Reading Handout

PM 106 – Professional Ethics

IMPROVE YOUR TIME-MANAGEMENT, GOAL-SETTING,

AND MEMORY SKILLS

“What I really need is more time.”

“There just aren’t enough hours in the day!”
“Where did the time go?”
“She just isn’t giving us enough time.”

Do these quotes sound like things you say often? In general, people complain about time more
than anything else. Yet time is one of the few things that we all receive in equal amounts on a daily basis.
If you’re not getting cheated out of the amount of time you get and you still feel like you don’t have enough,
that leaves just one explanation: You’re not managing your time well.

Get Your Priorities Straight

Start by listing the things that are most important to you. Some factors to weigh and consider are
the amount of time you spend with your friends versus your boyfriend or girlfriend, your summer job versus
your summer beach plans, and the amount of time you need to devote to both schoolwork and
extracurricular activities in the coming year. Once you have a list of issues, start determining your
priorities by placing the most important items—the items that need your attention most—near the top.
Once you establish your list of priorities, you are ready to start setting goals.

Setting Personal Goals

Have you noticed that if you don’t plan things, they don’t get done? You may really want to learn
the guitar. But until you transform that desire and priority into a workable goal, you’ll be singing a cappella.
Goals come in all sizes, from large life goals such as finding your dream job to daily goals such as making
your bed. If you’ve never set goals before, it might be worth your time to jot down a general life goal in
each of the following major areas of your life:

• Family • Social
• Financial • Spiritual
• Intellectual • Vocational
• Physical

For example, a long-range or life goal in the social area might be: “to be at ease and functional in
every kind of social situation.” A financial goal might be: “to be debt free, with enough money to buy
necessities and be free from money worries” or “to be a billionaire.”

Short-Term Goals

Your initial goals should be short-term specific. This will help you work on your larger life goals
in a more organized manner. Try setting up goals for one semester. Now you get to chip away at a piece of
that life goal.

For example, realistic financial goals for this semester might be:
• Get a part-time job.
• Save $200 this semester.
• Pay my brother back his $75.

PM 106 – Professional Ethics - JLandicho

Other goals for the semester might include:
• Raise my geometry grade one letter. • Study for tests.
• Pass chemistry. • Keep my locker organized.
• Make the honor roll. • Get a role in the play.
• Be on time to class every day. • Get along with coach.

Your next step is to break up your goals into parts or steps, called objectives. If you fulfill each
objective, you’ll reach your goal. For instance, decide on several steps that will enable you to save $200 by
the end of the semester, such as taking a babysitting job after school or putting aside $30 each week and
depositing it in the bank. Do this with each goal, breaking it down into manageable steps. Now you have a
plan of action.

Schedule the Plan

So far you have goals, objectives, and plans. But you need also to accomplish these items within a
certain time period. Say you’ve made it your goal to study more for tests this semester. To accomplish that
goal, you need to make a weekly schedule, as seen in the following exercise.

Avoid Procrastination

You have goals, objectives, a plan, and a schedule. Now all you have to do is fulfill them. And the
only thing that can get in your way is procrastination. Procrastination is the habit of putting off until
tomorrow . . . and the next day . . . and the day after . . . . It’s a good habit to break. Although there’s no
proven cure for procrastination, it might help to keep in mind the following tips:

• Evaluate your current schedule and find out where you’re wasting your time.
• If fear of failure is holding you back, admit it.
• Make yourself accountable to another person. Ask a friend or family member to ask you if you’re
keeping up with your goals. This will keep you motivated.
• Is your problem starting a project? Schedule an exact time to begin.
• Is your problem finishing? Set up a system of checks and balances. (For example, create a chart in
which you write down your weight every Friday, or a joint work session when you’ll have to show
someone how much you’ve done.)
• Break the big picture into less-threatening steps.
• Reward yourself at various stages. (If you read 50 pages, you get a bowl of ice cream— unless, of
course, you’re also trying to lose weight!)
• Celebrate the little victories along the way.
• Get a partner, someone with a similar goal.
• Give your goal a reality check. If you’ve never run a mile, you’re probably shooting too high to
enter a marathon.

Memory Skills

Just as you can manage your time with a little work and planning, you can learn to manage your
memory. If you want to excel in business, a good memory can be an incredible asset.

David learned about memory the hard way. In his first month in telemarketing, he called his boss
by the wrong name, forgot where he put his employee manual, spaced out during an early morning meeting,
and forgot an important client’s identity. While all of this was bad enough, there was more. David explains:
“I knew I was supposed to ship documents to Portland, Maine. But it slipped my mind. I sent a major
shipment to Portland, Oregon. That was the last straw. I knew I needed to improve my memory.” David
read a book, practiced, and improved his memory. Generally, memory consists of three elements: acquiring,

PM 106 – Professional Ethics - JLandicho

storing, and recalling. Most of us have our biggest problems with recall. There are many techniques out
there to help you manage your memory. We’ll take a look at a few of the simplest:

Listen Up

Probably the simplest memory aid is to improve your listening. Pay attention when someone gives
you, her name. When you’re about to receive an important piece of information, stop what you’re doing
and give your full attention. If you’re not sure you understand the information, ask to have it repeated.

Write It Down

Make use of lists and calendars. Use a personal organizer or create a database that includes meeting
times and dates. Check your calendar every day. If you have a good organizational system, you won’t have
to remember so much. Make one central “to-do” list and refer to it often. If you’re supposed to remember
to file a report, to drop off some papers, and to pick up supplies, jot these things down on today’s to-do list.
Make a point to look at it at least two times a day so you don’t neglect or forget about important
responsibilities.

Word Association

Say you want to remember your shopping list: eggs, butter, garlic, spaghetti, and dog food. Try to
make an unforgettable association with the words: You’re using a stick of butter as a skateboard, racing
down the sidewalk, your dog barking along behind. Your hair has turned to spaghetti, streaming in the wind.
You’re holding a raw egg in each outstretched arm. And passersby cross the street because of your garlic
breath. Now there’s a picture that’s harder to forget than your original list. And you should be able to pick
out the items you need. You’ve associated them with a vivid picture.

Visualization

If you can picture what you want to remember, you’ll have a better chance at remembering it.
Imagine Ms. Leopard in a leopard-skin coat; Mr. Brown dressed totally in brown; Ms. Cratchet with a
ratchet. Sometimes, the more offbeat the image, the easier it is to remember.

Mnemonics

Mnemonics are tricks to help you remember. You can use alliteration (mean Mrs. Masters made
me mad). Or simple repetition and rhyme might help your memory: “Use legs, get eggs.” Acronyms are
words that help you remember several items that start with the letters of the acronyms: BEAT=butter, eggs,
apple, toast. HOMES=Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior (the Great Lakes). You can make up your
own code to help you spell a name correctly: Treit=That rat eats ice, too. Or you can memorize the names
and order of the planets by making up a sentence using words that begin with the first letters as planet
names: My (Mercury) very (Venus) elderly (Earth) mother (Mars) just (Jupiter) served (Saturn) us (Uranus)
nachos (Neptune). Manage your memory and manage your time, and you’ll be way ahead of the game when
you start your new career.

Reference(s):

Ferguson (2009). Professional Ethics and Etiquette, Third Edition. Ferguson Publishing. United States of
America

PM 106 – Professional Ethics - JLandicho