Time Management Action Plan

For me it seems like there is too many tasks to complete and seldom enough time. Effective and efficient time management is something that I have room for improvement on and have great use of. I started by taking a time management survey.

#1 Accept Problem

My results from this diagnostic survey on time management assured me that my time management skills are low. The survey revealed that I am on the bottom of the scale of time management. There were two sections of the survey. One section measured your time management skills in an office setting and the other section measured your time management skill in your personal life. By having two sections you can compare your time management skills for the two different settings. The total score measures your overall time management skills and it also puts the score in a category. My scores of 27 points for personal life and 31 points for office settings combines to a 58 point total score. My combined score falls in to the lowest category that suggests that training is necessary and will considerably enhance my effectiveness. The first step of solving a problem is identifying it. After taking this survey I have proof that my time management skills are low.

Time management has been a long time problem for me. I have always found excuses for not doing things on time or running late. My main excuse is being involved in so many things as a college student. All of this is true, but it shouldn't be an excuse. I currently work as a lifeguard between classes, tutor nights and weekends, work at a bar weekends, I hold a vice president position in American Marketing Association, I am a member of Society for Human Resource Management, team captain for Cleveland State's division I swim team, and I am co-president for Student Athletic Advisory Board. Good time management is needed for all these extras. If I could improve my time management skills I think I would get better in most things that I do. I would be able to enhance my grades in school and be better in the workforce. I would be more relaxed and have a feel of control.

#2, Goals and Priorities

The first step in effectively managing time is to develop a statement of long-range goals. This statement of goals will allow you to set short range goals and to prioritize specific activities according to how much they contribute to your goals. Setting these long-range goals may be difficult. The process can force you to confront decisions that you have been putting off, or value issues that you don't want to handle.

My long-term goals, intermediate, and short-term goals could look something like this:

Long-Term Career Goal:

Ð'* Career as a Small Business Manager/Owner (6 to 8 years).

Intermediate Career Goals:

Ð'* Enter a MBA program in Business Management (3 to 5 years).

Ð'* Graduate Assistantship at the Bachelor's level (2 to 4 years).

Short-Term Personal Goals: (Present):

Ð'* Major in business.

Ð'* Courses in management, economics, and accounting.

Ð'* At least a 3.5 average for my bachelor's degree.

Ð'* Improve my career best swim times.

#3, Daily, Weekly, and Semester Scheduling

To be effective in time management, weekly time organization is necessary. A semester-long calendar to lay out all of your major obligations is a good tool as well. Without having clearly defined goals, scheduling will be difficult for two reasons. First, there will not be any guidelines to use for prioritizing your activities; and second, there will be trouble finding motivation to complete the tasks in the schedule. I might, for example, be tempted to go to a movie instead of studying accounting.

Two general approaches to weekly scheduling can work well. The first is fairly simple and involves a daily list of things should be accomplish that day. In order to use this method, goals are essential. What activities and obligations are essential for the next several weeks? This will allow you to make a daily list and modify and prioritize with a clear understanding of your short-term and daily goals. This kind of approach appeals to me because I don't like to be locked into an hour-by-hour schedule.

Following is an example of a two-day period using the daily list type of schedule with a simple A-B-C priority system (A = Highest Priority, B = Moderate Priority, C = Lowest Priority.). I found that this is a good scale to use. Some people have scales 1-5, but I prefer this more simple kind of rating. This could be my schedule:

Thursday (Home from school at 6:30 P.M.)

Review notes for business law class. (A)

Study for human resources test. (B)

Work out at the gym. (B)

Go out for dinner with girlfriend. (A)

Write an email to parents. (C)

Friday (No classes.)

Do marketing project. (A)

Get a haircut. (B)

SHRM meeting. (C)

Work out. (A)

Review notes for test next week. (C)

Watch a movie. (C)

In this schedule, long-term goals should be reflected but there is flexibility to this schedule. One of my goals from the goal-setting example is to finish my bachelor's degree. Keeping this in mind, it also appears that another goal is to be a good boyfriend and son. This is a balanced schedule because it includes time for exercise, contact with parents, and a movie.

A written list is essential. The list should be somewhere available throughout the day. I could carry a notebook or card with the items on it. It could also be helpful to post the list somewhere as a reminder.

I considered a more detailed kind of schedule. It is recommended for people who need more structure than the flexible list method offers. The most common method is to use an hour-by-hour weekly schedule. This allows you to allocate time specifically and gives you a very clear guideline of what to do when. Basically this involves using an hour-by-hour weekly calendar.

I decided