Time Management
Competency Assessment Model
Answers
Unit Standard 114589, NQF Level 4, 4 Credits and
Unit Standard 242811, NQF Level 4, 5 Credits
January/February 2017
.
The views expressed in this document are not necessarily those
of FASSET
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Knowledge Questionnaire
Please answer the following questions.
1. How should one prioritize?

Set your goals first

Then ask
o
Why am I doing this task?
o
How does this task help me achieve my goals?
o
How does this task contribute to the goals of the team/department/organization?

Determine priority through urgency and importance

Use the Time Management Matrix to decide if one must Do, Diarize, Delegate or Dump a
task
2. Use the Time Management Matrix Quadrants to describe the 4 D’s of time management.
Give an example for each D.
Quadrant 1 – Urgent and Important (DO)
The activities in quadrant 1 can be differentiated into items that could not have been foreseen,
and those items that could. The latter can be avoided by developing plans and paying close
attention to their execution.
The first quadrant should only contain those activities and responsibilities that require your
immediate attention. The space is reserved for emergencies and extremely important
deadlines. Should a major crisis arise you will have to postpone other tasks. Typical examples
are:

Crises

Pressing problems

Projects that are deadline driven

Emergencies

Last-minute preparation
Quadrant 2 – Not Urgent but Important (DIARIZE)
The items found in quadrant 2 do not have a high urgency, but can play an important role in
the future. This quadrant is not only reserved for strategic planning, but also to items related
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to health, education, exercise and career. Investing time in these areas might not be urgent at
the present day, but in the long term it will be of the greatest importance.
Pay close attention that you have scheduled enough time for quadrant 2 activities, in order to
avoid them to become quadrant 1 items. Doing so will allow you to increase your capability of
finishing your tasks in time. Typical examples are:

Planning

Preparing

Training

Exercise, health and recreation
Quadrant 3 – Urgent but Not Important (DELEGATE)
The third quadrant summarizes items that appear to have a high urgency, but are not at all
important. Some of these activities might be entirely ego-driven, without contributing any
value. In fact, these activities are obstacles that stand in-between you and your goals. If
possible, try to delegate these items or consider rescheduling them.
If another person is causing you quadrant 3 tasks it could be appropriate to decline their
request politely. If this is not an option, try to avoid being constantly interrupted by appointing
timeslots to those that often need your help. This way, you can address all their issues at
once, without regularly interrupting your concentration. Typical examples are:

Interruptions

Meetings
Quadrant 4 – Not Urgent and Not Important (DUMP)
The fourth and last quadrant contains all those activities that do not contribute any value at
all—the obvious time wasters. All the activities contained therein are nothing more than
distractions; avoid them as much as you can. You should also try to eliminate all the items in
this list, no matter how entertaining. Typical examples are:

Trivia

Time wasters

Surfing the Internet without purpose

Watching TV for hours
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3. Explain the difference between efficiency and effectiveness.

Efficiency is getting a lot of tasks done

Effectiveness is getting the right tasks done
4. List 5 symptoms of poor time management

Poor punctuality

Rushing

Impatience

Poorly defined goals

Procrastination

Poor performance

Lack of energy

Perfectionism

Indecisiveness

Saying “Yes” to everything

Doing everything yourself
5. Describe 4 common time wasters and list what you can do to manage them
Start by recording how
Simply use a planner or diary to note down your activities throughout the
you spend your time
day in order to monitor where your time is going. At the end of the week,
currently
set aside some time to review your schedule. Now, how much time was
wasted? This is where you need to be strict. Consciously cutting out
unproductive conversations, numerous tea/coffee breaks, or any of the
other little time wasters in your schedule takes some will power but it is
worth it. Being aware of how much time you are spending on those things
will help you to control your activities.
Appointments
Unnecessary appointments may also have wasted your time. How many
regular meetings do you have with colleagues? Again, you should be strict
here, but how many of those were actually necessary or productive?
Controlling your appointments is a vital step in time management.
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Colleagues
Well-meaning colleagues can be a further source of wasted time. In the
spirit of camaraderie, you should want to help your colleagues if there is a
problem that needs your attention. If the task is not something directly
related to your position, then perhaps refer them to someone who would
be in a better position to help. Water cooler gossip is another source of
time wastage. Pointless, or even friendly, conversations can easily fill your
schedule if you don't employ strict time management.
Workload
Take another look at your schedule. How much time is spent on work that
someone
else
could/should
be
doing?
Menial
tasks,
such
as
photocopying, stamping letters, or filing work, are often duties of clerical or
secretarial staff. Even if you have been doing these tasks for years,
training or requesting that someone else takes on this duty (where
appropriate) will save you much time in the long run (although you may
have to spend some time to monitor and teach someone how to do it at
first).
Managers
It's unfortunate that sometimes one's superiors contribute to wasted time.
Within the proper bounds of respect and good humour, helping your
manager to see how they are unnecessarily taking up your time can help
to ease the strain on your schedule. Poorly defined tasks and unclear
communication is a key source of time wastage. If your manager doesn't
define duties clearly then you will end up going back to them with
questions. Try to get clarity from the start.
Being prepared
Being well prepared for essential meetings and appointments will help you
to save time. How many times have you attended meetings without a clear
idea of what it is about, or without having read the necessary
documentation beforehand? It's probably a safe bet that those very same
meetings were unproductive (which probably led to a follow up meeting).
If, on the other hand, you take the time to prepare for each scheduled
appointment then it will be a success. Decisions can be made and actions
assigned only if you have clear thoughts on the issue and are aware of
what's going on.
Deadlines
Of all the things that are knocking your balance, deadlines are probably
having the biggest effect. And it is probably the most difficult thing for you
to change. Organising your projects in terms of priority and not just the
closeness of the deadline will help you to keep a balance.
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Communications
Being organized in terms of communications is also vital. Paperwork can
easily get out of hand. A simple and effective system is necessary here.
You only need two folders for paperwork - the “to do” folder, and the “to
file” folder. Anything else can be thrown away. Taking immediate action
when you receive paperwork is vital to being organized. Sort your
paperwork into the appropriate folder and schedule time to deal with the
folders regularly.
Studies have shown that keeping email programs open is actually
Emails
disruptive to efficiency. Rather, you should check emails regularly (five or
six times a day) and deal with the incoming emails appropriately. Having
separate folders in your inbox for different types of emails will keep you
organized.
Telephone calls
Rather than waiting on hold, it is wise to find out an appropriate time to
call someone, or even request that they call you. You could even schedule
a specific time to call someone to avoid the problems of missed calls. You
should also make sure that secretarial staff are aware of how to deal with
calls. They should know when to refer the calls to your colleagues, and
when it is appropriate to take a message rather than put the call through
to you
6. What tools can be used to manage your time appropriately. Name at least 4.

Calendars

Manual Diaries

Electronic Diaries

To-Do Lists

Software
7. Why is it important to have a Master Task List?
The purpose of developing a Master Task List is to enable you to focus more easily on those
activities that really add value to your team, division, department and company. Once you
have a Master Task List you can measure your performance against it. More importantly, you
can schedule these activities so you accomplish the most important tasks related to your job.
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8. What does SCHEMES represent and when do you use it?
Use an Action Plan whenever you need to plan a small project. To draw up an Action Plan,
simply list the tasks that you need to carry out to achieve your objective, in the order that you
need to complete them.

Identify the task

Analyse and delegate tasks

Double check with SCHEMES
Use the SCHEMES mnemonic to check that your plan is comprehensive.
S
Space
C
Cash
H
Helpers
E
Equipment
M
Materials
E
Expertise
S
Systems
9. What is procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing a task or set of tasks. So, whether you
refer to it as procrastination or akrasia or something else, it is the force that prevents you from
following through on what you set out to do.
10. What is the recipe for an assertive statement?
Use the following method:

I feel: Describe what your feelings about this behaviour are

When: Describe what they are doing or not doing

Because: Describe the effect or consequences of this
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11. We should set SMART goals. Describe the meaning of each letter in the SMART
acronym.
SMART is an acronym that you can use to guide your goal setting. The concept is part of
Peter Drucker’s Management by Objectives.
To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:

Specific (simple, sensible, significant)

Measurable (meaningful, motivating)

Achievable (agreed, attainable)

Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based)

Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive)
12. Name 7 ways in which you can maintain a positive work-life balance.
What are your
Being more mindful of the different potential sources of conflict between work and
patterns?
family life, including time, demands, strain and behaviour can help us to start to be
more conscious of the patterns we tend to fall into and so help us to think of
effective strategies to guard against these.
Think of the ways in which your family life and the skills you use at home can make
you more effective at work and how your work and the skills you use there can be
effectively used at home.
Make
some
time for fun
Positive emotions spread to others and they enable us to be more resourceful,
flexible and open, which helps us to be better at solving problems.
So, whilst you may not feel like having some fun at work or at home is important you may find it actually helps.
Team up
Connecting with others is a key source of happiness and part of that is feeling
supported and supporting others. It also helps in building happier communities.
So who around you is juggling similar work and family demands? Are there ways
you can pool or swap resources - for example sharing the cost of childcare or
babysitting for each other one night a month? Who around you can you call when
you need to? How can you be there to help others? Can you between you set up a
system (even if it is just swapping mobile numbers with other parents in your child's
class) that will provide some back up for each of you in times when it's needed?
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Make
your
It isn't easy, especially in some jobs, but making some clear boundaries between
boundaries
work activities, family and even personal time can be an effective approach to
clear
balancing work and home.
Often it is the quality of the time we spend not the quantity that makes the
difference. And there is strong evidence that our ability to stay focused on the
present rather than worrying about the past or what we have to do next is important
for happiness.
Time for you
Research has shown that making a little time and space for you is really important
for your own happiness and will have a ripple effect on those around you. And it
doesn't need to be much.
For example just 10 minutes of mindfulness practice a day or 20 minutes of
exercise can make a huge difference in your energy levels, your emotional state
and your coping ability.
Use
your
How can you use your strengths more at home, at work and even in juggling work
and family life?
strengths
Researchers suggest that we are more effective when we are using our strengths,
as we find it more intrinsically satisfying and it can even help us feel more
energised.
Partner
with
your partner
What are the ways you and your partner can use to optimise your effectiveness for
each of you at home and at work, and to increase both of your happiness levels
and build rather than put strain on your relationship?
How can you be supportive of each other and both get your needs met? The
quality of your relationship is central for the happiness of your whole family so
without adding to the pressures on you both it is important to have at least a little
focus on building and enriching it.
Get
your
Having some alignment between what we really value, the actions we take and how
priorities
we spend our time can also make a difference to how happy we feel and how
aligned
satisfied we are with our lives overall. It is easy to lose sight of this when we are
caught up in the “busyness” of everyday life.
with
Some employers offer benefits such as flexitime, short or compressed work weeks,
your employer
working from home, onsite childcare or view having a “family friendly” culture and
Work
policies as important for a productive and happy workforce.
Since what works for some employees may not work for others, why not talk with
your manager or HR about what would help you give your best at work and be sure
to tell them any practical ideas you have that may help you and benefit your
colleagues and the organization.
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Practical Application
You have an assignment of 100 pages that are due in 3 months. You are a chronic
procrastinator who normally does not start in time with the task. As a result, you have to work
very hard in the last week to catch up on lost time and meet the deadline. How are you going
to stop procrastinating and what methods will you employ to make sure your work is done on
time?
Option 1: Make the rewards of taking action more immediate
If you can find a way to make the benefits of long-term choices more immediate, then it becomes
easier to avoid procrastination. One of the best ways to bring future rewards into the present moment
is with a strategy known as temptation bundling.
Temptation bundling is a concept that came out of behavioral economics research performed by Katy
Milkman at The University of Pennsylvania. Simply put, the strategy suggests that you bundle a
behavior that is good for you in the long-run with a behavior that feels good in the short-run.
The basic format is: Only do [thing you love] while doing [thing you procrastinate on].
Here are a few common examples of temptation bundling:

Only listen to audiobooks or podcasts you love while exercising

Only get a pedicure while processing overdue work emails

Only watch your favorite show while ironing or doing household chores

Only eat at your favorite restaurant when conducting your monthly meeting with a difficult
colleague
Option 2: Make the consequences of procrastination more immediate
There are many ways to force you to pay the costs of procrastination sooner rather than later. For
example, if you are exercising alone, skipping your workout next week won’t impact your life much at
all. Your health won’t deteriorate immediately because you missed that one workout. The cost of
procrastinating on exercise only becomes painful after weeks and months of lazy behavior. However,
if you commit to working out with a friend at 7 am next Monday, then the cost of skipping your workout
becomes more immediate. Miss this one workout and you look like a jerk.
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Option 3: Design your future actions
One of the favorite tools psychologists use to overcome procrastination is called a “commitment
device.” Commitment devices can help you stop procrastinating by designing your future actions
ahead of time.
For example, you can curb your future eating habits by purchasing food in individual packages rather
than in bulk size. You can stop wasting time on your phone by deleting games or social media apps.
You could also block them on your computer.
Similarly, you can reduce the likelihood of mindless channel surfing by hiding your TV in a closet and
only taking it out on big game days. You can voluntarily ask to be added to the banned list at casinos
and online gambling sites to prevent future gambling sprees. You can build an emergency fund by
setting up an automatic transfer of funds to your savings account. These are all examples of
commitment devices that help reduce the odds of procrastination.
Option 4: Make the task more achievable
As we have already covered, the friction that causes procrastination is usually centered around
starting a behavior. Once you begin, it’s often less painful to keep working. This is one good reason
to reduce the size of your habits because if your habits are small and easy to start, then you will be
less likely to procrastinate.
One way to make habits easier is to use The 2-Minute Rule, which states, “When you start a new
habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” The idea is to make it as easy as possible to get
started and then trust that momentum will carry you further into the task after you begin. Once you
start doing something, it’s easier to continue doing it. The 2-Minute Rule overcomes procrastination
and laziness by making it so easy to start taking action that you can’t say no.
Another great way to make tasks more achievable is to break them down. For example, consider the
remarkable productivity of the famous writer Anthony Trollope. He published 47 novels, 18 works of
non-fiction, 12 short stories, 2 plays, and an assortment of articles and letters. How did he do it?
Instead of measuring his progress based on the completion of chapters or books, Trollope measured
his progress in 15-minute increments. He set a goal of 250 words every 15 minutes and he continued
this pattern for three hours each day. This approach allowed him to enjoy feelings of satisfaction and
accomplishment every 15 minutes while continuing to work on the large task of writing a book.
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