Abstract:
As jobs become more complex and autonomous, issues surrounding time use are
becoming more important. At present, we know relatively little about how time-related
individual differences influence how people choose to structure their time, and
furthermore, how these choices impact task performance. Based on an interactionist
approach, a model was proposed incorporating both person and situational variables
associated with time use. Several time-related individual difference variables (i.e., time
perspective, polychronicity, and time urgency) were expected to predict time use
behaviors. Individual differences were hypothesized to relate differentially to time use
dimensions (i.e., time management, pacing, and multitasking), and time use behaviors
were hypothesized to relate to performance outcomes. Situational moderators (i.e.,
autonomy and time scarcity) were also examined. Ninety-four undergraduate students
enrolled in a psychology research methods course tracked their progress on a final course project once per week for four weeks leading up to the deadline. Self- and instructorrated
project grades served as performance measures. Findings provide some support
linking time-related individual differences to time use dimensions. Specifically, future
time perspective was positively related to time management. Polychronicity and time
scarcity were positively correlated with multitasking. Situational variables (autonomy and
time scarcity) moderated some of the time-related individual difference-time use
relationships. Support was not found for the relationship between time use dimensions
(i.e., time management, pacing, and multitasking) and performance. Implications for the
workplace and future research directions are discussed.
