Adapted from: "Making Every Minute Count." Balancing Work and Family Series. Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio State University Cooperative Extension Service; and Walker, Doris "Katey." Time Management. Manhattan, Kansas: Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service.Emily Mark & Katey Walker, Time management, Kansas State University, December 1997

Mark, Emily

Walker, Doris K.

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1ManagingTIMEWORK&FAMILY▼FACT SHEET▼Do you ever feel like there are not enough hours in the day?This problem is common, but it may be especially common insingle-parent families, and families in which both parents areemployed. Developing time management skills can help meet thedemands of both work and family.Why Is Time Management Important?Time management helps you:• Keep a balance between your relaxation time and your work,time and family.• Accomplish priority items.• Have time to do what you want without feeling guilty.• Gain a sense of accomplishment.• Reduce stress by not wasting time on what is not important.A time management plan is a useful tool to accomplish thesegoals.Plans for Time ManagementDepending on your needs, a time management plan could bevery simple or quite complex.Here are three types of plans that you may want to consider.1. List of ProjectsThe simplest time plan is a list of large and small projects. Thesecan be done as you have time and feel like doing them. Whenyou have a lot of free time, this list may be all that you need tomanage time effectively.2. Series of ProjectsThe series of projects is similar to the list of projects, but it alsoinvolves putting the activities into an order of priority. Start withyour list of large and small projects, and decide which activitiesmust be done first, second, third, etc.For example, balancing the checkbook may be more importantthan washing the car. You will, however, accomplish both tasksbefore spending time on trivial matters.3. Detailed Time ScheduleA detailed time schedule includes both an order of projects andestimates of the time necessary for each project. This type ofscheduling has special value to people whose obligations leavethem with little free time. It is also important to those who arejust beginning to learn how to manage time.Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension ServiceTimeManagementOutdated Publication, for historical use. CAUTION: Recommendations in this publication may be obsolete.2You will need to look at your entire day or week and decide howimportant the various activities are, and how much time you willspend on them. If you know exactly what you are doing, why youare doing it, and approximately how long each task will take, youwill work more effectively.While planning takes time at first, it saves time later. Thefollowing is an example of a detailed schedule.Saturday morning, July 23Task TimeClean refrigerator 8:00 - 8:15Mow front yard 8:15 - 8:45Vacuum house 8:45 - 9:15Wash car 9:15 - 9:30Take goods to recycling center 9:30 - 10:00Go grocery shopping 10:00 - 10:45Put groceries away 10:45 - 11:00Fix lunch 11:00 - 11:30Steps for Effective Time ManagementLearning how to budget time is similar to learning how to budgetmoney. You learn to decide how much—whether it be minutes ormoney—is needed to get something done.Start with these steps to develop your own time managementplan.1. Keep a written log.If you are new at learning time management, or are boggeddown by many pressures, a written time log can help you seewhere your time goes. Keep an honest and detailed record ofwhat you do every half hour for a day or two. If you have a greatdeal of variety in your daily schedule then you might want torecord longer.Study your log to see what you do, when and why you getinterrupted or frustrated, and when you are most productive. Youmay not realize how many times a week you use time and energyto go to the grocery store.2. List your activities.Flexible activities (those that can be done at any time during theday, such as grocery shopping) and inflexible activities (those thatmust be done at specific times, such as fixing meals) should beincluded.Outdated Publication, for historical use. CAUTION: Recommendations in this publication may be obsolete.33. Estimate the time needed.Write down an accurate estimate of the time needed tocomplete each task. Add up the total time. How many hours doyou need? You may need to divide big jobs into smaller ones.4. Consider available time.You may be overcommitted if the time you need is greater thanthe time available. Decide where you can make changes.5. Rank importance of tasks.One way to rank tasks is to use the “A-B-C” system pioneered bymanagement consultant Alan K. Lakein.“A” priorities are extremely important tasks which must get done.They lead to positive results and help accomplish goals, such asmaintaining a car, balancing a checkbook, exercising daily, orcooking the evening meal.“C” priorities are tasks which are less important than otheractivities at a particular time. Examples are arranging photos inan album or washing windows in the house.“B” priorities are often difficult to identify. They are tasks whichare important, but less important than the “A” tasks. Examplesare washing bed sheets, dusting the house, or repairing a rippedseam in a pair of trousers.Steps toward long-term goals, as well as short-term projects,should also be included in this list.6. Decide when and where to begin.You may decide to begin tomorrow at 9 a.m. Write down your“to-do” list for the day, leaving some catch-up periods.When you have finished planning, you will have a list of top-priority activities. These are things you want to work on today ortomorrow, and are ranked in the order of importance. Check offthe tasks as you complete them.Give yourself 10 to 20 minutes each day to review whathappened to your time during that day. Like the video replay of aball game, a quick rerun of your day lets you identify problemareas that need attention, as well as areas of accomplishment.Busy people have to be creative in setting this time aside. Someprefer doing it the last thing at night, while others find time firstthing in the morning.Managing ProcrastinationProcrastination is a problem for many people. A persistent effortis necessary to overcome it.Outdated Publication, for historical use. CAUTION: Recommendations in this publication may be obsolete.4People procrastinate for many reasons, such as fear of failure oreven fear of success. Spend some time thinking about if and whyyou procrastinate, and about the types of projects that youusually put off. Important projects are often put off because theproject is overwhelming or unpleasant.Suggestions for coping with procrastination are the salamitechnique, the balance-sheet method, and the development ofnew time-management habits.Salami Technique. This is based on the idea that a salami, inits original state, is hard to handle and unappetizing. After thesalami is cut into thin slices, it is manageable and something thatwe can “get our teeth into.”Big projects should be sliced into small slices or “instant tasks.”The tasks should be so simple and quick that one can be finishedin several minutes.Make a list of these tasks. When you have a few minutes tospare, do a small task from your list .Balance-Sheet Method. This method involves writing downwhy you are procrastinating on a certain project. On the left sideof the paper list all the reasons why you are procrastinating. Onthe right side list all the benefits that will be received if you getthe project done.The effect is striking. On the left side, your excuses are oftenfeeble. On the right side, you will have a long list of benefits. Onebenefit will be a feeling of relief that comes from gettingnecessary, but unpleasant, tasks accomplished.Habit-Change Approach. The third suggestion is a systematicapproach to changing a habit. Procrastination is seldom relatedto a single item. It is usually an ingrained behavior pattern. It isimportant that you take action to overcome procrastination andset realistic goals.More Ways to Manage Time1. Learn to say “no.”Many of us don’t know how to refuse a request for our time,even when we have essential things to do. Make it a point topolitely and directly refuse requests that will overcommit andfrustrate you. Since time is limited, remind yourself that saying“no” to one request is saying “yes” to a more important activity.2. Use your most productive time wisely.What time of day are you most efficient? We all function ondifferent biological clocks. Some people feel most energetic anddo their best work in the morning, like the early bird whocatches the worm. Others wake up and slowly get moving, withOutdated Publication, for historical use. CAUTION: Recommendations in this publication may be obsolete.5top efficiency in the late afternoon. Still others are “night owls”who accomplish their work easily in the middle of the night.Plan your day so that you will be doing your most importanttasks at your most productive time.  Make an appointment withyourself so that you can take advantage of your “prime time.”3. Use a large calendar.Locate it centrally for quick reference. Each person in the familycan use it to help them remember personal appointments, and toalert the household of time conflicts and transportation needs.4. Group similar jobs together.Suppose you have five telephone calls to make: three areessential and two are secondary. You also have six letters towrite, four of which are vital.• Set time aside to make the three essential calls, one right afteranother.• Group the four essential letters together and write them, oneafter another.• Do not fall into the trap of making the secondary phone callsbefore tackling the essential letters.5. Deal effectively with interruptions.Many of us have jobs where we must be available to others—bytelephone, in person, by memo, and even by electronic mail.Social interruptions can often be managed by telling the personthat you are facing a deadline and would like to talk to them at alater time. Use your “to-do” list to get you back to work on yourmajor project after you have been interrupted.ConclusionDo you have trouble managing your time wisely?• Try putting a time management plan into writing.• List tasks you need to accomplish in their order of priority andthe time needed to accomplish each task.• Learn to say “no” to requests for your time.• Use your most productive time wisely, grouping similar jobstogether.• Take control of your time instead of procrastinating on certainjobs or letting time slip away.You may be surprised at what you accomplish.Outdated Publication, for historical use. CAUTION: Recommendations in this publication may be obsolete.6Adapted from:“Making Every Minute Count.” Balancing Work and Family Series.Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio State University CooperativeExtension Service.Walker, Doris “Katey”. Time Management. Manhattan, Kansas:Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service.DEVELOPED BY THE “MANAGINGTIME, WORK AND FAMILY TEAM”:Katey Walker, Extension Specialist, FamilyResources & Public PolicyEmily Mark, Extension Specialist, Family &Consumer Sciences, NortheastLaurie Chandler, CED, Shawnee Co.Fran Richmond, CEA, FACS, Osage Co.Denise Sullivan, CEA, FACS, Leavenworth Co.and Support StaffContents of this publication may be freely reproduced for educational purposes. All other rights are reserved. In each case, credit Emily Mark & Katey Walker, “Managing Time, Work & Family,”Kansas State University, December 1997.Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, Manhattan, KansasMF-2252 December 1997Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, as amended.  Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts, and United StatesDepartment of Agriculture Cooperating, Richard D. Wootton, Associate Director.It is the policy of Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service that all persons shall have equal opportunity and access to its educational programs,services, activities, and materials without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or disability. Kansas State University is an Affirmative Action employer.  These materials may beavailable in alternative formats.File Code: Family Resource Management—4 CS 12/97—150Outdated Publication, for historical use. CAUTION: Recommendations in this publication may be obsolete.

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