Chapter 9

Question 1

Time Management

Answer 1

Time management is making optimal use of available time.

Question 2

Time Management #2

What is there a relationship between (having to do with time management)?

Answer 2

There is a close relationship between time management and stress.

Question 3

Symptoms of Poor Time Management include:

Answer 3

Constant rushing

Caught in crisis mode

Fatigue or listlessness, “overwhelmed” feeling

constantly missing deadlines

Insufficient time for rest or personal relationships

Sense of being overwhelmed by demands and details

Having to do what you don’t want to, most of the time

Question 4

Symptoms of Poor Time Management:

What are two common mistakes in planning?

Answer 4

Two mistakes common in planning are underestimating the importance of a daily plan and not allowing adequate time for planning.

Question 5

Symptoms of Poor Time Management #3

How do many people feel about designing a plan for action?

Answer 5

Many individuals believe that they are unproductive if they take time out early in their day to design a plan for action rather than immediately beginning work on tasks.

Question 6

Symptoms of Poor Time Management #3

What happens without adequate planning?

Answer 6

Without adequate planning, however, the individual finds it difficult to get started and begins to manage by crisis.

Question 7

Three Basic Steps in Time Management

Answer 7

1. Allow time for planning and establish priorities.
2. Complete the highest priority task whenever possible and finish one task before beginning another.
3. Reprioritize based on the remaining tasks and on new information that may have been received.

Question 8

What is the most critical skill in good time management? Why?

Answer 8

Priority setting is perhaps the most critical skill in good time management because all actions we take have some type of relative importance.

Question 9

Priority setting #2

What is a simple means of prioritizing what needs to be accomplished?

Answer 9

One simple means of prioritizing what needs to be accomplished is to divide all requests for our time into three categories: “don’t do,” “do later,” and “do now.”

Question 10

Creating a Time-Efficient Work Environment:

What should you gather?

Answer 10

Gather all supplies needed before starting an activity.

Question 11

Creating a Time-Efficient Work Environment:

How should group activities be?

Answer 11

Group activities that are in the same location.

Question 12

Creating a Time-Efficient Work Environment:

What should you use?

Answer 12

Use time estimates.

Question 13

Creating a Time-Efficient Work Environment:

What should you document?

Answer 13

Document nursing interventions as soon as possible after they are completed.

Question 14

Creating a Time-Efficient Work Environment:

What should you always strive for?

Answer 14

Always strive to end the work day on time.

Question 15

Daily Planning Actions to Maximize Time Management #1

What should you identify?

Answer 15

Identify key priorities to be accomplished that day.

Question 16

Daily Planning Actions to Maximize Time Management #1

What should you determine?

Answer 16

Determine the expected level of achievement of a prioritized task.

Question 17

Daily Planning Actions to Maximize Time Management #1

What should you assess?

Answer 17

Assess the staff assigned to work with you.

Question 18

Daily Planning Actions to Maximize Time Management #2

What should you review?

Answer 18

Review the short- and long-term plans of the unit.

Question 19

Daily Planning Actions to Maximize Time Management #2

What should you plan ahead for?

Answer 19

Plan ahead for meetings.

Question 20

Daily Planning Actions to Maximize Time Management #2

What should you allow time for?

Answer 20

Allow time to assess progress of goal attainment.

Question 21

Daily Planning Actions to Maximize Time Management #2

What should you do regularly?

Answer 21

Take regular breaks and use electronic calendars.

Question 22

Personal Organization:

What is it?

Answer 22

Knowing and understanding how and why you use time or set priorities as you do

Question 23

Personal Organization:

What are some questions you should ask yourself?

Answer 23

How do you waste time?

What types of work do you avoid?

What is the best time of day for you to work?

How long you can work before becoming nonproductive?

Question 24

Making Lists:

What is important to remember about lists?

Answer 24

Remember that lists are planning tools and thus must be flexible!

Question 25

Making Lists: What should you do with things that remain on the list?

Answer 25

Reexamine items that remain on the list! Perhaps they don’t need to be done or they need to be broken down into smaller tasks.

Question 26

Making Lists: How many things should you put on the list?

Answer 26

Only put as many items on the daily list as can reasonably be accomplished in a day.

Question 27

Urgency and Time Management

Answer 27

Not all important things are urgent, and not all urgent things are important. This is especially true when the urgency is coming from an external source.

Question 28

Frequent Work Interruptions: What do they cause?

Answer 28

Cause situational stress and lowered job satisfaction Cause us to split our attention between what should be done and addressing new demands

Question 29

Frequent Work Interruptions: Cause situational stress and lowered job satisfaction Cause us to split our attention between what should be done and addressing new demands What is the result of this?

Answer 29

The result of divided attention is “half–work,” work that takes twice as long to accomplish half as much.

Question 30

Be Punctual: What does it imply?

Answer 30

Being punctual implies that you value other people’s time and creates an imperative for them to value your time as well.

Question 31

Internal Time Wasters

Answer 31

Procrastination Poor planning Failure to establish goals and objectives Inability to delegate Inability to say no Management by crisis Haste Indecisiveness

Question 32

External Time Wasters

Answer 32

Open-door policy Telephone interruptions Socializing Meetings Lack of information Poor communication Lack of feedback Lack of adequately described policies and procedures Incompetent coworkers Poor filing system Paperwork and reading

Question 33

Procrastination

Answer 33

Means to put off something until a future time, to postpone, or to delay needlessly

Question 34

Procrastination: What kind of behaviors are they?

Answer 34

Procrastination is not a character flaw but is a set of behaviors which were developed over a period of time; they are behaviors that can be changed.

Question 35

Procrastination: What uses more time and energy then doing the task itself?

Answer 35

The dread of doing a task uses more time and energy that doing the task itself.

Question 36

Procrastination: Why are some projects not accomplished?

Answer 36

Some projects are not accomplished because they are not broken down into manageable tasks.

Question 37

Personal Time Management: Managing time is difficult if a person...

Answer 37

Managing time is difficult if a person is unsure of his or her priorities for time management, including personal short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals.

Question 38

The Time Inventory

Answer 38

Helps the individual determine how much time he or she spends on a particular task and what time of day he or she is most productive

Question 39

The Time Inventory: how long to maintain sheet?

Answer 39

Important to maintain the time inventory for several days or even weeks and to repeat it annually to see if long-term changes have been made

Question 40

The Time Inventory #2: What should you do often?

Answer 40

Taking regularly scheduled breaks from work is important as they allow the worker to refresh both physically and mentally.