Website design By BotEap.comDo your CNAs know how much their time is worth at work? Here’s an example: Mary earns $12.00 per hour as a nursing assistant. She works eight hours every day. So what is the value of Maria’s time at work? Each day is worth 96 dollars. Each hour is worth 12 dollars. Every minute is worth 20 cents. When she does the math for her CNA, how much money does she think she is wasting in her workplace? Here’s some time management information she can share with her nursing assistant.
Website design By BotEap.comHow much is your time worth?
Website design By BotEap.comStudies have shown that the average American actually works only 6 hours out of every 8-hour day. The rest of the time is wasted! Why? Those same studies say that people waste time because:
- They are too tired to finish their work.
- They get involved in personal matters at work.
- They are not organized.
- However, they spend too much time socializing.
Website design By BotEap.comMary earns $12.00 per hour as a CNA. If Mary really only worked 6 out of 8 hours every day, that would mean that in one year she would waste $6,240.00. Let’s say Mary has 25 coworkers who also make $12.00/hour. If those coworkers also waste two hours every day, Mary’s workplace will lose nearly $156,000.00 each year in wasted time.
Website design By BotEap.comSome people might say,
“So what? My workplace makes a lot of money. They won’t miss $156,000.” But that would be wrong. The more money a workplace loses, the less it has for employee raises or better working conditions! Therefore, people who waste time at work hurt themselves in the long run.
Website design By BotEap.comTime: spend it wisely
Website design By BotEap.comHave you ever heard the expression,
“You have to spend money to make money”? Well, the same is true with time. You have to spend time to make time. In other words, if you spend a little time each day getting organized by making a “to do” list with priorities and goals, you’ll actually save time throughout the day. And, if you spend time focusing on each task as you do it, you’ll avoid mistakes…and the time it takes to fix those mistakes! By planning ahead, you give yourself a BIG PICTURE of what your day will be like. You can make decisions about what really needs to be done and what can wait.
Website design By BotEap.comWe live such complicated and hectic lives. Our “to do” lists seem to get longer every day. And with all these commitments and obligations comes an increased level of STRESS! Understanding the principles of time management will help simplify your busy life. You can control all the tasks you want to do and all the tasks you have to do throughout the day. You will feel calmer and less stressed at the end of the day! By planning a little, cutting out time wasters, and giving your full attention to the task at hand, you’ll find more time in your day to do the things that are important to you.
Website design By BotEap.comThe problem with procrastination
Website design By BotEap.comProcrastination is when people put things off, especially things they don’t like to do. Many people put things off until the last minute and then end up with a big job on their hands. For example, have you ever put off doing required paperwork and ended up with a big pile to finish? Or, have you ever waited to do the dishes until there were no more clean dishes? There is a saying: Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. This is good advice as procrastination is a real waste of time and a bad habit. Here are some ways people procrastinate:
Website design By BotEap.com1. Too much planning, too little action!
Website design By BotEap.comExample: Susan spends so much time cutting recipes and planning what she wants to cook that she never has time to cook. She ends up eating out of it, even though she really can’t afford it.
Website design By BotEap.comSolution: Susan could set a time limit for her menu planning. She could schedule a time each weekend to review recipes and plan meals for the week. Then she must buy the ingredients so she has no excuse not to cook.
Website design By BotEap.com2. Avoid boring tasks.
Website design By BotEap.comExample: Tom finds it very boring to fold his client’s clothes. He tends to put off work, leaving dirty clothes in a pile until they get wrinkled. Family members have started complaining, so now his supervisor is not happy with him, all because of some clothes!
Website design By BotEap.comSolution: Tom could alternate boring tasks with more interesting ones. Interesting tasks can be like a “reward” for completing boring ones.
Website design By BotEap.com3. Get rid of the unpleasant.
Website design By BotEap.comExample: Lydia finds it hard to get along with one of her clients, an old lady named Mrs. Jones. She puts off caring for Mrs. Jones until later in the day. But by then, both Lydia and her client are tired. This means that she takes longer than she should to finish Mrs. Jones’s personal care and her client is even more grumpy than usual.
Website design By BotEap.comSolution: Lydia could ask Mrs. Jones what time of day she would like her personal care and then do it at that time. This could make Mrs. Jones easier to get along with. However, Lydia may plan to make Mrs. Jones care first thing in the morning. This way, Lydia’s least favorite task gets done sooner and she doesn’t have to worry about it all day.
Website design By BotEap.com4. Unrealistic deadlines.
Website design By BotEap.comExample: Bill tends to work slowly every morning, taking several breaks and taking time to talk to his co-workers. After lunch, when Bill feels his time is running out, he speeds up and rushes to finish his work to get it all done by the end of the day.
Website design By BotEap.comSolution: Bill can set “mini” deadlines for himself. He can divide his work into quarters and tell himself that he needs to finish one quarter by 10:00, another quarter by 12:00, and so on. Until this new way of working becomes a habit, Bill could ask his supervisor or a co-worker to check to see if he is meeting his mini-deadlines.
