Time ManagementCase study “Sheila”

Senior Executive

1st Level

2nd Semester

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Index

• Instructions• What controls your time?• Take control of YOUR time• The three tests for TIME MANAGEMENT• Analyze the effective use of YOUR time• Conclusion• Case study: Sheila • Worksheet

Objective

At the end of this practice you will have analyzed the use you make of your time and the activities you can control, this will enable you to solve the case study successfully.

At the end of this practice you will have analyzed the use you make of your time and the activities you can control, this will enable you to solve the case study successfully.

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The instructions for this activity are very simple to follow:

1.You must read the text.2.Answer the questions located at the end of the document. Take your time, think deeply about each question, we want to get to know you!!!3.Once answered it, please delete the first slides and save a new version that contains only the slides “Analyze the effective use of your time", "The Control of Your Time" and “Worksheet”4.You must upload this file to the DO sharepoint.

1. Please consider the following steps:1. Click on the following link:

http://mxdcw082w03:38239/sitios/desarrolloorganizacional/default.aspx2. Click on the word DOCUMENTS which is found on the left hand side of

the screen, in the main menu 3. Find and select the link “Sheila, study case" into the option

"Documents"4. Click UPLOAD , which will take you to a screen where you must click on

“Browse” to locate the document on your computer.5. Once you found the file , click ACCEPT6. The system will send you a form, Enter your name as the name of the file.

Then in "Títtle" put “Sheila , study case”, write the name of the city where you are and the date. Click on “Accept" and DONE!!!

1. Send an e-mail to Organization Development that you have concluded the self-study. The e-mail addresses are efernandez@manpower.com.mx, fjrueda@manpower.com.mx.

2. Enter the university portal, click on LEARN and then TRAINING PROGRAM3. Search for the name of this activity and click on the white arrow in the green box.

Click YES when asked if you have completed this activity*

Instructions

What controls your time?

No one has total control over the daily schedule. Something or someone is always demanding your attention. However, everyone has some control and probably more than you realize.

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The control of your timeAs employee you should use your working hours to reach the organizational goals. At this time, the use of your time is frequently controlled by specific tasks. However, in the general way exists a diversity grades of liberty in any specific period.

What grade are you in? (Circle one number below)

I HAVE TOTAL CONTROL 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 I HAVE NON

CONTROL

List below the activities requested:

Tasks or activities that allow me to manage my time

Tasks or activities that limit the control of my time

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The 3 Tests for Time ManagementIn the previous self-study, we learned about the basic aspects of time management. We now get into more detail regarding these three tests for Time Management.

The first step to have a better control of your time is to analyze how you currently are using it. You must have specific and reliable information before you can identify opportunities for improvement. The best way to gather this information is keeping track of YOUR time.

Once you track how you use your time, you should consider this information from 3 perspectives: need, ability and efficiency. This allows you to suspend certain tasks, delegate others and / or undergo training to increase your efficiency through technology, new procedures or personal working habits.

Frequently, a careful analysis may provide another eight or ten hours a week where you can remove activities from your schedule.

•The necessity test: First, one must examine each activity to ensure that it is necessary (not just nice). It is common to keep doing things that are no longer useful (for example, monthly reports whose content is no longer used). This "necessity test" should help reduce your tasks down to the essentials.

•The aptitude test: Having identified the essential tasks, the next step is to determine who should perform them (for example, someone that is appropriate from the departmental standpoint and / or skill level). Probably you may find activities that could be given to others or you are performing activities below your skill level, that could easily be reassigned.

•The test of efficiency: The third analysis examines the remaining tasks. Once satisfied with the job at hand, ask yourself: "Is there a better way to do it?". This will encourage you to find how to work faster, use the appropriate technology, or establish better procedures for handling repetitive activities.

There are only 3 ways to make better use of YOUR time:

1.Suspend the low priority tasks.2.Find somebody who can share tasks3.Be more efficient with what you do.

There are only 3 ways to make better use of YOUR time:

1.Suspend the low priority tasks.2.Find somebody who can share tasks3.Be more efficient with what you do.

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Analyze the effective use of YOUR timeIn your particular case and in your own words, enumerate the possibilities to make better use of YOUR time based on the 3 tests described in the last page.

The necessity test: Below are my activities at chance of being eliminated, since they might not be necessary:

The aptitude test: Here are my opportunities to make better use of my time by delegating or having others take part:

The efficiency test: Here are my opportunities to be more efficient using some kind of technology or developing better procedures.

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Conclusion When you make a better use of your time you can gain the possibility of having long-term activities as the described below.

•Career Plan: Take a training course and/or establish a career plan. Do something productive. Take charge of your own destiny.

• Reading: Being updated is increasingly important in today's complex world. Having more time allows you to read material related to your work or to study new topics or read more about your interests or hobbies.

•Communicating: The extra time may allow you to improve and / or begin relationships.

•Relaxing: You need to plan time for it. If you do not break from the daily work, your health can get alerted.

•Thinking: As a result of innovation, there may appear better ways and new opportunities. Allow more time to develop strategies and think any plan to set and achieve significant new challenges.

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Case study: Sheila

3 months ago, Sheila was excited about being promoted to Branch Manager.. After 4 years in the branch, she was confident on her ability and knew that her team was capable and experienced.

Now, Sheila is not sure she was born to be Manager. Her working day seems endless. During office hours she spends her time reviewing the assigned work and results. There is also a continual coming and going of visitors, and the phone rings constantly. In the afternoon, when she tries to relax, she has to address administrative matters and catch up with her emails, answering emails, preparing invoices, billing other costs, etc.

Feeling frustrated, Sheila asked her friend Claudia out for lunch because she had something important to talk about. Over lunch she told Claudia that she was thinking about quitting because she could not face a career working at least 60 hours a week. Claudia listened to her and said. “there must be another way out, if the main problem is the time required for the job, maybe I can help you to analyze how you use YOUR time”.

After listening as Sheila described a typical week, Claudia asked the following:

•If she considered her team as capable and experienced, why did she spend so much time assigning and reviewing work results?

•Who were the unexpected visitors? Could she eliminate some?

•When she received calls, could she pass them on to someone else when they were not urgent matters or could Sheila answer them later?

•Could anyone else do part of her job?

Thinking about all this, Sheila returned to office with the intention of analyzing the way she used her time.

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Worksheet

Consider the situation of Sheila and answer the following:

1. Does she seem to delegate appropriately?

2. How can she avoids disruptions ?

3. Should she considers establishing a "quiet time" and not take calls or visitors? If so, what would be the best time to do it?

4. Sheila believes that she must assigns the work of executives and review results. Is there a more effective way to do it?

5. What else could she do to gain more control over the use of her time?

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- Haynes, Marion E. (1998) Administración del Tiempo. Trillas. México

Bibliography