On completing this chapter, you will be able to do the following: 1. Discuss three benefits of time management for an adult learner. 2. Using the four phases of the nursing process as a guide, develop a personal time management plan to be used as a student practical/vocational nurse. a. List the activities of the various roles you fill in daily life. b. Arrange the list of various roles according to whether they are high priority or low priority. c. Keep at least a 1-day activity log to determine the present use of your time, including social networking. d. Devise a semester schedule and a weekly schedule to reflect present commitments. f. Carry out weekly and daily schedules for 2 weeks. g. Evaluate the effectiveness of your personal time management plan and modify it, if necessary. 3. Identify right-brain techniques to use in time management. There are several explanations for being disorganized and managing time poorly: • Trauma in one’s personal life: Organizing may be the last thing on your mind if you have experienced a divorce or a death in the family. • Disorganized upbringing: Disorganization may be the style one grew up with, and this style may be a source of comfort. • Lack of commitment to be a practical/vocational nurse: Disorganization could be a symptom of discontent with your choice of career. Data collection in time management involves two areas: The activities involved in a practical/vocational nursing program are structured: How students use their time is partly a result of which side of the brain is dominant. Chapter 3 discusses the difference between right- and left-brain dominance. You may note personal brain dominance in your behavior. Chapter 3 gives you the opportunity to assess your specific dominance on p. 23. Time management systems generally reflect the left-brain thinking style. This style is linear (prefers a step-by-step, methodical approach), compared with right-brain thinkers who are nonlinear (see and do in an unstructured manner). Traditional tools of time management are directed to left-brain thinkers because they process information in sequence. Right-brain thinkers look at the picture as a whole. Right-brain thinkers prefer their own tools/ideas for time management and are good at devising them. Neither system of thinking is good or bad. Both sides of the brain work together and complement each other. When you have completed data collection, you will be ready to proceed to the planning stage. • A plan helps to keep you honest. It reflects the face-to-face classes you must attend and the studying you need to do to reach your long-term goal. It is your blueprint for action. • With a plan you will avoid the roller-coaster phenomenon all too familiar to students: falling behind in school and then trying to catch up. • Planning helps you include time for friends and family. It helps you avoid overlooking an important part of your well-being: recreation. • Planning helps you avoid the danger of allowing extracurricular activities to come before schoolwork, which is the major reason for failure in postsecondary educational programs. • The planning phase of time management will result in a blueprint for action. In this phase you will learn how to plan the use of your precious 168 hours a week. • Planning involves thinking about setting priorities (most important tasks), but these thoughts need to be recorded in some manner to be successful. • You need to devise a plan for yourself so that you can program your time on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis. The plan should include the activities that are part of all the roles you fill and not just your role as a student. Your plan needs to reflect the total of your activities.
Time Management
Making Time Work for You
Why can’t i get organized?
Getting organized with the nursing process
Data collection
Before you continue
Planning
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