Chapter 6:
Time and Stress
Management
Time Management
• Time management is the ability to allocate your
time and resources to accomplish your objectives.
– Skill in time management = ability to prioritize and
accomplish more goals.
– Accomplishing goals = sense of well-being.
• Time management:
– increases productivity
– reduces stress levels
– gives you more time to enjoy the activities that are
important to you
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Stress Management
• Stress management is the ability to manage
your response to situations that occur in
your life.
• Responses to Stress:
– Physiological
– Psychological
– Organizational
3
Modern Organizational-induced
Stress
• Causes:
– Downsizing
– Increased work hours
– High volume of messages to handle
– Constant interruptions
– Work-family conflict
4
Time Management Strategies
• Plan and prioritize
• Prepare “to do” lists
• Follow the “80-20” rule
• Plan for time-specific vs. non-time-specific
activities
• Find your optimal working time
5
Time Management Strategies
(continued)
• Prioritize tasks
• Organize
• Delegate
• Differentiate between what is urgent and
what is important
• Do not procrastinate
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Stress Management Issues
• Stress is an upset in the body’s balance, in
reaction to an adverse or disturbing event.
– Not caused by an event, but your response to it
– Found in all aspects of life
– Inevitable and unavoidable
– Sources vary from person to person
– Derived from external factors such as an ineffective or
inefficient work environment
– Derived from internal factors such as your emotional
state or perspective on life
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Types of Stress
• Good stress, or eustress
– Positive
– Presents opportunities for personal growth or
satisfaction
– Pushes people to higher performance
• Bad stress, or distress
– Negative
– Results in debilitating effects
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Dealing with Stress
• Not all individuals respond in the same way to the
same stressor.
– Psychological problems are best dealt with by
consulting a professional such as a counselor or
therapist.
– Physiological problems are best dealt with through
consultation with both a health professional and a
mental health professional.
– Organizational problems are best dealt with by talking
with your boss or co-workers, or leaving the
organization if no change is forthcoming.
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Organizational Responses to
Stress
• Organizations need to respond to the causes of
stress.
• Three types of intervention are required:
– Reduce the number of stressors present in the work
environment
– Help employees cope with stress by training and
introducing stress management techniques
– Rehabilitate employees experiencing symptoms of
stress
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How to Manage Stress
• Identify your stressors and stress levels
• Implement time management skills
• Share your thoughts and feelings
• Keep a journal
• Talk to someone you trust
• Use visualization and mental imagery
• Practice relaxation techniques
• Eat healthy and exercise regularly
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Overcoming Fear of Failure
• Good fear maintains your alertness and vigilance.
– Keeps you from danger
– Can “adrenalize” you
• Bad fear holds you back instead of propelling you
forward.
– Keeps you from applying your full energies to a
situation
– Stifles learning and interferes with decision making
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Hints for Overcoming Fear of
Failure
• Look at failure as an event, not a reflection
on you personally.
• Remind yourself that everyone experiences
failure.
• Look for the “why” and find a solution.
• Ask yourself what you have learned.
• Associate with positive people and abolish
fear and failure statements.
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Hints for Overcoming Fear of
Failure
• Create a new environment.
• Access new information; let adversity
become advantage.
• Create a new perspective or mindset.
• Take one step at a time; keep moving
forward.
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The Role of Emotional
Intelligence
• Effective self-management requires an awareness
of your emotional and rational responses.
• Expressing emotions requires an innate sense of
what’s appropriate to say, when, where, and with
whom.
• Your level of emotional intelligence is a huge factor
in your ability to be successful.
• EQ is a quality that can be improved.
• Understanding your levels of emotional intelligence
is essential for your self-awareness.
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Achieving Emotional
Competency
• There are six fundamentals for achieving
emotional competency:
– Self awareness
– Self-regulation
– Motivation
– Empathy
– Social skills
– Group work skills
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Emotional Intelligence and
Workplace Performance
• EQ is twice as important as IQ and technical skills
at all job levels.
• High individual EQ = effective behaviors at work.
• High leadership EQ =
– Reduced depression, greater optimism, less
impulsiveness
– Increased concern for mastering skills and tasks
– Facilitation of adaptation and change
– Influence on positive learning
– Development of transformational leadership
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