Time is a precious gift and a crucial resource. The ways of spending it have become a subject of numerous books and studies and triggers minds nearly every person on the globe. Whether it be an astronaut or a farmer, people every day make choices regarding spending their time, and most of them are interested in doing it efficiently especially when it comes to solving significant problems or dealing with complex, time-consuming tasks.
Lucy MacDonald (2014) believes that time management is a misnomer, and it is impossible to manage time because it is in constant movement no matter what you do or do not do; all you can do is control the way you spend it to carry out your responsibilities and satisfy your needs. No matter how you name this trait, time management or self-management, it is a skill of highly effective people. Those who have learned to manage their time efficiently have good prospects of becoming leaders not to mention being more productive in everyday life.
Generally speaking, time management is about developing a day-to-day system of dividing time between the things you have to do and those you want to do so that cope with the first and have enough time for the latter. It has many advantages such as becoming more productive, finding the balance between studying/work and personal life, etc., but the most significant benefit of time management is feeling in control of one’s life (Maxwell, 2012) by setting priorities and fulfilling one task after another.
There are a great number of self-assessment techniques in time management. I decided to study some of them and compare the results so that I can find out whether I am a good time manager. I have chosen two tests designed as questionnaires so that it is easier to compare the results and get a relevant result as they include different sets of questions. The results have shown that I am a good time manager, however, there are certain skills I have to keep on learning. For example, I organize all the tasks I have to do as a “to do” lists, but I should work on refreshing them on a daily basis. I set priorities according to the importance of the task, but sometimes it is better to choose urgency as a criterion for the division. My files are accurate, well organized, and stored in one place but they are not always easily accessible. I have found a good balance between studying, working, and personal life but I should learn to schedule things that I do not like to do among those that bring me joy because I always do those I like first and leave the rest until the last minute. Together with that, I should develop a habit of formulating timely goals, e.g. a goal for a month or a year (Olmstead, 2010; Time management assessment, n.d.).
As the results of the tests demonstrated that I am good at time management, I decided to go further and study leadership styles as both traits are nearly inseparable. As I studied approaches to leadership, I made a conclusion that behavioral theory best describes my style. I am strongly inclined to believe that leadership can be viewed as a set of character traits (Piccolo et. al, 2012). That means that one does not have to be born unique to become a leader and that it is possible to develop any skill or habit.
Even though leadership and management are closely related, there are a few crucial differences between them. First of all, leaders know that people are a valuable resource for achieving a goal, and they work on developing an individual approach to people so that they help increase the team’s effectiveness and desire to work while managers believe that people should listen to him because of his power. Second, leaders are those creating change while managers act in response to change. Third, and most important, leaders create a team while managers rule a group of separate individuals without making an effort to connect them and create an atmosphere of trust and unity. Finally, leaders implement ideas while managers spend time creating them (Sanborn, 2012).
I do believe that the concepts I have studied can be applied to the work environment in professional nursing organizations. As of the first and the most important concept learned, time management, it should be said that nursing organizations are well-managed because they function on a strictly defined time basis but it still can be put to life, for example, through organizing a workplace by keeping all phone numbers in one place and all the necessary information in the other both easily accessible. Speaking of leadership and management, head nurses should bear in mind the differences between the two and create the atmosphere of trust, openness, and unity in the working place so that the employees love their work and those attending the nursing organization feel comfortable in a friendly environment.
References
MacDonald, L. (2014). You can manage your time better: Change your thinking, change your life. London, England: Watkins Publication.
Maxwell, J. C. (2012). Don’t manage your time – Manage your life. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Olmstead, J. W. (2010). Effective time management skills and practices: Self-assessment questionnaire. St. Louis, MO: Olmstead & Associates.
Piccolo, R. F., Bono, J. E., Heinitz, K., Rowold, J., Duehr, E., & Judge, T. A. (2012). The relative impact of complementary leader behaviors: Which matter most? The Leadership Quarterly, 23(3), 567-581.
Sanborn, M. (2012). 9 differences between managers and leaders. Web.
Time management assessment. (n.d.). Web.