Time_Management

There are many topics in the world which I can say are interesting to me; however the one I am the most passionate about is, Time Management in the Work Place. In my current position, I supervise somewhat sometime and lead several employees most of the time. When I say somewhat I supervise them, but get none of the credit. The one question I get asks the most is “How do I manage to keep my team on task and get the task completed on time'” Until now my answer has been teamwork. However, I thinking now it could be something else. It could be the relaxing environment or the awards given to the department, but I like to think it has something to do with my time skills that make us shine. My goal in this assignment is to prove that given the right tools and proper motivation anyone can accomplish a task given to them, either on or before a deadline is due. Throughout this discussion, I will look a several different aspects of time management. First, I will discuss the impact an individual’s family plays in teaching us time management skills from the time management skills from the time we are young until we venture out into the workforce and begin to have families of our own. Second, I will discuss the issue of procrastination and why we procrastinate, Finally, I will look at a few different time management strategies and discuss what has worked well, and not so well in the past. Time management is an important part of our everyday lives but it is the one skill we all tend to utilize the least. According to an article in Investor’s Business Daily, by Moron Settner, “The best time managers know the time, all the time. They rarely check their watch and say, ‘It’s so late! What happen to the last few hours’'” Most adults base decision making on the type of family we have or want to have. Many of our time management skills are taught by our parents and closest family members. As a child I remember my mother always say to my little sister that she was going to be late to her own funeral. She would always tell her that we had to be ready to go about twenty minutes before she told the rest of us. Over the years I have slipped into my sister shoes and I am consistently showing up late to functions a few minutes past the time I was ask to be there. On the other hand, a good friend of mine was raised in a home which was well organized and managed. As a result of her upbringing, she is very organized and has a constant composure about herself that everything is always in place she is always at least fifteen minutes early no matter where she are going. Overcoming our time management flaws, such as waiting until the last minute to leave the house, can be a difficult habit to break. There are several reasons we procrastinate but the most common reason is we just don’t want to do it. According to an article in Psychology Today, twenty percent of the people stated they are chronic procrastinators, from paying bills on time, to buying plane tickets for vacation; procrastination is a way of life. Time management is an excellent way to help with jumping off the procrastination train. First, find a place to work. Having a place to view all of the work to be completed will make it easier for you to set a goal. It may also be a good idea to straighten up your workplace as some people are more productive when the work environment isn’t so cluttered. Second, set a goal. This goal should be and easily attainable goal designed to reach the deadline in an appropriate amount of time. If necessary divide your work into smaller, more manageable amounts. Last but not least, never gives up. Although there will be set backs it is important to keep trying. These strategies can help buyout develop and utilize productive time management skills. On the other hand, there are several time management tips available which are not as helpful. The key to utilizing a successful time management strategy is to find what works will for you whether it is perfect organization or organized chaos. Some strategies I have found to be helpful are located in a pamphlet at the Customer Service Station of the Alexander Communication Group, entitled, 21 simple strategies for time management. The first tip is to create a to-do list and a not- to do list and stick to it. It is important to remember you cannot do everything in one day, so don’t try to do it all in one day. The second strategy I found useful was, learn to say “no.” I am personally guilty of telling too many people I will do too many things. There are many others helpful hints, but perhaps the most important tip I found to be the most helpful was strategy number twenty-one, Review your accomplishment often. I think we often get caught up in the craziness of life, and we tend to worry about all the things we didn’t get done during the day, we tend to forget the things we did. “A failure to plan is a plan to fail.” With this in mind I took a look at the impact time management has on job satisfaction. As a supervisor it’s important to me that the people who work for me are satisfied with job they do and want to be at work every day. I often find a lack of communication between boss and employee. If an employee has a concern with a project on a deadline, it is important to communicate those concerns. Perhaps an agreement can be reached with little confusion. It is always important to ask for help. I have found that offering time management training, my team felt less rushed during work time and were able to handle stress more effectively as project deadline approached. The impact of time management can be great due to decreased stress levels work environment. I can personally report my department has had fewer illnesses/absent s in the last quarter than any other department in the company. With this an increase of productivity can also be reported. Time management can be difficult, but if you keep working at it every day it will get easier. Motivation is the second most important aspect of time management is a skill that must be learned. As children we learn what time is and how to organize ourselves. For many of us we learn to procrastinate until the last minute. For some of us this pressure is just what we need to get the job done. For others it is the stress of the task at hand which makes us procrastinate even longer. We can learn steps and tips to help with our time management. It is important to ask for help and always try to communicate with those asking you to finish a task. Everyone in the office has an impact on how the environment is. If there is not a clear line of communication and time management people will not get a task complete and then will not have job satisfaction. We all have these days where we just feel like the day got away from us, but with the right steps we can have les of them. Alexander Communication Group. (2010). 21 Simple Strategies for Time Management. (1st ed.) [Brochure]. Consumer Service Group, Author. Pychyl, T.(2009). Ending Procrastination- Right Now. Psychology Today. 42, 79-79 Retrieved July 21, 2010 from EBSCOhost Business Source. Stettner, M. (2010) Improve Time Management to Boost Your Productivity. Investor’s Business Daily A08, 1 Retrieved July 21, 2010 from EBSCOhost Business Source.