time management

Lecture presented at SQU Medical College Oct 29, 2011

Time Management

Dr. Rafi Ashrafi Associate Professor and Head

Information Systems DepartmentCollege of Commerce and Economics

Sultan Qaboos University


Agenda• Why to learn about time management?• What is the biggest Challenge in your life? • Where to start? What to do?• Self assessment -understating how you spend your

time• Key to success • Time management Matrix• Organizing and planning your time • Determining priorities• Developing strategies


Why you need to learn about time management ?

• Study a number of subject areas• Do clinical rotations and calls• Prepare for Exams• Deal with crisis• Need time for your personal life, study, health,

family, entertainment, and other plans/objectives • Challenge:

How to balance your personal, social, academic and professional life?


Time Management is the art of

getting things doneeffectively and

efficiently


Benefits of Time Management

• Less time spent on firefighting and responding to crises

• Focus on things that produce results• Help you how to work through problems and

challenges• More time for family, friends, and leisure• Reduce stress and fatigue• Greater sense of achievement


Facts about Time• Time is a precious commodity• We feel we can do more if we have more time• Allah Subhanahu Taala has given every one 24 hours• The real differentiating factor is how we utilize our time• Most of us do not realize how we spend our time • Try this for a week: Record a daily log of activities from

waking-up to going to bed at night • You will be surprise to know that how much time

– you spent on important and productive activities– you spent on unimportant activities and– how much time did you waste


Balancing the different elements of your life

• Ask yourself:• Are there elements of my life that are currently

taking a greater portion of my time than they should? If so, what are they?

• Why have they become so excessively demanding?

• What elements in my life should I be spending more time on?

• What I should do to start adjusting the balance between these?


Effective time management

• Right attitude – time conscious, commitment, positive thinking, motivation

• Planning: – Assessing your current working practice – time log– Analyzing where time goes now– Developing strategies how to improve time

management • Implementing the strategies• Monitoring and control – how are you doing?


Identify and control time wasters• Loosing things• Telephone• Procrastination• Reverse delegation


Identify and control time wasters

• Perfectionism• Distractions• Emails• Surfing the Internet


Things which matter most

must never be at the mercy of things

which matter leastGoethe


Self assessment • Take a moment and write down a short

answer to the following two questions: • Q.1. What one thing could you do (you

aren’t doing now) that if you did on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your personal life?

• Q.2. What one thing in your professional life would bring similar results.


Key to Success• E.M. Gray spent his life in searching for the one

denominator that all successful people share. • He found it wasn’t hard work, good luck, or astute

human relations, though those were all important. • The one factor that seemed to transcend all the

rest embodies the essence of:

putting first things first• The successful people have the habit of doing the

things failures don’t like to do. • Key is to: Organize and execute around priorities


Four generations of Time Management • 1st G: Notes and Checklists• 2nd G: Calendars and Appointments books• 3rd G: current time management, • it adds to those preceding generations:– the important idea of prioritization, – of clarifying values and of comparing the relative worth

of activities. – it focuses on setting goals - specific long term,

intermediate and short term targets– It also includes the concept of daily planning, of making

a specific plan to accomplish those goals and activities that are of greatest worth.


Four generations of Time Management

• 4th G: Emerging • It recognizes that time management is really a

misnomer- the challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves.

• Rather focusing on things and time, the 4th G expectations focus on preserving and enhancing relationships and on accomplishing results.

• The essential focus of 4th G of management can be captured in the time management matrix diagram.


Not Urgent Urgent

IIACTIVITIES:Prevention, PC activitiesRelationship buildingRecognizing new opportunitiesPlanning, recreation

IACTIVITIES:CrisesPressing problemsDeadlines-driven projects

Important

IVACTIVITIES:Trivia, busy workSome mailSome phone callsTime wastersPleasant activities

IIIACTIVITIES:Interruptions, some callsSome mail, some reportsSome meetingsProximate, pressing mattersPopular activities

Not Important

The Time Management Matrix


II I RESULTS:

• Stress• Burnout• Crisis management•Always putting out fires

IV

III


II I

IV III RESULTS:

• Short-term focus• Crisis management• Reputation• See goals and plans as

worthless• Feel victimized, out of

control• Shallow or broken

relationships


II I

IV III

RESULTS:

• Total irresponsibility• Fired from jobs• Dependent on others or institution for basics


I

II

RESULTS:

• Vision, perspective• Balance• Discipline• Control• Few crises


Determining Priorities • Quadrant I: Urgent and important– Need immediate attention

• Quadrant II: Important but not urgent– Spent as much time as possible on these tasks

• Quadrant III: Urgent but not important– Don’t let these items draw your attention away from

those in Quadrant II– Such tasks may be delegated, or say no

• Quadrant IV: Nor urgent neither important– Don’t waste time on these tasks


Self assessment

• If you were to fault yourself in one of three areas, which would it be:

• 1) the inability to prioritize• 2)The inability or desire to organize around those

priorities• 3)The lack of discipline to execute around them, to

stay with your priorities and organization?

• Most people say their main fault is a lack of discipline.


Key to success: Self Management

• You need a tool that encourages you, motivates you, actually helps you spend the time you need in Quadrant II,

• So that you are dealing with prevention rather than prioritizing crises.

• The best way is to organize your life on weekly basis. • You can still adapt and prioritize on daily basis, but

the fundamental thrust is organizing the week.

• The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.


Self Management

• Selecting Goals: • Think one or two important results you feel you

should accomplish in each role during the next seven days.

• These would be recorded as goals• At least some of these goals should reflect Quadrant

II activities• Ideally , these weekly goals should be tied with your

long-term goals you have identified in your mission statement.


Self Management• Scheduling:• Look at the week ahead with your goals in mind

and schedule time to achieve them.• A good habit is to set aside a block of one or two

hour time on a day and work on it. • Thursday or Friday or other day of the week is

often the ideal time to plan your more personally uplifting activities, including weekly organizing.


Self Management

• Daily adapting:• With Quadrant II weekly organizing, – daily planning becomes a function of daily prioritizing

activities and responding to unanticipated events. • Taking a few minutes each morning to review

your schedule will put you in control of your daily activities

• As you overview the day, you can see your roles and goals provide a natural prioritization to balance your long term life goals.


A week in Clinical rotations

Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed

8-9 AM Morning report

Morning report

Morning report

Morning report

Morning report

9 AM-2 PM

CTU CTU CTU CTU CTU

2-3 PM SeminarBreathless

ness

Radiology

CXR&HRCT

Bedside procedur

es

SeminarJaundice

SeminarHepatitis

3-4 PM Clin Physiolog

yPFT

SeminarManagem

ent

Spirometry

Biochemist

Interpretation of LFTs

Mx of Hepatitis

4 PM onwards

On-call On-call On-call On-call On-call


MissionStatement

Roles Goals

LONG-TERM ORGANIZING

WEEKLY ORGANIZING

MissionStatement

Roles Goals

Schedule

Delegate


Individual-Personal Development.

Spouse/Parent

Student /Intern

Draft personal mission statement

Register for a seminar on time management

Visit Grandfather in hospital

Confirm concert tickets

Help my son/daughter in his/her science project

Get Abeer’s bike fixed

Visit Uncle/aunty

Prepare for test

Complete round reports

Attend seminar on cancer

Review progress with your advisor


Draft personal mission

statement

Register seminar

Visit grandfather in hospital

Confirm concert

tickets

Ahmed’s science project

Abeer’s bike

Prepare for Test

Complete reports

Review progress

Attend cancer seminar

Individual-Personal Development

Spouse/Parent

Student/Intern

The WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Roles Goals

Friday Thursday Wednesday Tuesday Monday Sunday Saturday Week of:

Today’s Priorities Weekly Priorities

Visit Grand-father

Ahmed’s Science project

Mission Statement

Seminar registration

Concert ticket

Prepare for test

Abeer’e bike

Appointment/Commitments

8-9 private time

8-9Private time

8-9 morning report

8-9 morning report

8-9 morning report

8 -9 morning report

8-9 morning report

9: 10Reading Quran

9-11 am Ahmed’s Science project

9-2 CTU

9-2 CTU

9-2 CTU

9-2 CTU

9-2 CTU

10 -11 study

11-12 Abeer’s bike

2-3-pm Seminar

Breathlessness

2-3- pm Radiology

CXR&HRCT

2-3- pm Bedside

procedures

2-3- pm SeminarJaundice

2-3 pm SeminarHepatitis

11-12 private time

11:30 12:30Gym

Clin Physiology

PFT

SeminarManagement

Spirometry BiochemistryInterpretation

of LFTs

Mx of Hepatitis

2-5 prepare for test

4:00 pm onwards On-call





4- 6 pm Visit Grand-father

Evening after 5:00 pm private time

Evening after 5:00 pm





1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

2

1

1

6

2

7

3

9

57 8

10

6

487

5

3

4

109

10


Organize your time • You may download a preplanning journal:

http://www.kztraining.com/timekeepingjournal/pdf/Timekeeping%20Journal.pdf

• Analyze your daily activities and find out:– What proportion of your time is currently spent on

unimportant tasks (Quadrants III and IV )– What could you do to reduce the number of tasks

appearing in these sectors (Quadrants III and IV ), unimportant.

– Was enough of your time spent on tasks in Quadrant II (Important and not urgent)

– How can you increase time devoted to tasks in Quadrant II (Important and not urgent)




Planning your time

• Develop a personal Mission Statement• Short term and long term goals• Plan your daily activities for the next day at

the end of the day, or the first thing in the day • Plan for next week activities at the end of the

week• Plan for next four month (semester): block

time for major projects/activities.


Suggestions

• At the end of the week, evaluate how well your plan achieved your goals

• Commit yourself to start organizing on weekly basis and set up a regular time to do it.

• You need to do it regularly for at least 3-4 weeks in order to develop a habit of doing it.

• Either convert your current planning tool into a fourth generation tool or secure such a tool


Planning and tracking tools

• Notebook and a diary to Palmtop computers and Smart phones

• Choose that best suite your preferred lifestyle• Most of the planners and organizers contain:

– Year planner, Diaries– Daily planning sheets- appointments and things to do– Monthly objectives and project planning sheets– Telephone and address book inserts– Budget planning and expense planning (if needed)– Pages for notes (for reference etc)

• The idea is that all necessary working information is contained in one convenient folder or place.


PC – based Personal Information Managers (PIMs)

• Outlook, Lotus notes (IBM)• Typical contents:

– An address book to manage contacts– ‘To do’ list that can be arranged under subject categories– Simple project planning and tracking in terms of date, person

responsible, planned duration and percentage of the tasks completed.

• A calendar and appointments scheduler, may be integrated with the address book and ‘to do list” and – offers reminders and recurring appointments– time spent and expense tracking– free note space


Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Smart Phones

• All PDAs incorporate standard PIM features- address book, calendar/appointments scheduler,

task lists• Also include email, e-book readers and pocket versions of

standard office software• What system is best? • Depend on your preferred life style, System must include:

– ‘To do’ lists– Scheduling your time- Estimating time requirements – Slot tasks into the day – commitments, appointments,

meeting, regular scheduled tasks and flexible ones.


Organize information

• Separate the important information from the junk• Maintain a systematic approach with all incoming

information • Handle all incoming information as carefully as

possible• Take steps to reduce unnecessary incoming mail• In order to increase your productivity: – Build up your reading speed and comprehension– Use memory techniques and review to assist your

recall


Other strategies

• Organize your desk space• Get rid of the piles on the desk• Organize and use a filing system• Use technology effectively – get training in using outlook, PDA or SMART

phone effectively• A small investment of time in training will

save you lot of time later.


Procrastination

• We postpone tasks for a number of reasons:– Fear of failing or making mistakes–boredom–Uncertainty over how to go about a task–Anxiety about the possible consequences of an

action–Perfectionism-unwilling to start a task unless it

can be completed perfectly–May need more information


Strategies for overcoming procrastination

• Clarify in your own mind the consequences in terms of loss of control over your life

• Feel pleasure of completing it• Take seriously your ‘To do prioritized list’• Don’t allow postponement of tasks to become a habit• Schedule specific time for tasks that you don’t like or are resisting

to do• Tackle boredom by allowing your self short breaks• Do a good job. Don’t strive for perfection• Look for an easy point of entry – the key is to start it• Divide large complicated tasks into bite-size chunks• Set your own deadlines


Summary • Analyze your current use of time• Define Mission of your life• Identify your roles and long-term term goals• Translate your roles and goals into plans• Prioritize your goals and tasks• Identify time wasters and interrupters and

control them• Develop effective time management habits• Plan and organize your time


Summary

• Use effective strategies to mange your time better

• Use a time management system• Use technology for planning and

implementing your time management system• Organize all information effectively• Have fun, short breaks, find time for

enjoyment and relaxation


References• Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch gave a lecture on Time

Management. Randy Pausch Lecture: Time Management – YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTugjssqOT06 Feb 2008 - 76 min - Uploaded by Carnegie-Mellon.

• Stephen Covey: The 7 habits of highly Effective people, Free Press, 2004. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Habits-Highly-Effective-People

• Caunt, J. Organize Yourself, The Sunday Times, Kogan page, 2nd ed., UK, 2006.

• Forsyth, P. Successful Time Management, revised 2nd Ed, The Sunday Times, Kogan Page, UK, 2010.

• Manktelow, J. Manage your time, DK publishers, UK, 2006.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTugjssqOT0



http://www.slideworld.com/slideshow.aspx/time-management-ppt-ppt-on-time-management-onlin-ppt-2765068

http://www.slideworld.com/slideshow.aspx/time-management-ppt-ppt-on-time-management-onlin-ppt-2765068

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