1. When confronted with several items of similar urgency and importance, I tend to do the easiest one first. Y

2. I do the most important things during that part of the day when I know I perform best. Y

3. Most of the time I don't do things someone else can do; I delegate this type of work to others.N

4. Even though meeting without a clear and useful purpose upset me, I put up with them. Y

5. I skim documents before reading them and don't complete any that offer a low return on my time investment. N

6. I don't worry much if I don't accomplish at least one significant task each day. N

7. I save the most trivial tasks for that time of day when my creative energy is lowest. Y

8. My workspace is neat and organized.N

9. My office door is always "open"; I never work in complete privacy. Y

10. I schedule my time completely from start to finish every workday.N

11. I don't like "to do" lists, preferring to respond to daily events as they occur. Y

12. I "block" a certain amount of time each day or week that is dedicated to high-priority activities. N

SCORE: 4

INTERPRETATION
The higher the total score, the closer your behavior matches recommended time management guidelines. Reread those items where your responses did not match the desired one. Why don't they match? Do you have reasons why your behavior in this instance should be different from the recommended guidelines? Think about what you can do (and how easily it can be done) to adjust your behavior to be more consistent with these guidelines. For further reading, see Alan Lakein, How to Control Your Time and Your Life (New Yourk: David McKay, no date), and William Oncken, Managing Management Time (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1984).

Questions or comments? Send me an e-mail: msm4711@yahoo.com