Assess my time management skills.
To be honest, until I started my leadership program, my time skills were very, very poor. Somehow taking upper level classes has inspired me to become more aware of my time both at work and at home. The reason for this is mostly do to the amount of time and effort that a masters program takes and how I have to fit that into my current on goings. There was a need to be more aware of everything else that I had already planned and then to fit other important things into that schedule also. So to say the least, my time managment skills are on the up swing and they're slowly getting better.
Evaluate how these skills have increased your locus of control.
I actually believe that time management has given me more control over things (book says destiny) that are important to me. When I wake up each day, I have a clear understanding of what I need to get done and where I need to be. I've created that habit in part do to my new born son and my MSLD class and some other small things. When someone takes the time to take control or their schedule, I believe that there is some sort of emotional gain. What I mean is, without time guidance, there is a lack of direction in your day, whether that be at work or home. Not having a plan for time is like not having a plan for your money. The old saying goes "time is money". Well is that is true then they should be scheduled the same way, with a plan.
Identify three new areas in which improved time management skills would reduce stress.
Work - Sometimes I have a tendency to waste time when I'm in the work place. I don't mean I'm not working, I mean that I don't always have a clear plan for my time when more pressing issues are not happening. To reduce stress, I could have a plan laid out to help me accomplish less important tasks, faster.
In recreational time - applying time management ideas to my free time could perhaps held me have, more free time. This weeks reading mentions a lot of ways in which people can improve their health as well as their success; like working out and eating right. At the current moment I don't pre-plan any recreational time, I basically take time when I can and as often as I can. I think it might be good to plan my off time. If I did that, I may be able to have more time doing the things I like to do.
Sleep- I'm not sure if the accurately applies but I always hear how people are either getting to much sleep or not getting enough. I think that if I would make it a habit to apply the top two ideas and combine that with a decent sleep schedule, I wouldn't be tired and worrying about having to get more sleep. The right amount of sleep can be timed out and applied to make me less stressed about everything each day.
Add an action plan to integrate these to your daily routine.
I want to be realistic here. The reading says that we should maybe apply one at a time to help us be more efficient with our time. What I want to do is try and pre-plan some of my off time. I want to do this by making lists of what I need to get done, how long that might take and then share that with my wife. I think doing that will eliminate any disagreements we might have as to how we should spend our time. I think each night we should determine what needs to get done and then number them from the most important on down. The next day, we work hard to get them done and if we come short at least the most important ones get addressed first.
Whetten, D.A. & Cameron, K.S. (2011). Developing management skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
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