Because stress affects human health and performance, we must learn to control it before it controls us.  

As we look around our modern-day societies we hear and see evidence that time is limited and we are engaging in activities that are geared to speed-up what we get accomplished in a 24- hour day. Perhaps two of the more frequently heard expressions across cultures are that Time                                                            

Expressions across cultures and societies:

- AThink of many things. Do one.@ (Portuguese saying)

- ASleep faster. We need the pillows.@ (Yiddish saying)

- AHaste has no blessing.@ (Swahili saying)

- AThere is no hand to catch time.@ (Bengali saying)

- AToday can=t catch tomorrow.@ (Jamaican saying)

Vivid evidence of the hurrying and time-oriented nature of our society is evidenced by the following factors:

- increasing use of and travel by airplanes,

- the rushing at airports,

- increasing traffic jams, traffic speed and road rage,

- the increasing use of convenient modern-day structures as jiffy lube stations- to service our cars quicker; ATM Bank machines so that we can access our funds quicker and more conveniently, and pharmacy drive thru windows so that we can drop-off and pick-up medications quicker, to only give examples of a few.

What is Time Management?

In its basic form, time management means making the best use of the time you have available. How many times have you heard it said that Atime is money - and there is never enough of it.@ Time is a fixed asset. There is only so much of it regardless of what we do. Because time is such a valuable commodity, and when there doesn't seem to be enough of it, many people can experience stress. Therefore, since we cannot change the various boundaries associated with time, we must learn to work within them. Because there are only 24 hours in each day, you have to plan to structure your activities wisely. In many cases, the stress associated with having too many tasks has less to do with a lack of time as it has to do more with the poor use of time.

Undoubtedly,

While I will later point out that time management is a misnomer, time management can basically be defined as self-management. That is, managing yourself with respect to your prioritized and planned activities in the context of a moving and irreversible phenomenon called time. Another way is to see time as a forward-going continuum, from the past, thru present on to the future, on which we engage in selected activities based on their predefined priority, which is usually defined in terms of the urgency and importance of these activities.

While the term Atime management@ has been in existence for more than 100 years, for many people the term Atime management@ creates a false impression of what a person is able to do. Others even argue that the very notion of time management is a misnomer. Why? Because we cannot manage time. We can only manage ourselves in relation to time. We cannot control how much time we have; we can only control how we use it. We cannot choose whether to spend it, but only how. Once we have wasted time, it is gone -- and it cannot be replaced. Therefore, because we can only manage ourselves and use of our time, it is best to view time management as basically self management. It is interesting that the skills we need to manage others are the same skills we need to manage ourselves: the ability to plan, delegate, organize, direct and control. Time management training will help increase workers= effectiveness, efficiency, productivity and health. By accomplishing these outcomes, workers are able to have greater control over daily activities and, at the same time, overcome work and non-work stressors.

Ž Why Is there Never Sufficient Time For Daily Activities?

Although various answers can be offered for this question, one very important answer has to do with having inadequate time management skills or, better still, A self-management@ skills. The fact of the matter is that, whereas many people have been successfully trained in their areas of work expertise, they have not been exposed or balanced, for that matter in, the ABCs of self-management.

Why do people feel they never have enough time? Why do they feel both overworked and unproductive? The answer is quite simple. Although most of us have been formally educated to work in our respective professions, few of us have been taught to work efficiently and effectively. Too many professional and other workers are at a loss as to how to organize themselves and how to best process their work. Whereas these professional workers may know how to read maps, draw architectural plans, negotiate deals, paint buildings, they find it very difficult to effectively organize their week, delegate responsibilities and/or cope well with interruptions and unexpected opportunities.

Ž How Do We Cope?

Because most of us are clever people, we cope, at least initially, by getting a quick fix or education on the problem at hand. For example, we may see a colleague with some sort of calendar or organizer, so we enquire about it and later purchase one. In essence, however, most people learn simply by trial and error. Because these skills and materials we acquire were not fully taught to us, we sometimes fail to know to modify them to accommodate changing circumstances and environments, e.g., when there are job changes.

Ž Are You Your Worst Enemy?

Given that time management is really self management, it means that we play a very important role in how we relate to and use time. This being the case, we have to be aware of how we view ourselves, our resources and capabilities.

 Ž  Main Time Wasters For Most People

Although people are as varied as the things they do to waste time, many authors have identified at least five factors that seem to be somewhat consistently found among various people across several cultures. The five factors are listed below:

Î Attempting too much at once

Ï Procrastinating

Ð Doing too many things by themselves (i.e., not delegating)

Ñ Not saying NO

Ò Personal disorganization (e.g., cluttered desk)

Ž Why  People Do Not Manage Their Time?

Although the answers to this question can be varied, the following reasons are usually offered:

O They were never trained to do so;

O They do not know how to plan;

O They enjoy the surge of excitement or adrenaline of meeting close deadlines; and

O They enjoy crisis management.

In the case of the last two answers, while progress is seemingly being made, a host of other problems are likely to be experienced. For example, both crisis management and rushing to meet tight deadlines, can both lead to excessive feelings of stress, tiredness and, in some cases, unsuccessful work-related assignments or projects.

Ž The Benefits Of Time Management?

The answer to this question is clear Ayes,@ especially when it is based on the following achievements:

@ Controlling the distractions that waste your time and break your flow of activities;

@ Determining which of the things you do are important, and which ones can be eliminated;

@ Increasing your effectiveness and reducing your stress;

@ Allowing yourself to accomplish a great deal more of your prioritized daily tasks;

@ Being more in control of your activities;

@ Being more focused of your activities;

@ Being more in organized in your work and related activities;

@ Using your time in the most effective way possible;

@ Enjoying what you do;

@ Increasing the time that you can work; and

@ Allowing yourself more quality time to relax and enjoy the beauty of things around you.

Ž Time Management and Workers

Learning to manage your time is fundamental in succeeding in any job. Everything that is done is governed by time. limitations and organizational demands. Demands on an employee=s time can come from a multitude of directions, e.g., from managers, colleagues, subordinates, etc. It can also come from family, society, etc. Undue stress can lead to workers= inability to control, organize and coordinate their activities in relation to time. In a related manner, understanding how to achieve organizational goals, as well as personal and professional goals is directly related to the manner in which workers manage their time.

Ž  Results of Poor Time Utilization

; Weak job performance

; Organizational inefficiency

; Limited upward mobility

; Strained manager-staff relations

Ž Tyranny of  the Urgent

Have you ever wished for a thirty-hour day? Surely this extra time would relieve the tremendous pressure under which we live. Our lives leave a trail of unfinished tasks. Unanswered letters, unvisited friends, unwritten articles, and unread books haunt quiet moments when we stop to evaluate.

But would a thirty-hour day really solve the problem? Wouldn't=t we soon be just as frustrated as we are now with our twenty-four allotment? A mother=s work is never finished, and neither is that of any manager, student, teacher, or anyone else we know.

When we stop to evaluate, we realize that our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically the problem of priorities. Hard work does not hurt us. We know what it is to go full speed for long hours, and the resulting weariness is matched by a sense of achievement. Not hard work, but doubt and misgiving produce anxiety as we review a month or year and become oppressed by the pile of unfinished tasks. Demands have driven us onto a reef of frustration. We confess, quite apart from our sins, Awe have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.@

We live in constant tension between the urgent and the important. The problem is that the important task rarely must be done today, or even this week. The urgent task calls for instant action - endless demands, pressure, every hour of the day.

Even a home is no longer a castle; no longer a place away from urgent tasks because the telephone breaches the walls with imperious demands. The momentary appeal of new distractions seems irresistible and important, and they devour our energy. But in the light of time=s perspective their deceptive prominence fades; and with a sense of loss we recall important tasks we have pushed aside. We realize we=ve become slaves to the Atyranny of the urgent.@

Edited from Tyranny of the Urgent, by Dr. Charles E. Hummell (Downers, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1967).

Ž Misconceptions About Time Management

 Time management is nothing but common sense. I am doing well at my job, so I must be managing my time just fine.

Ï I work better under pressure: time management would take away that edge.

Ð I use an appointment calendar and a to-do-list. Is that not enough?

Ñ People take time management too seriously: it takes the fun out of life.

Ò Time management takes away your freedom - and I am a spontaneous sort of person.

Ó Time management might be good for some kinds of work, but my job is very creative. I can=t be tied to a routine.

Ô The stuff they teach you in time management is a lot of work. I don=t have time to do all that.

ŽOur AHurry Sickness@ Society: Implications For Health

Hurry sickness is a term first introduced from the work of Dr. Larry Dossey. In his book, ASpace, Time & Medicine,@ he writes the following:

Hurry sickness is basically a metaphor for all those illnesses brought on or exacerbated by stress, rush, and constant pressure. Tension headaches, ulcers, and some form of arthritis can be linked to the flood of adrenaline that results from interpreting life as over-lapping crises that demand a heroic response from us without rest or joy. In short, hurry sickness is habitual, unnecessary, or compulsive rushing that leads to the speeding up of our natural body functions, ultimately damaging our health. For many of us, we are caught in an epidemic of rushing as an end in itself and, no longer aware of other options, so we cannot escape.

Apart from Americans who show important signs of hurry sickness, the Japanese society is literally bending under the reality of this phenomenon. It has been reported that a new legal battle is moving to the front of Japan=s national concerns. Widows are bringing lawsuits against their husband=s employers for karoshi, a term meaning death from overwork. Simply put, while the Japanese have spent many years improving their economy, the price that the population, especially managers and other white collar workers, is hurry sickness and a variety of health-related problems. It is clear that how workers manage their goals, objectives and priorities with respect to available time, is a very important contributing factor to the emerging and real problem of hurry sickness. On the next pages a specific look is taken on what hurry sickness looks like and some tips to improve the condition.   

Ž Common Time Wasters

Everyone wastes time. It is part of being human. Some wasted time can be constructive, because it helps you to relax or otherwise reduce tension. Other wasted time, however, can be frustrating. This is especially true when time is wasted because you are doing something less important or less fun than what you might otherwise be doing.

The key question is, What might you be doing that is of a higher personal priority? Taking a break, communicating with associates, talking on the telephone and reading are not time wasters unless they keep you from higher priority activities.

People procrastinate for lots of reasons. Psychologists often say it=s because of frustration, insecurity, or fear of failure. But those are just a few of the things that can bring on delays and postponements. Sometimes a subconscious fear keeps people from taking action. Especially when they know they should be doing something, but are unable to do it and can=t figure out why.

Many people think procrastination is no big deal. Accordingly, they don=t worry about what causes it. They think they can break the habit whenever they want. However, any reason should be considered serious if it keeps people from reaching their dreams of success.

If you=re like most procrastinators, you=re actively concerned about the things you do. And you=d like to do better than you=re doing right now. You recognize and understand some of the major causes of your procrastination, but there are others that you just can=t put your figure on. T includes the most common causes, not necessarily the prizewinners.

Ž Setting Priorities

When opportunities exceed resources, decisions must be made. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the use of time. Since time cannot be manufactured, you must decide what to do and what not to do.

Setting priorities in the use of time is a two-step process:

1) Listing things that need to be done and

2) Prioritizing items on the list.

Use the ABC Method to determine your priorities by placing each item on your list into one of the following categories:

L Priority A - AMust do:@ These are the critical items. Some may fall into this category because of management directives, important customer requirements, significant deadlines or opportunities for success or advancement. 

L Priority B - AShould do:@ These are items of medium value. Items in this category may contribute to improved performance but are not essential or do not have critical deadlines.     

L Priority C - ANice to do:@ This is the lowest- value category. While interesting or fun, they could be eliminated, postponed or scheduled for slack periods.

Your A=s, B=s and C=s are flexible, depending on the date your list is prepared. Priorities change over time. Today=s B may become tomorrow=s A as an important deadline approaches. Likewise, today=s A may become tomorrow=s C if it does not get accomplished in time or circumstances change.

Obviously, it is not worthwhile to spend considerable time on a task of modest value. On the other hand, a project of high value is worth the time invested. Only good planning will allow you to reap the benefits of time wisely invested.

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