedule. It is important to note that even priority tasks that may seeming too difficult to tackle at a particular time would be best to set aside for efficiency sake if the deadline is not too close, as it can help to go back to it at a later time to get a better result. 7.0 Findings The aim of using these time management theories was to learn how to better balance university, work and personal time as spending too much time on one aspect of life can cause stress, problems in relationships and unhealthy behaviours. The first step in determining the best way to go about learning to balance out the workload in life was using a time log that would help to identify how time was being used and if it was being used in an effective manner. It became apparent that while being able to mostly stick with a schedule, it is still possible to not use time in the most effective manner possible. This then would cause stress in trying to make up for lost time when one priority is not being taken care of because a person is focused on something that is not as important. The ultimate goal of this action plan was to be able to improve the way that time is spent to make sure that every aspect of life is getting the proper attention needed and that nothing is being neglected, such as school work, friends and family. I was very surprised to see how many different time wasters that were in the schedule from that one week. The amount of time that I was missing out on could have been used much more effectively. This was a very effective way to be able to compare the way that I was using my time before putting this action plan into place and the way that I was using my time after implementing my action plan. The time log can also be useful to evaluate each particular theory to identify which ones are having the biggest impact on the way that I manage my time. The second week included the theory of removing time wasters from my schedule and learning how to be more assertive when it comes to people asking me to do things for them that I might not necessarily have the time to work on. I found that I was able to eliminate quite a few things from my schedule that were not providing me with a benefit, such as going to the restaurant for all of my meals. Cooking at home saved quite a bit of time from my schedule. I also found that by planning a better route when shopping, I was not back tracking my route. It was eye-opening to see how much time I was wasting by not making better plans for what I planned to pick up at certain stores and markets. Keeping my log for this week helped to show that I was no longer completing the time wasting tasks that I had done the week before showing real promise for my time management theory application. The second portion of week two was learning to be more assertive when people inquire about taking on additional tasks or duties. There are plenty of times in the past where I would allow myself to be overworked because I was unable to say “no” to anyone when they would ask me for help. I have learned through this time management process that I have been sabotaging my own schedule by helping others in this fashion. Now, I am taking the time to evaluate whether or not it is something that my schedule can really accommodate or not. My time log has shown that this has made a big difference, and the amount of stress that I feel has been reduced because I no longer feel that obligation to get everything accomplished that other people should be working on. The next week I tackled the theories of understanding that being busy was not necessarily being as efficient as possible and that priorities need to be set for the tasks that I work on during a week. I found that I would sit for a long time trying to figure out a particular problem or get over a writer’s block. I thought that because I was being busy and applying myself to the tasks that I needed to complete that I was going about this in the right fashion. When I stopped trying to force work, and moved on to the next task, I found that I was getting more done. Even more importantly, I found that the work that I did not force, but gave some time was produced much better than the work that I previously had forced. It really changed the way that I look at getting work completed. The next theory was that it is important to set priorities for tasks. Before working on the time management skills, I found myself procrastinating on tasks that I really needed to start working on at an early date, but would work on other tasks that were more enjoyable first. After implementing this new knowledge, I would pay better attention to the tasks that I needed to place a higher priority on and wait on those tasks that I knew that I did not need to accomplish right away. Both of these theories had a big impact on the way that I use my time management skills. This action plan had the goal of finding a better balance between my work, university and personal time. It was very successful in accomplishing this as I no longer feel stressed or overworked. I found it interesting that each of these skills seemed to interact with the others inn helping me to improve my schedule. 8.0 Conclusion I found that after analysing my information from the pre-test and the post-test that I was able to use time management theories to improve my life and meet my goal of balancing my life better between university, work and my personal life. I identified my time wasters and eliminated them from my schedule, I no longer find myself taking on extra work, but have learned to be assertive without being aggressive, along with understanding how to be efficient, and scheduling my tasks based on priority. Each of the theories that I found on time management allowed me to learn from my mistakes to improve the way that go about my day. 9.0 References: Croft, C. (1996). Time management. London: International Thomson Business Press. Griffin, R. W. (2012). Management (11th ed.). Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning. Janasz, S. C., Dowd, K. O., & Schneider, B. Z. (2009). Interpersonal skills in organizations (3rd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Kreitner, R. (2008). Management (11th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.. Rees, W. D., & Porter, C. (2008). Skills of management (6th ed.). London: Cengage Learning. Read More