PDCA Healthy Time Management September Looking at your work week Look at the table below and answer yes or no to the following statements in each column. Did you plan your day? Did you prioritize your daily tasks? Did you take a break today? Did you eat your lunch at your desk? Did you block out time each day for specific projects? Did you sleep well at night? Do you have a visible daily schedule that you use every day? For the next week, don’t make any changes and see if you are using any of these time managing techniques. Date Plan Day

Prioritize Daily Tasks

Take Break

Eat lunch at Your Desk

Block out Time for Specific Projects

Sleeping Well

Visible schedule

9/1 9/2 9/5 9/6 9/7 9/8 9/9

Time management: Tips to reduce stress and improve productivity Effective time management is a primary means to a less stressful life. These practices can help you reduce your stress and reclaim your personal life. By Mayo Clinic staff

Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the number and complexity of projects you have that need to be completed at work each day? Do you often feel the day flies by without your devoting the necessary attention to each assignment because other tasks keep

landing on your desk, co-workers interrupt you with questions or you can't get it all organized? You probably know that effective time management will help you get more done each day. It has important health benefits, too. By managing your time more wisely, you can minimize stress and improve your quality of life. But how do you get back on track when organizational skills don't come naturally? To get started, choose one of these strategies, try it for two to four weeks and see if it helps. If it does, consider adding another one. If not, try a different one. Plan each day. Planning your day can help you accomplish more and feel more in control of your life. Write a to-do list, putting the most important tasks at the top. Keep a schedule of your daily activities to minimize conflicts and last-minute rushes. Prioritize your tasks. Time-consuming but relatively unimportant tasks can consume a lot of your day. Prioritizing tasks will ensure that you spend your time and energy on those that are truly important to you. Say no to nonessential tasks. Consider your goals and schedule before agreeing to take on additional work. Delegate. Take a look at your to-do list and consider what you can pass on to someone else. Take the time you need to do a quality job. Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in time spent making corrections, which takes more time overall. Break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. Work on them a few minutes at a time until you get them all done. Practice the 10-minute rule. Work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day. Once you get started, you may find you can finish it. Evaluate how you're spending your time. Keep a diary of everything you do for three days to determine how you're spending your time. Look for time that can be used more wisely. For example, could you take a bus or train to work and use the commute to catch up on reading? If so, you could free up some time to exercise or spend with family or friends.

Limit distractions. Block out time on your calendar for big projects. During that time, close your door and turn off your phone, pager and e-mail. Get plenty of sleep, have a healthy diet and exercise regularly. A healthy lifestyle can improve your focus and concentration, which will help improve your efficiency so that you can complete your work in less time. Take a time management course. If your employer offers continuing education, take a time management class. If your workplace doesn't have one, find out if a local community college, university or community education program does. Take a break when needed. Too much stress can derail your attempts at getting organized. When you need a break, take one. Take a walk. Do some quick stretches at your workstation. Take a day of vacation to rest and re-energize.

Ask for professional help If you're too frazzled to think about trying any of these tips, it's time to ask for help. Does your life feel totally out of control? If so, contact your employee assistance program (EAP) at your workplace for assistance, or discuss your situation with your doctor.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/time-management/wl00048

Time Tips from Dartmouth College http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/time.html 1. Count all your time as time to be used and make every attempt to get satisfaction out of every moment. 2. Find something to enjoy in whatever you do. 3. Try to be an optimist and seek out the good in your life. 4. Find ways to build on your successes. 5. Stop regretting your failures and start learning from your mistakes. 6. Remind yourself, "There is always enough time for the important things." If it is important, you should be able to make time to do it. 7. Continually look at ways of freeing up your time. 8. Examine your old habits and search for ways to change or eliminate them. 9. Try to use waiting time-review notes or do practice problems. 10. Keep paper or a calendar with you to jot down the things you have to do or notes to yourself. 11. Examine and revise your lifetime goals on a monthly basis and be sure to include progress towards those goals on a daily basis. 12. Put up reminders in your home or office about your goals. 13. Always keep those long term goals in mind. 14. Plan your day each morning or the night before and set priorities for yourself. 15. Maintain and develop a list of specific things to be done each day, set your priorities and the get the most important ones done as soon in the day as you can. Evaluate your progress at the end of the day briefly. 16. Look ahead in your month and try and anticipate what is going to happen so you can better schedule your time. 17. Try rewarding yourself when you get things done as you had planned, especially the important ones. 18. Do first things first. 19. Have confidence in yourself and in your judgment of priorities and stick to them no matter what. 20. When you catch yourself procrastinating-ask yourself, "What am I avoiding?" 21. Start with the most difficult parts of projects, then either the worst is done or you may find you don't have to do all the other small tasks. 22. Catch yourself when you are involved in unproductive projects and stop as soon as you can. 23. Find time to concentrate on high priority items or activities. 24. Concentrate on one thing at a time. 25. Put your efforts in areas that provide long term benefits. 26. Push yourself and be persistent, especially when you know you are doing well. 27. Think on paper when possible-it makes it easier to review and revise.

28. Be sure and set deadlines for yourself whenever possible. 29. Delegate responsibilities whenever possible. 30. Ask for advice when needed. Adapted from A. Lakein. How to Get Control of Your Time And Your Life

Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001

How Well Do You Plan? DIRECTIONS: FOR EACH QUESTION, CIRCLE THE NUMBER THAT BEST DESCRIBES YOU. Never

Seldom

Sometimes

Often

Always

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1

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2

1

How often do you plan in an effort to keep life from running out of control? Do you put daily plans on paper? Do you allow flexibility in your plans? How often do you accomplish all you plan for a given day? How often do you plan time for what matters most to you? How often is your daily plan destroyed by urgent interruptions?

SCORING AND INTERPRETATION Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001

SCORING: Add the numbers next to your answers.

INTERPRETATION: 6-10: Terrible Planner. You should consider using new tools and processes to help you plan effectively. A great first step would be to take a time management course. 11-15: Below average planner. You may already have a planning system, but using it more effectively will help to reduce the stress and lack of control you feel in your life. 16-20: Average planner. Your planning system is working, but you can do better. You may need help focusing on priorities, dealing with urgent interruptions or writing your daily plan. 21-25: Above-average planner. Your planning system is working well. Keep up the good work, with periodic reviews to be sure you’re planning around what matters most in your life. 26-30: Excellent planner--or candidate for burnout? You have mastered planning and should experience the serenity that comes from taking charge of your life. But make sure you’re in control of your planning rather than letting it control you. Quiz written for USA WEEKEND by time management expert Hyrum Smith, chairman of the Franklin Covey Co., whose Franklin Planners, agendas and planning software are used by 15 million Americans. Five Steps to Successful Time Management 1. Set specific personal goals. 2. Create a calendar, recording major events. 3. Create a weekly schedule of your meetings, projects, etc. 4. Decide on specific times to work on each specific areas. 5. Make a to-do list for each day the night before or during breakfast. Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001