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33
Chapter 6
TIME MANAGEMENT: MINUTE BY MINUTE
_________________________
Chapter 6 Learning Objectives
After completing this chapter, students will know
• What time management is
• What the greatest management resource is
• What is at the heart of time management
• How the Pareto Principle applies to time management
• What priorities and posteriorities are
• What the 5P Principle is
• How to control the paper flood
Chapter 6 Outline
Introduction
Time Defined
Time Management: Planning and Organizing Time
Time Management in a Service Organization
Value of Time
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Organizing Time
Time Logs and Lists
Controlling Time
The Daily To-Do Lists
Scheduling
The Time Map
Other Methods of Organizing Time
Time Abusers: Combating Unproductive Time
External Time Wasters
The Telephone
The E-Mail Chime
Indecision
Failure to Plan
Lack of Organization
A Caution
Controlling the Paper Flood and Information Load
Retaining What You Need to Remember
Productivity—The Bottom Line
The Physiology of Productivity
Summary
Chapter 6 Summary
Time management means planning and organizing time to accomplish your most
important goals in the shortest time possible. Time is the greatest management resource
abusers.
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Among the most common external time abusers are the telephone, people who “drop in,”
nonessential meetings, socializing and “firefighting” or handling crises. The learning
curve principle states that if you do a group of similar tasks together, you can reduce the
time they take, sometimes by as much as 80 percent. In addition, the words back to work
can prompt you and others to keep on task.
Effective managers set priorities—tasks that they must do, have a big payoff and prevent
negative consequences. They also set posteriorities—tasks that they do not have to do,
have a minimal payoff and have very limited negative consequences.
Chapter 6 Key Terms
face time time spent in the agency or department long after a shift ends and on
weekends when not on duty to make sure you are seen putting in extra time by those
with the power to promote you.
5P Principle proper planning prevents poor performance.
Pareto principle 20 percent of what a person does accounts for 80 percent of the
results.
Parkinson’s Law the principle that work expands to fill the time available for its
completion.
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regression tendency to look back over previously read material.
scanning reading material rapidly for specific information.
single handling not picking up a piece of paper until you are ready to do something
with it; applies particularly to the daily stack of mail.
Classroom Discussion Questions
1. Most of us do not use our time wisely. In your notebook, write down three ways
you and someone close to you “wastes” time. Can you find any solutions in the
text that might help “retrieve” some of that time?
2. What are some tricks you have found that help you manage your time effectively?
Share these with the class. Can you think of any in the book that you apply or any
not included in the text?
6. What are your greatest time wasters? Compare yours with those of others in the class.
7. What time-management ideas presented in this chapter seem most workable to
you? Least workable? Why?
8. How do you determine whether a meeting is necessary? Plan the agenda of a
meeting? Control a meeting?
9. What examples of Parkinson’s Law can you cite in your life or experience?
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37
Student Activities
1. Check with local police managers to find out what they think are the greatest time
wasters in their jobs.
2. What time management ideas presented in this chapter are currently used by local
police management?
Challenge Six
Sgt. Kelly supervises the Greenfield Police Department’s investigative division. Ten
investigators report to her. Sgt. Kelly starts each day assigning cases to investigators and
reviewing completed cases that investigators have placed in her in basket. She has high
Sgt. Kelly spends a disproportionate amount of time dealing with the reports of two of
her investigators. One investigator is new on the job and very inexperienced. His reports
are poorly organized and difficult to read. He usually has completed the necessary work
but does not communicate it clearly in his reports. The other investigator is experienced
but tends to take investigative shortcuts. His reports are well written but very brief and
incomplete. Sgt. Kelly suspects he is not making all the contacts necessary to conduct a
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Challenge Six Questions and Suggested Answers
1. Is Sgt. Kelly making best use of her time?
Sgt. Kelly should consider her priorities and use her time more wisely. She should
2. How can Sgt. Kelly address the specific needs of the problem investigators?
Sgt. Kelly needs a proactive strategy to deal with the cause of the two investigators’
3. Should Sgt. Kelly stop reviewing cases and trust that her investigators are doing a
good job?
No. Sgt. Kelly has a responsibility to monitor the quality of her detectives’ work.
4. Is there a more efficient method to review cases that would take less time?
Sgt. Kelly should consider reading a sampling of the cases. Some cases are less
5. Should Sgt. Kelly be entering disposition data into the department’s computerized
records systems?
Entering data is not a supervisor’s job. A trained clerical person can enter the data
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39
6. Sgt. Kelly learned to manage her time from the previous detective supervisor. She
respected his supervisory skills and appreciated his mentoring, but she is questioning
whether the way he used his time is effective for her. Is it acceptable for her to change
the way she uses her time?
Yes. Police departments can be traditional organizations that cling to old practices
