The document discusses common time management techniques for professionals, including addressing myths, optimizing the work environment, safeguarding work time, and implementing goals and schedules. Some key strategies mentioned are identifying optimal work times based on energy levels, protecting blocks of work time by limiting interruptions, using logs to evaluate time usage, prioritizing daily/weekly/monthly tasks, and implementing boundaries to avoid burnout.

1. Time Management Techniques Jennifer H. Haywood, LISW, LICDC [email_address]

2. Sources http://www.couns.uiuc.edu/brochures/time.htm http://businessballs.com/timemanagement.htm http://www.friedsocialworker.com/socialworkburnout.htm Personal background and experience in the field, Jennifer H. Haywood, 2007

3. Common myths contributing to poor time management My life is completely controlled by external events Fact: You can have some control over many aspects of your life, but you and you alone are responsible for initiating that control. Learn to recognize what you can and can ’t control before making your choices. Anticipate the future and clarify the external demands that must be faced. From there, it’s easier to determine what can be done, and within what time frame, despite the demands

4. Myth 2 I should meet everyone ’s expectations Fact: The needs and demands of others may be inappropriate for you and your lifestyle. They may be poorly times, highly questionable, or simply unattainable. They may be of a different priority than your own. By trying to meet the expectations of others, you may be shortchanging yourself and your needs. First become clear about what your needs are and then you consider what others expect of you

5. Myth 3 I should have no limits Fact: We all have limits….failure to acknowledge this may cause you to become perfectionistic in your expectations. Perfectionists are especially prone to procrastination because the perfection they demand is impossible. For example, no paper will ever be perfect in all ways. The immediate consequence of turning in an imperfect paper may be brief, acute anxiety, but the long-term consequences of procrastination ie…inconveniences, career losses and lingering self doubts---are usually more devastating.

6. First- Stack the cards in your favor! Use your biological rhythms to your advantage A. Identify the times of day when your energy levels are the highest and do your most important work at those times. Schedule your “must do list” in the mornings, if you are a morning person- you may even decide to talk to your supervisor about flexing your schedule to include an earlier work day, to get things done before everyone else arrives

7. Optimize your work environment! Keep things you need in your work area and make sure the physical environment is conducive to concentration, not just comfort. Do you need quiet, music, a clean desk (big lots ’ bins can get you organize quickly!) or a reorganize office placing you facing the wall or window, not the door where everyone is walking by saying hello!!

8. Safeguard blocks of work time! Protect your time by saying “no” to various interruptions. Take your email off of the setting that alerts you every time a new email pops up, and schedule yourself specific “check email” times throughout your day. (3 at the most) Close your door!- Provide a marker board monthly calander on your door, along with a way for someone to leave a message Schedule “paperwork only” times, and turn off your phone or even go to a private space other than your office to get that work done If you can, turn off your phone, and schedule your “check voice mail” time when you check your email. You may be able to multi-task, while “weeding out” calls that can be answered at home, or not at all!

9. Multi-tasking demands an organized work space/schedule In/out bins Priority bins Schedule book that allows for month, day and week overviews, possibly allowing you time to do some personal tasks within your lunch hour ie..bills, personal calls during business hours, personal emailing etc… Schedule time to return phone calls, alerting your regular callers of the best time frame to call you back ie..My phone is on from 1-3pm and I check emails…

10. Get a baseline and learn how to protect your time! Begin by keeping a time log for a day or two, to give you a baseline on how to spend your time- this will give you an idea how long, on average, you work without an interruption- if you struggle to achieve more than 5 or 6 minutes, interruption free, at a time- you need to make a change!

11. Challenge the Wasted time Habitual tasks, where responsibility has been handed down or inherited- don ’t assume that it HAS to be done this way

12. Goals- Prioritizing Daily/Weekly/Monthly tasks Review your activities and make a list of daily, weekly and monthly goals to get an idea of your baseline responsibilities Utilize a desk planner for this. Highlight responsibilities according to priority- yellow for daily, pink for weekly, blue for monthly- decide what time of day your are the best for your daily goals, give yourself 2 days during the week spaced out for your weekly goals, and give yourself one day weekly to work on monthly goals. DO NOT deviate unless sick etc…. DEFEND your schedule!

13. THE DAY Most people struggle the most with motivation after lunch- be aware of what you are eating, and how much caffeine you drink in the mornings- this will help It may be helpful for you to return calls, emails or leave your office for client meetings after lunch. Sedentary paperwork is NOT recommended for this time of day. If you have time, do a short walk around the office, or block at your mid-day break. This increases serotonin and gives you your energy boost for the afternoon. Organize your office and your to-do list for the next morning the night before you leave. This will help you psychologically feel “complete” decrease the need to figure it all out the next morning.

14. As things come up throughout the day….. 1-Do Now Emergencies, demands from supervisors, work due today, meetings and appointments, daily charting/reports/treatment planning, staff issues 2- Plan to Do Scheduling, weekly responsibilities, networking, staffing notes 3- Reject and Explain Trivial requests by others, misunderstandings, email requests 4- Resist and Cease Gossip, chat, excessive social communications, net surfing, computer games, excessive cigarette breaks, daydreaming, doodling

15. Implementing these tools takes healthy boundary setting with appropriate communication abilities Delegate Learn to say “No” politely and constructively Be careful about accepting sideways delegating by peers “I understand this is urgent for you, but I have other priorities I must deal with first ie..client issues, sessions, emergencies Probe vague deadlines ie..when things are due “now” or “later today”- what does that actually mean? Can it even be tomorrow morning?- need a time!

16. No one will be motivated to manage time if burnt out! Symptoms: exhaustion, cynical detachment from work, feelings of ineffectiveness Definition by Maslach and Leiter- Burnout is “the index of the dislocation between what people are and what they have to do. It represents an erosion in values, dignity, spirit and will—an erosion of the human soul. It is a malady that spreads gradually and continuously over time, putting people into a downward spiral…..

17. Clinicians, probation officers, and other helping professionals are so burnt out because…. We ’re good people who are staunchly committed to helping others Too many of our employers fail to empower us with the ability to perform effectively, doing so in a multitude of ways

18. Ways…. Mismanagement Schedule Imbalance (undesired shifts to same workers, all holidays and weekends, beepers and pagers giving us NO TIME to compartmentalize) Intense Work Days Chronic Fear of Downsizing Politics Lack of Appreciation Personal Risk

19. Fixing It…. Appreciation….Staff incentives, reward (comp time), verbal positives Supervisors requiring workers to leave on time Supervisors allowing flex hours Exercise, lowering caffeine Morale building exercises Discouraging gossip