Forgotten Skills

Introduction      

This week’s second MSLD520 blogs is about time management. Admittedly my time management skills need work and just this week I have begun implementing the time management suggestions outlined in the Whetten & Cameron (2011) text and I am already seeing results. As part of this assignment, I will be addressing the following:

1. Assess your time management skills.
2. Evaluate how these skills have increased your locus of control.
3. Identify three new areas in which improved time management skills would reduce stress.
4. Add an action plan to integrate these to your daily routine.

1.   My Time Management Skills

As I previously stated, my time management skills at the beginning of MSLD 520 were poor. They were not always so poor. Really, I have had time management training in the past so I know how to manage time. The reason why I think they are in the current state of disarray that there were in two weeks ago is that my workload when I first took the job was easy to manage. There was plenty of work to keep our team busy all day long every day and there wasn’t too many moving pieces to complicate workload and scheduling issues. About a year ago, new technology was introduced that changed everything and it wasn’t too long afterward that I reached a tipping point to where I believed I had more work than I could do and the only way to keep the fires from burning the house down was to tackle the biggest fires. Whetten & Cameron (2011) helped me reflect on how I got to this place being overwhelmed “Along with the information age has come an increasing sense that each of us is falling behind.” (p. 121). It is easy to take your eye off the ball when there are a lot of distractions going on around and if you don’t have some structure helping to plan your daily activities it is easy for your perception of the activities you need to do to get out of hand.  I can see now that a more measured approach as outlined in Whetten & Cameron (2011) will help me get more accomplished instead of taking a chaotic approach.

2.   Evaluate How These Skills Have Increased Your Locus of Control

By implementing simple time management techniques, I am taking back control of the situation (internal locus of control) versus allowing the situations control me (external locus of control). I have a good feeling that I am in control of the situation now instead of being controlled by the situations. The feeling is really good. If I had to choose one word to describe the feeling I would choose “empowering”.

3.   Identify Three New Areas in Which Improved Time Management Skills Would Reduce Stress

a.    Making a List and Setting Priorities

Making a list and setting priorities has already had a huge impact on my stress levels. The week prior to organizing all my tasks and prioritizing them I thought I was going to just want to quit my lead position and go back to just being a writer. Today I feel confident that the tasks I have ahead of me I have control of, they do not control me. This has contributed immensely in reducing the stressors at work.

b.    Reserve Some Time Where Others Don’t Have Access to You

Coworkers continually interrupt me at all times during the day (sometimes for purely social reasons) and can be frustrating when trying to complete important tasks. Well a couple of days ago I had one task that I just had to get done by 3 p.m. and I put my foot down and told everyone that I was going to be out of pocket for a the rest of the morning until after lunch to get this task done. It was more time than I needed, but I absolutely needed some quiet time to get my thoughts together on this task. I like to be accommodating to people but at the same time I’m learning that being assertive and guarding sometime during the day to get critical tasks done is crucial to managing time well and reducing stress.

c.     Setting Deadlines

All my projects now have a goal completion date and those of my subordinates. Up till last week, not all my projects were tracked nor did they all have deadlines. Now with a to do list, everything is tracked and everything has a completion date. I can see the big picture now and I have taken complete control back. Having a sense of complete control has had a major impact on reducing stressors at work. Thank you MSLD 520!

4.   Add an Action Plan to Integrate These Into Your Daily Routine

I have integrated making a list and setting priorities, reserving “off-limits” time and setting deadlines. Monday mornings around 0800 hours I will review my priorities and deadlines and make any additions or changes and I will see what time if any I need to block out to make sure critical tasks get accomplished with a clear mind.       

Conclusion

Whetten and Cameron (2011) and MSLD 520 has made a significant contribution this week to my work processes in helping me to see I needed to take control over my tasks at hand instead of being controlled by them. I had these skills at one time, so it was easy to see the error of my ways and make the corrections that were needed.

References:

Whetten, D. & Cameron, K., (2011). Developing management skills. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
        Prentice Hall.