Time management

1
Time management

• APAMSA Leadership Development Module

2
Time Management
Task-Oriented Behaviors

• Leaders are often pressed for time, burdened with
  incessant demands, and confronted with crises
• Consider the following approaches to better
  manage your time, cope with demands, and manage
  crises

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
3
Task-Oriented Behaviors
Leadership Challenge (10)

• Time Management
• Consider the practical importance of time
  management for efficient leadership functioning
• Identify 3 personal and team-related tasks for
  the upcoming week and rank them by priority, and
  then create a 7-day schedule with allotted hours
  for each task according to priority

4
Time Management
Guidelines For Time Management

• Recognize the reasons for demands and constraints
• Expand your options
• Set goals
• Determine how time is spent

• Schedule daily and weekly activities
• Avoid unnecessary activities
• Conquer procrastination
• Utilize reactive activities
• Make time for reflective planning

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
5
Time Management
Reasons For Demands Constraints

• Demands and constraints arise from people's
  expectations of the leadership role
• People's expectations are in turn derived from
  their values and needs
• Investigate what the people really desire through
  face-to-face communications, thoughtful
  questioning, and active listening

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
6
Time Management
Expand Your Options

• Establish a broader perspective in regards to
  expectations (i.e., to produce a health fair vs.
  to produce an event with 250 attendees)
• Goal is to minimize, eliminate, or circumvent the
  peoples demands and expectations
• Method Redefine the leadership role to allow
  more discretion in expectations

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
7
Time Management
Set Goals

• Know what you want to accomplish and set clear
  goals
• Review your goals and rank them by priority
• Consider your priorities to recognize important
  tasks and allot time accordingly

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
8
Time Management
Determine How Time Is Spent

• Recognize how you manage your time with a daily
  log of activities for 1-2 weeks
• Observe the cause for each activity (i.e., self,
  superior, peer, organization) and whether it was
  planned or a reaction to urgent situation
• Time wasters should be noted (e.g., unnecessary
  interruptions, searching for misplaced items,
  meetings that run too long)

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
9
Time Management
Determine How Time Is Spent

• Consider the importance of each activity and
  whether it can be avoided, combined with others,
  or given less time
• Minimize time wasters, activities initiated by
  others and in reaction to urgent situations
• Allot enough time for planned activities of high
  priority

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
10
Time Management
Schedule Daily and Weekly Activities

• Plan daily and weekly activities in advance with
  a to-do list and calendar of events
• Prioritize activities and events
• Set time to plan the next days or weeks
  activities

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
11
Time Management
Schedule Daily and Weekly Activities

• Reschedule or delegate activities of lower
  priority if time is unavailable
• Schedule similar activities (i.e., phone calls,
  e-mails) at the same time
• Schedule demanding tasks during peak periods of
  alertness and energye.g., early morning hours

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
12
Time Management
Avoid Unnecessary Activities

• Unnecessary activities are of low priority and
  take time from more important tasks
• Unnecessary tasks should be delegated to others
  or put off until slack time
• Tactfully turn down requests of low priority

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
13
Time Management
Avoid Unnecessary Activities

• Tactful ways to turn down requests
• Request a demanding favor in return for your
  services
• Suggest others more fit for the task
• Note more important tasks put in jeopardy if you
  follow their request

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
14
Time Management
Conquer Procrastination

• Procrastination involves overlooking important
  tasks in favor of those of less priority
• Fear of failure is a common reason for
  procrastination
• Build confidence by tackling a huge task in small
  chunks

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
15
Time Management
Conquer Procrastination

• Utilize deadlines to stay on task
• Set early deadlines well-ahead of the time when
  the task must be completed
• Set aside time in the early morning for
  unpleasant tasks to be accomplished first

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
16
Time Management
Take Advantage Of Reactive Activities

• Unexpected situations do not have to be an
  inconvenience
• Take advantage of unscheduled interruptions,
  meetings, and encounters
• Seek new information, discover problems,
  influence others, and draft informal plans

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
17
Time Management
Make Time For Reflective Planning

• Schedule 1-2 hours each week to reanalyze your
  plans and priority list
• Review plans and priorities with other team
  members
• Reflective planning will minimize day-to-day
  problems and requests for direction or assistance
  

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45)
18
Task-Oriented Behaviors
Summary

• Time Management
• Time management is critical for efficient
  leadership functioning
• Leaders are often pressed for time, burdened with
  incessant demands, and confronted with crises
• In your present leadership role, consider these
  guidelines to better manage your time, cope with
  demands, and manage crises

19
Leadership Development
Next Topic

• Clarifying Roles And Objectives
• Our next module discusses guidelines to ensure
  that everyone knows what to do, how to do it, and
  what results are expected

20
Task-Oriented Behaviors
Sources

• G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations, New Jersey
  Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 42-45
• Free Management Library
• www.managementhelp.org/ldrship/ldrship.htm