Time Management for EMS Personnel

Do you find it difficult to accomplish all the tasks you have been assigned, never mind finding time to work on ideas for making your organization more effective or efficient? In today’s busy world, it is critical for managers to possess—or to develop—time management skills in order to be more successful in their endeavors. The time management skill set encompasses a variety of tools and techniques that promote professional and personal efficiency and effectiveness.

The following article provides examples of time management tools and techniques. Table 1 outlines the skills.

Prioritize Your Day

Prioritizing the events in your day has several benefits. First, it assists you in determining short- and long-term goals. Second, it reveals when too much time is being invested in non-critical tasks, while critical tasks are being neglected. By taking the time to prioritize, you not only address pressing items, you also support your effective decision-making ability to meet goals.

When establishing priorities, you need to consider what must be accomplished versus what would be nice to finish. Are there items on your to-do list that must be completed even though you may not be passionate about them? Consider starting your workday with those items. The sooner they are completed, the easier it will be for you to move to the next items on your list.

Activity Log

An activity log lets you track how you actually spend your time during the day. It is invaluable in identifying areas where your time is not being utilized to its fullest capacity. To create an activity log, time each activity from start to finish, as if you were billing per activity. Even when talking with peers, make note of the time you spend in that engagement. Going out for lunch? Track the time from when you leave your desk to when you return. Attending a meeting? Track that time as well. At the end of the day, review your list. Are you participating in activities that do not contribute to your efficiency? This tells you where to make adjustments in your future participation.

To-Do Lists

A key component to managing your day is managing your tasks—knowing when to work on certain tasks while deferring others. A to-do list is the list of tasks you need to accomplish. Formulating your responsibilities into a list consolidates all of the work that you have to do into one common place. This makes it easier to visualize what you have on your plate. After creating the list, prioritize it. Prioritization is critical to ensuring that the most important tasks are completed first and determining which job to work on next.

Flexibility

In today’s world, especially healthcare, the ability to be flexible must be part of your bag of tricks. Regardless of your position in the company, maintaining flexibility actually promotes effective time management. Some resources recommend scheduling only 50% of your day, which leaves time available to manage last-minute emergencies and other crises. Either way, be sure to schedule extra time for high-priority tasks. This promotes the likelihood of completing them even if you are interrupted.

Hint: If you have been interrupted and need to re-engage your momentum, but find you are having difficulty doing so, consider tackling a lower-priority task. Once you’ve made progress there, re-attempt the more pressing task.

Intelligent Neglect

This means not focusing on “trivial” events or ones that don’t have long-term effects. Intelligent neglect is useful when you find that you are investing considerable time in the details of an item. Take a step back and determine whether the item can be removed from your to-do list at the stage it’s in by delegating it to a staff member. Time management is intended to maximize the appropriate use of your time, not to have you focusing on all the details of all the proj­ects all the time. Whenever possible, focus your energy on those tasks that you alone can accomplish; defer or delegate the rest.

Just Say No

Sometimes you might need to use the word “No.” You created goals. You created a task list and prioritized it. You have made significant progress and now you are being asked to tackle a last-minute request that will make you two hours late getting home. The kicker: It’s your wedding anniversary. Saying “No” is not easy, but sometimes it’s necessary. When it’s a low-priority request, it’s not so difficult to say. But when it’s a high-priority request, “No” can become more complicated.

Managers and supervisors need not feel overwhelmed when working on multiple proj­ects. By utilizing various tools and techniques—including time management principles—you will more likely manage your daily schedule with success. This ultimately supports strategic and long-term goals on both a professional and personal level, creating a win-win situation for everybody.

Bibliography

• Robbins S, Decenzo D. Fundamentals of Management: Essential Concepts and Applications, 3rd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001.
• Nichols J. Project Management for Business and Technology: Principles and Practice, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001.