Managing Time Flashcards
time
- A measurable period
- A scarce resource, even though each person has 24 hours each day
- Easily measured but difficult to understand
- How we use time and perceive time affects how we think about time
theoretical time style
combining one’s concept of time with how one manages time
dimensions of time styles
- Social orientation: something that’s done with others vs. Something that’s done alone
- Temporal orientation: focused on present vs. Past vs. future
- Planning orientation: making careful plans vs. avoiding planning
- Polychronic orientation: multitasking vs. Completing one activity at a time
5 metaphors of time
- time is a…
- pressure cooker
- map
- mirror
- river
- feast
time is a pressure cooker
- Social orientation: doing everything for everyone
- Analytic planning: careful planning
- Monochronic time use: one activity at a time
- Feel like they constantly have to accomplish something
- Want to maintain appearances
time is a map
- Analytic planning
- Future temporal orientation
- Polychronic orientation
- Time is used to plan and guide us into the future
time is a mirror
- Analytic planning
- Past temporal orientation
- Polychronic orientation
- Mirror reflects back how we use our time and whether their time use falls short of their expectations
time is a river
- Spontaneous planning
- Present oriented
- Time, like a river, is an immediate encompassing sensation that you have to deal with as best you can (go with the flow)
time is a feast
- Analytical planning
- Present oriented
- Feast must be enjoyed as the food is served, but creating the feast requires careful advance planning
time style and conflict
- Gap between the real and ideal selves
- See idealized version (not what they truly do)
quantitative vs. qualitative time measurement
- quantitative: Number, kind, and duration of activities; activities occur at specific times
- qualitative: The meaning or significance of time use and how individuals feel about their time use
quantitative time measures
- Self-report or diary method
- Recall method
- Observation method
- Self-observation (control-signalling method)
Csikszentmihalyi’s theory about time
- proposed that people spend their time in 3 social contexts:
- Public
- Family, friends
- Solitude (time spent completely alone)
time use trends of post-secondary students (most to least)
- personal care (women more than men)
- leisure (men more than women)
- education (same for men and women)
- unpaid work (women more than men)
- paid work (women more than men)
how do women vs. men change their time use to adapt to longer work hours?
- Women cut study time and eliminate leisure
- Men dramatically reduce leisure time (by 4 hours)
men vs. women’s stress
- Women’s time stress levels are higher than mens’ (43% vs. 24%)
- Adding a job doesn’t change perceived stress
- This gives men higher self-esteem, happiness, and life satisfaction (no similar benefits for women)
anthropological models of time
- Linear-separable: past -> present -> future (each one distinct)
- Procedural-traditional: focusing on the process – doing things right
- Circular-traditional: each day looks the same as the previous one
student’s anthropological models of time (most to least): USA vs. Asia
- East and Southeast Asian
- Procedural
- Circular
- Linear (rare)
- USA
- Linear
- Procedural
- Circular
time measurement
values and systems that guide the conscious decisions made about activities and time use -> time is managed to fulfil needs, purpose, and goals
time displacement
how time spent on one activity takes away from time spent in another activity (ex. Choosing to watch TV instead of studying)
communication multitasking
sending and receiving many messages in a short span of time
discretionary vs. non-discretionary time
- Discretionary time: free time an individual can use any way he or she wants; usually spent with family and friends
- Nondiscretionary time: time an individual can’t control by himself/herself (Ex. Class hours, opening/closing times or stores)
children, adolescents, and time
- Children tend to have more discretionary time than adults, but this is changing
- Teens spend discretionary time talking, watching TV, helping with household chores, or being in clubs
- Teens who work more than 20 hours a week while in school are associated with delinquency, drug use, and school misconduct
adults and time
- Men and women experience time differently
- Men have more free time -> kids, work, and being married cuts down on women’s time more than men’s
- Internet and global business have reduced both men and women’s discretionary time -> the “24-hour business day”
drift time
enjoying unscheduled time (ie. Being able to relax and read the newspaper in the morning while retired)
modern tools of time management
- Watches/clocks
- Calendars and planners
- Cell phones, laptops, etc.
ABC method of time control and goals
- List what needs to get done and mark them as A, B, or C, then try to accomplish the A’s first, then the B’s, then the C’s if you have time
- A: most important activities
- B: medium-value activities
- C: low-value activities
- Variations exist, such as LMH (Low, Medium, High-priority)
Donahue’s suggestions for goal-setting
- suggests writing down goals in 6 areas of life:
- Family and home
- Financial and career
- Spiritual and ethical
- Physical and health
- Social and cultural
- Mental and educational
perception vs. time perception
- Perception: process where sensory stimulation is translated into organized experience
- Time perception: awareness of the passage of time
factors influencing perception of time
- Active vs. Passive: time goes faster if you’re active (ex. Car drivers feel trips are shorter than passengers because they’re actively paying attention)
- Age: time goes faster the older you are
- Drug/alcohol consumption, changes in body temp, and exposure to daylight
Frederick Taylor
father of time and motion studies
circadian rhythms
daily rhythmic activity cycles, based on 24-hour intervals, that humans experiences
demands vs. tempo
- events or goals that necessitate or motivate action
- Ex. Schools demand attendance, workplaces demand a certain amount of hours a week
- tempo: type of internal demand; a time pattern/pace they’re comfortable with
sequence
- when one event or step follows another in a series or arrangement
- Ex. Sharpening a pencil before using it
- Schedules are made up of sequencing and time-tagging
time-tagging
mental estimation of the sequences that should take place, the approximate amount of time required for each activity in the sequence, and the starting and ending times for each activity
interdependent vs. multitasking/dovetailing vs. overlapping tasks
- Interdependent: one activity must be completed before another can begin
- Multitasking/dovetailing: doing 2 or more activities at once
- Overlapping: giving intermittent attention to 2 or more activities until they’re completed
polychronic vs. monochronic tasks
- Polychronic: liking to do several things at once
- Monochronic: preferring to focus on one activity at a time
routine
habitual way over doing things that saves time and energy for other activities; provides stability
standards
- acknowledged measure of comparison or criterion
- Incorporates concept of value -> people have sets of standards that guide and measure their behaviour
- When there’s a lack of time, people aren’t able to meet standards they aspire to
- Comprised of both quality and quantity
