Module 1

[Audio] Welcome to the Career Readiness & Externships: Soft Skills for Pharmacy Technician's Time Management presentation. This module presents the steps necessary to effectively manage your time. Some of the topics addressed include setting a time budget, creating to do lists, preventing distractions and procrastination, being punctual, and organizing your workspace..

[Audio] In this module, you will: Identify the seven key skills of time management. Explain how time management is related to reliability and productivity. Implement strategies for practicing good time management. Create manageable monthly, weekly, and daily to-do lists. Describe tactics to prevent multitasking, interruptions, and distractions. Understand the challenges associated with procrastination and how to overcome them. Apply punctuality strategies. Explain the importance of and strategies to organizing your workspace..

[Audio] The Module 1, Section 1.1: Time Management presentation for the Career Readiness & Externships: Soft Skills for Pharmacy Technicians program covers the basic concepts of time management, such as reliability and productivity, habits, and priorities..

[Audio] One of the most basic, yet essential skills—for any professional—is time management. Time management is defined as, "the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, or productivity." Time management involves different skills, tools, and strategies that people apply in various ways. Time management is a skill that helps you complete goals and tasks by their deadlines without outside supervision or reminders. Learning and practicing time-management skills as a pharmacy technician student will prepare you apply these same skills when you start your career as a pharmacy technician..

[Audio] There are seven main skills associated with time management. These time-management skills and methodologies can work at both the macro (large-scale) and micro (small-scale) level. For example, effective time management skills can help you accomplish weekly, monthly, or even annual tasks. These same skills can be used on a minute-to-minute or hourly basis to complete daily school or work objectives. These seven skills include: • sorting and prioritizing your tasks • estimating the amount of time per task • scheduling your tasks and deadlines • making your daily to-do list • preventing multitasking, interruptions, distractions, and procrastination • putting an emphasis on being punctual • organizing your workspace to maximize efficiency These interrelated skills can become habits through repeated practice..

[Audio] Some of these skills will come easier than others, but all of them can be learned. These skills are necessary in any pharmacy position you take, because pharmacy personnel are required to work efficiently at a fast pace. With calls on hold and customers waiting, or nursing floors needing to be restocked, good time management will be one of your most useful assets..

[Audio] Take a moment to think about how your time management skills may affect others. Consider a deadline you met or a task you finished recently. Who benefited? Consider an instance in the past month when you did not complete a task as promised. Whom did your behavior affect?.

[Audio] Managing your time well will also ensure that employers, coworkers, customers, and patients find you reliable and productive. Being reliable means that people can trust and depend on you. If you are assigned to work a shift, it means showing up early or on time. If you have a task to be done, it is done completely, on time, and meets expectations. Being productive means using your time efficiently to get more done. If you work in a community pharmacy, you may have duties for dispensing, keeping your work space clean, or checking expiration dates on medications. Your priority as a pharmacy technician will be serving patients and dispensing their medications. You can work on the other tasks when there are no patients waiting. Using the time in between patients in this way allows you to be productive. Pharmacists and pharmacy managers look for reliability and productivity in the pharmacy technicians they hire..

[Audio] Be thoughtful and consider your current time-management habits. Time is a resource you spend, like money. Unlike money, everyone has the exact same amount of time to spend each day. Since you can't increase the number of hours in a day, you must make the most of those hours and minutes. Consider how you currently spend your time. What choices are you making regarding your time? How are you spending this resource?.

[Audio] The order you do tasks matters. You will be able to do more if you prioritize the most important tasks ahead of less important tasks. To prioritize means to sort by level of importance. This is one of the first tasks of time management. Sort the tasks on your to-do list into different categories based on level of importance. Then, ask yourself: How many things can I complete in one day? How much time can I devote to one task?.

[Audio] Consider the "time jar" analogy. This is a popular analogy that illustrates the importance of time management. It compares the hours in a day to a jar, which we fill with different tasks, such as sleeping, eating, going to school, seeing family, etcetera. Everyone has the same size jar, but we all choose to fill it with different things. For this analogy, the most important tasks or those that must be addressed every day are considered "rocks." These take up a lot of space in the jar. Rocks typically represent family, classes, or jobs that must be attended to each day. Everyday tasks such as making food, completing chores, or paying bills are the "pebbles." These things may not take a lot of time, but there are typically a lot of them that should be done each day. Recreation, hobbies, or "fun" tasks are represented by sand. These are tasks that we enjoy doing—and may not take up a lot of time..

[Audio] How we prioritize our tasks and fill our time has a direct impact on whether we can complete all of the tasks in a single day. Consider what would happen if you prioritized recreation and everyday tasks before you prioritized your most important tasks. Filling a jar with sand and pebbles first will NOT leave space for the more important (and larger) rocks. In comparison, if you start by prioritizing your important items first (the rocks), the other items can be added afterwards and fill in the extra space you have available within your jar. In the same way you should prioritize your important tasks for each day. Making time to address those needs first will help you see the time and space that you have left over for the other less-important tasks..

[Audio] Apply this concept of prioritizing to your everyday tasks. Which ones are the most important per day? Per week? Per month? By thinking about how you currently fill your days versus how you would ideally like to, you can be more thoughtful and strategic about your choices. Doing so will help you pick up and internalize the remaining skills of time management..

[Audio] The Module 1, Section 1.2: Time Management Skills and Strategies presentation for the Career Readiness & Externships: Soft Skills for Pharmacy Technicians program identifies the skills and strategies that can implemented to better manage your time in the pharmacy setting..

[Audio] Now that you have considered the importance of time management, you can probably see areas in which you can use your time more effectively. To do so, it helps to have tools, strategies, and skills related to time management. The following are common time-management techniques: • Gather time planning tools. • Make lists of tasks. • Prioritize tasks for the month, week, and day. • Create a time budget. • Manage tasks in a calendar. • Make to-do lists for the day. Each of these skills requires some explanation and practice, but are important to effectively managing your time..

[Audio] To begin, you'll need the right tools, such as, a notepad or notepad app along with a daily calendar, personal planner, or scheduling app. These tools allow you to make lists and take note of any important dates in one or two organized places. Do not rely solely on your memory. A calendar/planner and its segmented blocks are the bones in the body of your time-management plan. They give you the structure that you need to plan your tasks. It will be difficult to manage your time if you can't see your appointments or due dates in the context of a date, week, month, and year..

[Audio] Writing down the important tasks you need to complete in the week and month ahead to meet your long-term and short-term goals is an essential strategy for managing your time and meeting your goals. You can also add to the lists the necessary tasks for living and meeting your family, school, and work responsibilities. The list-making step accomplishes many things, such as allowing you to not worry as much, to be more accountable, prioritize better, to delegate, create realistic expectations, and affirm your progress. Take a moment to write down three to four tasks you need to complete this week..

[Audio] Once you have listed what you need to get done, it's time to prioritize those tasks to determine what is urgent (U), important (I), necessary (N), or marginal (M). Urgent work must be accomplished immediately and may need to be completed before other work can resume. Important work must be completed to get the job done, but doesn't have an immediate deadline associated with it. In the pharmacy, putting away the daily order of medications must get done and has a deadline, but it doesn't have to happen immediately for work to continue. Necessary work is important but not tied to any other task, nor is it work that must happen right away. In the pharmacy example, checking expiration dates of medications on the shelf is important, but it can be done with some flexibility, and if it doesn't get done that day, all other work can continue as needed. Marginal work consists of tasks that are less important or do not have an assigned deadline, but you would like to get them done when you can. For example, dusting the medication shelves shows attention to detail, but if it did not happen on a regular basis, it would not be immediately noticed. Be aware that marginal work, if left for too long, can rise in priority..

[Audio] Determine the Category To determine a task's priority level, ask yourself, what will happen if I don't get this done? What are the consequences? The level and timing of the consequences determines whether the task is urgent, important, necessary, or marginal. This prioritization process is based on the individual. It depends on how you value different tasks and their outcomes. Take a moment to consider how the three to four tasks you identified earlier should be prioritized..

[Audio] In a community pharmacy dispensing position, you will likely have to prioritize your tasks on an ongoing basis, and priorities will shift depending on context. Should you ask a customer at the window to wait while you are completing a prescription fill, or should you stop the dispensing process and help the customer? When do you ask for help and from whom? Your orientation and policies and procedure manual should provide you with guidelines on how to prioritize. The exact amount of time each interruption will take may also make a difference in how you prioritize. The nature of a task will also help you decide what to do. If you are in the middle of calculations or something critical to safety, its priority is higher and must be completed before helping the customer. If, however, you are just preparing to fill a prescription and a customer appears to be in a hurry, the priority might be to help the customer first and then return to filling the prescription. Learning to prioritize tasks in your academic career will help you quickly prioritize tasks when you are on the job..

[Audio] After identifying priorities and deadlines, consider how much time each task might take. This is a list where you set aside, or "budget," the time needed to do the task well. A budget is a plan that estimates and allots resources (such as time or money) based on listed categories and their priorities. Using your time budget, you will be better able to schedule tasks out on a calendar or in a planner because you are setting aside enough time to get them done. In some cases, such as "attending lab class," you'll know how long the task takes based on its specific time limit and your experience. In other situations, you'll need to estimate the length of time needed, such as travel time to and from said lab. Afterward, you'll have to check how accurate your estimate was for future planning..

[Audio] With your estimate and task lists, you can build a weekly budget (similar to the one illustrated on this slide), and from this, a daily budget. Note that weekly time budget identifies the activity, deadline, priority rank (important), the time required, and notes about when the task will be completed..

[Audio] The next step is to use your time budget to schedule your tasks in a planner or calendar. Maintaining a schedule will help keep you focused and organized. You'll be able to track your progress, and not worry about whether you will forget an appointment or deadline. Saying no to distractions and diversions that come along will be easier, because you can see that you have something already scheduled. The following tips will help you successfully manage your calendar. Schedule Deadlines. Schedule all the deadlines you know first. This ensures the essentials are in place first. Another strategy is to record deadlines for an earlier time. By doing this, you add buffer time. Giving yourself an extra day or week in advance of a large project's deadline (or additional hours for a small project) will give you time to double-check the final product and allow time for unexpected delays or problems. Consider Others. Pay special attention to tasks for which others depend on you to get done. Schedule these deadlines in advance of when others need you to finish. Equally important is to allow extra time when your work depends on other people. For example, you cannot finish your externship application until you have gotten letters of recommendation. Make sure you give those who will be writing your letters sufficient writing time and a due date. Then schedule the task into your calendar to check in and follow up periodically..

[Audio] Schedule Tasks at Logical Times. Schedule tasks at the right time of day, if possible. For instance, if you have creative work, do it when you are most creative and have the fewest distractions. Develop the habit of thinking about the appropriateness of timing for certain tasks. Also consider grouping similar activities together. If you must go to the computer lab to do work for two different classes, schedule your time to do the work in a single block of time. Another strategy is to schedule certain days for routine weekly tasks. This method helps to divide and prioritize ongoing essential tasks over a full week, rather than all at once. Minimize Interruptions. There is a reason that quiet libraries are good places to study. It is easier to concentrate and be productive when you have fewer distractions. Schedule times during your day to go to a location with few distractions, this will help you get difficult tasks done more effectively. Practice Accountability. Teaming up with others who can quality check your work can be a very useful and productive technique to get more done with better results. Schedule time for quality check-ins and time to receive feedback or follow-up on projects and tasks. And finally… Celebrate Progress. Schedule time for mini celebrations when you meet short-term and long-term goals. Rewarding yourself will give you additional incentive to complete the tasks on your weekly calendar..

[Audio] With your weekly schedule filled in with required tasks, it is time to make a to-do list for the day. This is going from the macro to the micro level of time management. The following are time-saving productivity techniques and cautions to use when making your to-do list and scheduling the tasks in your daily planner. Be Realistic. Don't overwhelm yourself with a list that's too long. The point of the list is to make you feel productive when items are completed. If the list is too intimidating due to its length, it will have the opposite effect. Attack the Most Important and Hardest Tasks First. The biggest and hardest task should be done first in your day, when your energy is highest. Do Quick Things Between Harder Tasks. Every list should include a few simple and swift tasks so that you can complete these in between other things and check them off. This gives your productivity some momentum. Combine Tasks. Sometimes physical tasks have wait times built in that you can use to complete another task. For instance, if you have a long commute, you could use the time stuck in traffic to listen to a podcast about your industry or if you ride public transportation, you could read or study during the commute. Remember Small Ongoing Tasks. Don't delay marginal work too long. Maintenance work that never gets done eventually rises in level of importance. For instance, if you delay cleaning or organizing your files or workspace your space can become disorganized. Schedule maintenance and clean-up tasks on a regular basis. Work Using Intervals. The brain works like a muscle, and you can improve its capabilities and focus with practice. For instance, read a paragraph or two and then look up to consider what you just read. Then read a few more paragraphs before looking up to think again. Continue this pattern and you will gradually build up your reading and focus skills. Include Time Outdoors. Spend time outdoors each day. Time outdoors can do even more to improve your focus, memory, mood, creativity, energy, and productivity while reducing stress..

[Audio] The Pomodoro Method (or technique) consists of 20 minutes of intense concentration and then a 10-minute rest. This method was developed by Francesco Cirillo, an entrepreneur and author who developed the method as a university student trying to get his studies done efficiently. The technique works like a high-intensity workout, with quick bursts of energy and short recovery times..

[Audio] The Module 1, Section 1.3: Common Enemies of Time Management presentation for the Career Readiness & Externships: Soft Skills for Pharmacy Technicians program describes various challenges associated with time management..

[Audio] There are many reasons that time-management strategies can fail. The most common is a failure to stick to it consistently. Other challenges include attempts at multitasking, interruptions, recreation and screen time distractions, and procrastination..

[Audio] Many people think multitasking is a beneficial skill. Psychological studies, however, have found that multitasking is a myth. Your mind cannot focus on two things at once so it switches back and forth, losing focus each time as it must remember or reorient itself to each task. This greatly reduces productivity, causing tasks to take longer than they would have if you had focused on one task at a time. Multitasking also raises the risk of making greater errors, which is problematic in a pharmacy. This is commonly referred to as a capture error, in which the technician's attention is captured by something else while dispensing, such as answering a phone while entering a prescription. It's difficult to avoid multitasking, but, awareness of the risks can help..

[Audio] The following are some techniques and tips to use to avoid the habit of multitasking. Use Apps. There are many applications and websites you can use to limit your access to distracting content while you work. These can be set to block websites for a specific amount of time and even allow you to specify which sites and applications to block. Mute or Disable Notifications. The icons that tell us new content or messages are available distract us from the tasks at hand. Turning them off or muting for a time can allow more focus on directed activities. Clean Your Workspace. A cluttered desk or work area can draw your focus from one activity to another. Less mess equals less distraction..

[Audio] Being interrupted can reduce efficiency and your ability to stick to your time-management plan. Pharmacy technicians get very little uninterrupted time to work on their high-priority tasks. They must deal with phone calls, information requests, and a whole host of other events that crop up unexpectedly. Some events need to be dealt with immediately, but others can wait to be managed. To successfully manage interruptions in the pharmacy, you will want to consider various interruption-reduction strategies to best address big interruptions that you have control over. One way to manage interruptions is by alerting others that you are unavailable for a period of time. This could mean asking the customer on the phone to hold while you complete a task. This simple actions lets the customer know that you will be with them shortly, but also allows you to complete the task at hand. Another way to manage interruptions is to let your calls go to voice mail or set up an automatic response for texts or emails. This automatic reply will help senders know that their messages aren't being ignored and allows them to go about their own business with a reasonable expectation of when you will respond..

[Audio] What interruptions do you usually encounter during your day, and how do you handle them? How will you adapt your current strategies for handling interruptions for your future job as a pharmacy technician? In addition to the problems of multitasking and physical interruptions, there are other distractions, such as recreation time, screen time, time spent worrying, and repeating work..

[Audio] Analyze Your Recreational Time Choices In moderation, recreation is healthy and useful. If you are not careful, however, recreation can turn into a source of great distraction. For instance, playing on a basketball team has the benefits of health and wellness and stress relief. But going out with the team after the game and staying out later than you intended may make it hard to go to class or work the next morning. You should also understand the dangers of screen time. Most of us spend significant amounts of time a day looking at screens or checking social media--often without realizing it. Studies show that when a device emits a notification alert, our minds react by emitting dopamine in our brains. Dopamine is a hormone associated with rewards, satisfaction, and addiction. Consider how much time you spend on your smartphone or other devices. Another concern when spending too much time on smartphones and computers is that it can reduce our time interacting directly with other people. Studies have found that overuse of social media can decrease our ability to interact with others in face-to-face situations effectively. For all these reasons, psychologists and time-management specialists recommend that individuals consciously limit their screen time and schedule daily breaks physically away from phones, computers, TVs, and videos games..

[Audio] Avoid Common Time Wasters When you understand the factors that are working against you, staying on task becomes much easier. Some common time wasters include worrying too much, repeating work, and hoarding unnecessary information. Worry. Worrying about- or trying to predict-- the future can take up a lot of our time. Keeping a journal, discussing worries with friends and family, or even meditation can all help to alleviate worries. Repeating Work. Rereading the same information more than once, not taking good notes and having to go back for clarification, or not saving your work (and then losing the data) are all examples of work that ends up needing to be redone. Focusing your attention can eliminate the need to reread items, using advanced note taking skills, and autosaving applications are all ways to overcome these pitfalls. Hoarding Unnecessary Information. This time killer is mostly related to email and junk mail, but clutter and information overload are also time wasters. Consider researching strategies for how to manage email inboxes as well as your desktop. Find a strategy that works for you and stick to it..

[Audio] Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing a task. Most problems you encounter while trying to stick to your time- management lists and schedules are external. Procrastination, however, is an internal challenge. Have you ever put off completing something difficult or uninteresting? People often avoid challenging projects due to a fear of failure, or they avoid projects that seem boring, annoying, or frustrating, even if they are necessary. Procrastination wastes valuable time. Routine tasks that could have been done sooner become more urgent and sometimes more complicated the closer they are to the deadline. In addition, if you procrastinate, you are very likely to make avoidable mistakes as you rush to finish. As with all the other time-management skills, there are tips and tricks you can use. Doing a little bit at a time, conquering your fears, putting tasks into the larger context, and delegating can all help you prevent or overcome procrastination. Break Up Large Tasks Cut big tasks you are likely to put off into small ones. Then celebrate each small task completed as a victory. Conquer Your Fears Start with any tasks that seem the most complicated or challenging. See the Bigger Picture For the tasks that seem tedious, boring, or unimportant-- consider why they are necessary tasks. They are necessary for a reason, and that reason can provide meaning and motivation for the individual tasks. For example, restocking medication vials is often seen as very tedious, but in the larger context, having them available at the peak of production enables you to complete prescription fills quickly and efficiently. Delegate or Reduce Responsibilities Procrastination often happens when people become overwhelmed. See if there are some tasks you can ask someone else can do or consider if you have taken on too many responsibilities. Maybe you will need to shed some commitments to focus on your most important goals..

[Audio] Respond to the following questions as honestly as possible. • What tasks do you postpone or avoid? • How do you procrastinate? Do you check email or social media? Find other work to do? Take a break and allow yourself to get distracted? List the ways you most often fill your time when you are avoiding a task. • How does your procrastination affect your work?.

[Audio] The Module 1, Section 1.4: Punctuality presentation of the Career Readiness & Externships: Soft Skills for Pharmacy Technicians program explains the importance of punctuality and discusses various strategies that can be used to improve punctuality..

[Audio] One of the key components of reliability is punctuality. Punctuality means consistently arriving where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. Being punctual allows supervisors, coworkers, family members, and friends to depend on you. When employees are punctual, the workplace operates more smoothly as a whole. Remember that there may be coworkers either waiting to end their shifts or start the day who rely on you to be on time. If you don't show up on time and your team is short-staffed, dispensing can get very backed up. Customers may get frustrated and not return to the pharmacy. This harms the business overall, and you may get reprimanded or even terminated. In many states, there are regulations dictating how many technicians and pharmacists can be on duty during a shift. These are known as pharmacist-to-technician ratios. If a pharmacist is late, several technicians cannot begin work until the pharmacist arrives. A pharmacy is a team where everyone depends upon each other. If anyone is late, there can be repercussions for the rest of the workday as everyone struggles to catch up with their work..

[Audio] Punctuality flows from good time management. In a 2016 CareerBuilder survey, more than 4 in 10 employers reported having fired workers for being late. Employers are also less likely to promote employees who are chronically late. The CareerBuilder survey reported that 16 percent of American workers were late once per week. Chronic excuses for being late, such as oversleeping, procrastinating, and traffic, are not acceptable to employers. These can be eliminated with better time management and organization. Some cultures have a less rigid view of punctuality. This approach can be acceptable outside of working hours, but in most American workplaces (especially those that are highly scheduled), this is not acceptable. Pharmacies are usually tightly scheduled. Technicians need to adapt to the work culture and expectations of the pharmacy in order to succeed in that environment..

[Audio] Respond to the following questions as honestly as possible. Consider a recent event when you arrived early. How did you feel? What were the effects on others? What were the consequences for you? Consider an event where you arrived late. How did you feel? What were the effects on others? What were the consequences for you?.

[Audio] Punctuality is easier to consistently achieve when you have strategies. Even if you are someone who tends to be late, you can train yourself to be on time by first examining how long getting ready really takes, making sure to account for weather and traffic, and avoiding last-minute distractions. Other tips include scheduling yourself a 10 to 15-minute buffer time, setting alarms, and alerting people if you cannot avoid being late..

[Audio] Examine How Long Getting Ready Takes. Many people who are chronically late are overly optimistic and considerably underestimate how much time it takes to shower, dress, eat breakfast, etc. Always allow for extra time. Check Weather and Traffic Conditions. To avoid delays, check the status of traffic and weather an hour before leaving in case you need to make plans for alternative routes or methods to arrive on time. Avoid Last-Minute Distractions. People often get distracted from arriving on time by doing something they think will take only a minute, but then it takes a lot longer, such as answering a phone call, checking Facebook, or answering an email. Schedule Yourself 10 to 15 Minutes Early. Like giving yourself due dates ahead of your final deadline as a buffer, you need to do the same for all appointments. Plan to be there 15 minutes ahead of time, and you will usually end up on time even if there are unexpected delays. Set Incremental Alarms. People need time for their minds to adjust to going from one place to another. Just like a wake-up alarm with the snooze button or parents who give their kids 10- and 5-minute warnings about leaving soon, use reminders to stay conscious of time. Some people even set their clocks 5 or 10 minutes ahead to force themselves to get going early. Alert Someone if you Must be Late. If you must be late because of an unavoidable difficulty, call or text ahead to let those waiting know, so they don't worry. Let them know when you will arrive and what to do in the meantime..

[Audio] The Module 1, Section 1.5: The Importance of an Organized Space presentation of the Career Readiness & Externships: Soft Skills for Pharmacy Technicians program explains the benefits of keeping an organized work space and provides strategies that can be used to create this habit..

[Audio] Organizing your space will boost your time efficiency, reliability, productivity, and punctuality. Consider that if you are constantly looking for the right file, measurement instrument, your keys, your wallet, or your glasses, you will waste a lot of time. Progress is delayed on all other tasks until the needed items are found. Being disorganized can affect your work performance. In the pharmacy, being disorganized can also severely affect safety and team efficiency. When clutter invades the pharmacy, it can influence others' performance. When things in your workspace and your life are sorted into the most appropriate places, you will save time and energy by being able to easily find items when you need them. You will also feel more in control of your surroundings and less stressed..

[Audio] For each of the statements shown here, consider whether the statement applies to you: "always," "sometimes," or "rarely/never." Respond to statements as honestly as possible. I have a designated place for all my things at work. I have a designated place for all my things at home. I have a regular routine for putting things away at work that I do once a day or week. I have a regular routine for putting things away at home that I do once a day or week. I file or delete my computer files when I am done with them. I have a regular routine for deleting files I don't need any more once a day or week. I don't buy or add items to my workspace or home unless I can give other things away. I value being organized because it makes me feel more productive. I value decluttering and minimizing unnecessary items in my workspace. Any habits that you feel "rarely" or "never" apply to you are habits that you can improve upon. Keep these in mind as you continue through this section..

[Audio] Getting Rid of Clutter. Studies show that having too much stuff, or clutter, can hamper your productivity and quality of life. Clutter consists of items that do not have an immediate use that gets in the way. It may be related to something you planned to do but never got around to, something someone gave you that you didn't want, or something you once used but no longer do. Clutter can also come from things that were once used, but not disposed of properly after you were done. Attempt to sort through and get rid of your clutter. Pick up each item, and ask yourself the following questions: • Do I use it often? How often? • Do I need or love it? • Does it give me delight or make me laugh when I look at it or pick it up? If you don't need or use it often and you don't love it, then it should be given away or discarded. Its usefulness to you is far less than the space it takes up. It gets in the way of your efficiency, productivity, and peace of mind..

[Audio] If an item is valuable in terms of sentiment or money, consider selling it. Or put the item in a pile to give away to friends or family or a donation center, so perhaps someone else can use it. Sentimental items are sometimes the hardest to part with, even if they serve no function. One tactic is to take a photo of the item for remembrance, which makes it easier to donate or give away. If and item is useless, recycle the item or throw it away. If it is broken or unusable, put it into the trash. Once you have decluttered your space, don't bring anything into your organized area unless it will be used or loved. Consider practicing a one in, one out rule, and only purchase new items if they will replace something else. Do periodic checks to get rid of any clutter that made its way into your space..

[Audio] Finding a Space for Everything Once you have sorted your clutter, it is time to organize the essentials that are left. First, you will need to find homes for those items. Consider each space, starting with your workspace, and organize your computer in a similar way. Train yourself to always put each item back in the same place when you are done with it. This prevents a last-minute scramble to find things. Determine the Purpose of the Space If you know the function of each part of your space, you can have a better idea of what belongs there. Keep only the things for that function or functions. Everything else should go. Consider What Items Are Needed or Used Most Often Put these things in a tidy, organized way closest at hand. This can be accomplished by using a desk or drawer organizer, filing shelves, or whatever system works best for you. Consider Less Often Accessed Items Put items that are important, but used less often, in a space not directly at hand but perhaps on a bookshelf nearby or in storage, depending upon the amount of use. If it is not used often, get it out of your immediate work area. Organize Your Computer Files Keep documents used most often in easily accessed and organized files. The filing system should be understandable to others. Put any files that are not current into a well organized and easily found history file..

[Audio] Take a moment to imagine your ideal workspace. When you think of the entry-level position you want as a technician, what do you imagine as your workspace? What would you need close at hand? Can you picture the best organization for that space to make it efficient for your best work?.

[Audio] The Module 1, Section 1.6: Module Summary presentation of the Career Readiness & Externships: Soft Skills for Pharmacy Technicians program provides a brief summary of this module..

[Audio] Module Summary Developing the time-management skills used to meet deadlines and be productive takes practice. With continual effort, you'll find that creating well-organized to-do lists and planning your daily, weekly, and monthly activities becomes automatic. Stay focused and enjoy the feelings of relief and satisfaction as you check the tasks off your daily and weekly to-do lists. They will serve as your road maps to success. You'll find that you build a sense of confidence as you make your appointments and meet deadlines. You will feel less stressed as you sit in an organized workspace and see yourself coming closer to achieving your short-term and long-term goals..