Time Management Skills, Setting Goals and Objectives - Literature review Example

Time Management Skills Setting Goals and Objectives: A Literature Review Name of Student: Student No: Date: Name of Supervisor: Introduction The first five journals are an introduction to time management, giving basic information on the rudiments of the skill. It gives the reader the relevant background that they need to get started on practising time management. Journal of European Medical Writers Association (1) This article puts together a collection of websites that assist one to learn time management techniques. The aim is to gather together various resource sources that can be used by the researcher as they attempt to research time management skills. Four websites were featured which deal with synchronising work and personal life through ten methods of time management. The next website is a video by Professor Randy Pausch on time management. The third site deals with creating personal boundaries between work time and personal time and finally a comic piece spoofing the need for time management and the benefits of stress. The heading of this article therefore turns out to be misleading because the article does not talk about any art of time management and has nothing new to offer in the discourse on time management skills. Instead it tends to spout clichés and state the obvious. As an academic piece, it is barely useful except perhaps for the links it provides. World Applied Sciences Journal (2) This study aims at determining how the share of effective factors affects time management among managers. It was done by surveying a statistical sample of 112 managers using survey questionnaires detailing time management. The hypotheses were that time management varies with service experience; or different experience of management; differing education; and finally that there is a correlation between effective factors in time management such as control of troublemakers, sufficient expertise, communication and meetings, planning and personal interest, that influence the degree of time management in the group. The results support the first hypothesis with an indication that time management varies with the different managers depending on the amount of experience each has, their background and education. Since random sampling was used to identify respondents, the question of bias does not arise. Scientific methods, which are ANOVA, were used to analyse the data which adds to the viability and reliability of results. However, without a look at the questionnaire it is difficult to gauge the objectivity of the questions and whether or not they were designed to excite specific responses. The writing style is suitable for a general academic audience. While the objective is to measure share of effective factors, the article fails to take into account contributing factors not related to time management. It makes the assumption that there is a direct relationship between time management and the effective factors to be shared without mentioning margin of error brought about by other factors coming into play. The sample is also very small, for such a generalised conclusion and all managers sampled are from the same region which is a factor when it comes to reproducibility of results. Libraries from the College and Universities Libraries Section (CULS) (3) This article was written by Morgan O.H. McCune and it articulates the difficulty of controlling time. He goes on to lament the dearth of literature that could assist in the proper use of time although many have learned to do so without training. The article is a book review on how to manage time in libraries which leads to conclusions and recommendations. It examines various books dealing with time management from the sixties to the new millennium. The methodology used features a professional cataloguer. The results showed that non-cataloguing activities take up more time than cataloguing ones did. The recommendations concentrated on how future studies can be improved based on the data from the present study but there was no indication of how the present study would be used to enhance time management now that the study had identified problem areas. Thus the article leaves the reader hanging in a way because although it gives background information and indeed lives up to its heading of ‘where did the time go?’ it offers no solutions as to how this time allocation can be corrected. Wall Street Journal (4) It is a report that the author gives on three different time management tools she has tried out, in answer to enquiries from her readers. The time period in which the tools were tested out was one week which the author concedes is slightly less than ideal. However, the author was able to give preliminary findings on the effectiveness of each tool. The first one was the ‘Getting Things Done’ or GTD technique which focuses on organising the tasks one needs to do into clusters of similar tasks. It covers everything from present tasks, both personal and professional, future aspirations and other miscellaneous activities. The author conceded that the system is beneficial when organising oneself but may be a bit involved for long-term use. The information given is however sufficient to enable readers to make a start on the system and gives links to locations where further information can be obtained should the reader be interested. Figure 1: an example of a GTD flow chart The second system is the Pomodoro Technique which involves a ticking tomato that marks off tasks in 25-minute clamps followed by 5-minute breaks. Each session is marked off with an X and any interruption to the session with an apostrophe. This assists the user to develop an awareness of how much they procrastinate when carrying out a task. The way the system works, no interruptions are to be tolerated. The system seems to be good for enabling the reader to develop self-awareness on how much time they spend on a task they seek to accomplish and how procrastination becomes a bottleneck in the achievement of these tasks. It does not however seem sustainable in the long run because it does not provide for unexpected events that happen that would interrupt the flow of tasks whether the reader likes it or not. The third system is FranklinCovey’s Focus. It involves enabling the reader to achieve their highest priorities including looking after their health, spending quality times with loved ones as well as achieving professional goals. It also features the four-quadrant time matrix which distinguishes tasks according to their relative importance and urgency. It is good for breaking urgency addiction and streamlining priorities. It looks like a good method to follow in the long-term because of it does not require continuous monitoring of tasks, but simply getting into the habit of categorising tasks that can even be a wholly mental process without the hassle of constantly writing things down. As a whole the article is beneficial to any reader who is interested in time management tools and gives them the wherewithal to get started. A Midwest Journal (5) This article gives advice on how to manage time, and to include in that time management all aspects of the body, that is, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual. It advises that to reap the full rewards of time management all these aspects must be taken into account and gives a few practical guides on how to do this. The article is fairly shallow and does not offer much new insight but mostly repeats what is already written elsewhere. There are no new solutions proposed on how to manage one’s time, with mostly regurgitated suggestions such as writing everything done, and conducting a review of one’s activities being touted. The article is suitable for a general audience and may be helpful to those who have no previous experience of time management skills or tools. Unfortunately there are no links or any indication as to where one can go to learn more on the same. Conclusion The first five journals covered everything from the various methods of managing time to the reasons why it is necessary. Many helpful tips were given for the student of time management and why it is necessary as well as the mechanics that can be used to achieve the same. Recommendations that can be gleaned from the journals are that time management is a skill that grows over time and requires constant practise until it becomes a habit that is second nature. This is not a phenomenon that can be achieved in a short time but is a long-term endeavour. Also in order to better manage time, procrastination is a huge bottleneck. In order to become more efficient time managers, it is essential to identify one’s sources of procrastination and then attempt to minimise them. Initially, time management is a very involved process involving a lot of record keeping and establishing of patterns. Once it is understood what factors stand in the way of efficient time management, it involves finding ways to avoid these factors and then developing new habits that facilitate the new paradigm. Introduction The following articles expand on the work done in the first section, giving a more in-depth look at time management and examining what empirical research has been done on the same. The Wisdom Journal (6) This article gives pieces of advice on how to increase the efficient use of time in order to facilitate time and professional development. This include choosing on what to maximise time use, and what to minimise it on, urging proper record-keeping of time management, picking a method of time management and using it, being aware of how time is spent and consciously planning how one is going to spend time. It provides links to other sites that may explain more about various aspects of the topic but is nevertheless rather shallow and offers not much that is new on the subject. It acts simply as a repository of information in case a reader requires some basic tips on the same. The purpose of the article is simply to demonstrate the author’s knowledge of the topic while giving rudimentary knowledge to the reader. It may be a good source of information for anyone who is pressed for time and looking for an overview on time management without the bother of reading too much detail. The Network Journal (7) The seventh journal is 7 Timely Tips to Improving Time Management by Dianne Walker published in The Network Journal. This article is suitable for the work environment, emphasising proper use of time in the workplace such as limiting meetings, spending an allocated amount of time on correspondence, making lists that assist in keeping track of tasks that need to be done, prioritising and completing tasks on a daily basis. The article is well articulated and gives some useful if unoriginal advice. The thrust of the article is about gaining control of the workday in order to reap the maximum benefit from it. It does not provide any references to other works that may be of use in case further information is required but it is quite articulate on how to organise the day in a way that manages time efficiently. Harvard Business Review (8) The article begins with a quote from former French president François Mitterrand about giving time for time. This sets the tone of the article which is about the importance of appreciating the time that we have. Once we come to an appreciation that this time is not infinite, we will be able to allocate it appropriately. Since a majority of time is spent in the workplace, the article seeks to advise on ways to make this time more worthwhile by asking oneself a few gut check questions. The first question is whether or not we are spending time working towards achieving a stated purpose. This will be answered by being able to articulate why one is working rather than what one is working on. The second question is whether or not all the hard work we are putting in is achieving anything. It is possible to run very hard, and not move from the same spot or else reach the wrong destination. This can be avoided by conducting calendar audits, dedicating sufficient time to thinking and minimising the multi-tasking because this leads to lower productivity. The article is a useful guide which offers something new in form of highlighting the how of time allocation as it pertains to what is important in your life. It is both a business and idealist type of article that is useful when planning ultimate life goals and can be used in business as well as personal life. It also is a departure from other such articles by mentioning the importance of unscheduled time. Many times we tend to squander the time that has not been allocated to a meeting or work plan or other activity because we are at a loss for what to do with it. Journal of Applied Psychology (9) This is an empirical research on whether time management behaviour affects performance and satisfaction at work and also minimises tensions in the workplace. The view touted by popular literature according to the article is that it does, but the article asserts that there is no concrete evidence to back up this view or even a theoretical framework to support it. The author therefore intends to correct this deficiency using the process model of time management. This was done by assigning jobs of varying scale to employees whose performance was rated by supervisors. When the path coefficients were examined, the results indicated that time management behaviour may have advantageous effects when it comes to job tensions and job satisfaction but not on job performance. Despite what is said in popular literature, training in time management did not equate to improved job performance. This study seeks to find an academic basis for earlier claims of the relationship between time management and job performance. It does point out that earlier studies have been done, but with less stringent parameters than were used in this study. It also points out the gaps that it left which can be taken up by future studies. As an empirical research it is quite comprehensive and apart from adding new information through empirical study, it has also given direction on where to go next for anyone who would like to take it up. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management (10) This article examines the effect of procrastination on time management. It examines the reasons behind it and why it is detrimental to individuals. It is an empirical research that utilised data gathered from an online discussion board chronicling the behaviour of 120 MBA students. It involved them completing an assignment on a specific date for each student and another which was to be collaboration for all students by the end of the semester. Results indicated that it is more likely for a deadline to be met on individual projects rather than collaborative ones. The individual assignments were completed on time, even when voluntary but the collaborative one was delayed when compulsory, and not completed at all, when voluntary. Thus the discussion focused on the implications of these results as pertains to effective time management when collaboration is required for online environments specifically. The article concluded by recommending that had the collaborative tasks been broken down and each individual assigned a different portion, with an interim deadline for hand in, the effects of procrastination might have been less. Thus, to increase attention economy efficiency in collaborative efforts, then the evidence of progress from individual team members provides motivation to other team members to also keep to their deadlines. This is important new information that has surfaced on the concept of minimising procrastination which is a big detractor to time management. In addition, the article offers suggestions as to how further gaps it has left can be filled by future research. Conclusion The five journals above act as a teaching tool to how time can be managed in a more efficient manner. The fifth journal offers tips on time management that give a breakdown in sound-byte form of ways in which this can be achieved. It is beneficial to those who are new to the subject and does give some links to follow up on the topic. The sixth journal article is similar to the fifth except that emphasis is on workplace time management and how to get the most out of one’s day. It is also good for quick tips but does not provide links to enable follow up of these tips. It is therefore rather shallow but may be good for anyone looking for reminders on how to manage their workday. The eighth article contains a bit more meat and concerns the general use of time in a way that is most beneficial to the individual. It involves looking at one’s time from an overview of one’s ultimate life purpose and planning accordingly. It provides some good tips on how this can be done and recommends the author’s book should further readings be desired. The next article is an empirical research on testing the process model. It provides useful information on the relationship between time management and job performance that contradicts earlier views. The tenth article is also an empirical examination of procrastination and how it affects completion of tasks, both of the individual and a group. The results indicate that group work is more likely to be a casualty of procrastination as compared to individual assignments. This study is useful when considering the mechanics of getting group work accomplished as it recommends effective ways in which procrastination can be minimised. References Flauaus, J. (2008). ‘The Art of Time Management’. Journal of European Medical Writers Association Vol. 17, No. 3 Gafni, R. & Geri, N. (2010) Time Management: Procrastination Tendency in Individual and Collaborative Tasks. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management.Vol. 5 Hassanzabeh, R., and Ebadi, A.G. (2007) Measure the Share of the Effective Factors and Time Management. World Applied Sciences Journal 2 (3): 168-174. Haynes, R. (2011) 7 Time Management Tips. The Wisdom Journal. Macan, T.H. ( 2010) Time Management: Test of a Process Model. Journal of Applied Psychology. Vol 9 No. 3. McCune, M.O.H (2011) Where Did My Time Go? Time Management in Libraries. Libraries from the College and Universities Libraries Section (CULS) Volume 1 Shellenbarger, S. (2009) No Time to Read This? Read This. Wall Street Journal. Work and Family. U.S. Home Edition. Tjan A.K. (2011) Make Time for Time. Harvard Business Review. December 22nd. Walker, D. (2010) 7 Timely Tips to Improving Time Management. The Network Journal. Worstell, R (2010) How to Implement Personal Time Management. A Midwest Journal. July 30th. Read More