Time Management
Handout 1 – Goal Setting: Changing Effects
List at least two undesirable effects that on-the-job time management problems have on your success as a
supervisor.
List at least two undesirable effects that on-the-job time management problems have on your personal life.
Reread the affects you listed in the two sections above. The directions below will help you eliminate the
undesirable effects that on-the-job time management problems have on your supervisory success and quality
of personal life.
Develop goals to eliminate each of the negative effects listed above. For example, “I want to have more
relaxed time with my spouse. That means I want to stop letting stress affect my peace-of-mind.” Write your
goals in the space below.
Picture in your mind some of the positive results of attaining the goals you developed above. By the end of
this seminar, you will have the information necessary for reaching those goals. Plan to share at least one of
your goals with your seminar group.
Time Management
Handout 2 – The Widget Company,
Part 1: Prioritization
You and your group members make up one supervisor at the Widget Company. The Widget Company is a
service-based organization that produces Widgets. A Widget can be made from the supplies at your table.
Business at the Widget Company is booming — every week you receive more and more orders for Widgets.
Because demand is increasing the number of responsibilities you have, you need to manage your time more
effectively.
Below is a list of tasks that are part of a Widget supervisor’s responsibilities. As a group, you must prioritize
the tasks on this list to better manage your time. Follow the steps on workbook page 6 to help you prioritize
the tasks. When you prioritize your tasks:
• At least three tasks must be “must-do” tasks.
• At least two tasks must be “nice-to-do” tasks.
• At least two tasks must be tasks you can delegate to one of your employees.
Tasks for Widget Supervisors
Order supplies.
Conduct inventory.
Train employees to make Widgets.
Meet with another supervisor to discuss quality issues.
Schedule employees for one week.
Sign time sheets for 10 employees.
Inspect Widgets.
Review orders and give estimated figures to other supervisors.
Conduct staff meeting.
Complete performance review for one employee.
Time Management
Handout 3 – The Widget Company,
Part 2: To-Do Lists
Every day, you make up a to-do list of tasks to accomplish that day as part of your continuing effort to excel
at time management in the Widget Company. Create a to-do list from the prioritized task list you created in
the first Widget Company activity. Follow these guidelines for developing a to-do list:
• You have to get as many tasks done as possible on your Widget day.
• In Widget time, your day is 15 minutes long. The estimated Widget time for completing each task is
listed below.
• The tasks you put on your to-do list should add up to as close to 15 minutes as possible.
• You must plan on doing at least 2 “must-do” tasks from your task list.
• You must try to do as many “must do” tasks from your list as possible.
• One of the tasks that you plan to do must involve working with another supervisor.
Task Completion Times
Order supplies................................................................................................ 2 minutes
Conduct inventory......................................................................................... 2 minutes
Train employees to make Widgets................................................................. 3 minutes
Meet with another supervisor to discuss quality issues................................. 2 minutes
Schedule employees for one week................................................................ 2 minutes
Sign time sheets for 10 employees..................................................................1 minute
Inspect Widgets............................................................................................. 2 minutes
Review orders and give estimated figures to other supervisors.................... 2 minutes
Conduct staff meeting.................................................................................... 2 minutes
Complete performance review for one employee......................................... 2 minutes
Time Management
Handout 4 – The Widget Company,
Part 3: Delegation
As a busy supervisor at the Widget Company, you know that there are many things you need to do each day.
When you look at your to-do list, you realize there are tasks that could be delegated to one of your highperforming employees. In order to practice good time management, plan to delegate tasks from your to-do
list following these guidelines:
• You must choose two tasks from your list to delegate.
• Delegate tasks you identified earlier as something an employee could do before you delegate must-do
or nice-to-do tasks.
• Plan your delegation following the six steps to delegation on workbook page 16.
Time Management
Handout 5 – Crises Analysis
1. List some of the major and minor crises you experienced on the job during the past two weeks.
2. Look at the minor crises you listed. How many are recurring? Do any have similar causes? Which
can you control? Make two lists — one that includes minor recurring crises you can control, and one
that includes minor recurring crises you cannot control.
Recurring/control
Recurring/no control
Analyze both lists. Identify patterns that influence when crises occur. Which minor crises would you
expect to occur again soon? Can you do something to change the pattern? If not, can someone else
change it? Can you influence that person to prevent the crisis? Use the space below to plan how to
manage a crisis from each list.
3. Plan to spend 10-15 minutes a week examining recent crises. You can prevent damage if you stop
crises before they begin.
Continued on the next page
Time Management
Handout 5 – Crises Analysis
Continued
4. Now look at the major crises you listed. You will find that most are influenced by something
unusual. For example, the dishwasher might break down, or perhaps your supplier said “Wednesday
afternoon,” but the receptionist wrote down “Tuesday morning.” Make two lists — one that includes
the major crises, and one that identifies the basic cause(s) of each crisis.
Crises
Causes
Analyze your lists. Do many of the causes seem similar? What patterns do you see? Do some of the causes
relate to the way information is relayed? Or perhaps to something else? Use the space below to identify two
or three patterns you recognize from the causes of crises.
A. B. C. Now re-examine those patterns. What general changes could you and your staff make that might help
prevent or lessen the effects of those crises? Would different planning, maintenance, or communication
systems help change the patterns? List issues related to major crises that you will examine this week.
REMEMBER: Crises are destructive. But learning from crises is constructive for both you and your
property.
Time Management
Handout 6 – Power Overload
Time Management
Handout 7 – Time Management Action Plan
Now that you have completed the Time Management workbook, you have the opportunity to use its
information and skills in the workplace.
1. What are some of the points in the Time Management workbook that you feel will be useful to you?
Refer to the workbook’s table of contents for a review of major topics.
2. Why did you choose these points? That is, what is it about your workplace or your past experience as
a supervisor that makes you feel these points will be helpful?
Continued on the next page
Time Management
Handout 7 – Time Management Action Plan
Continued
3. What is your action plan for applying the points you have selected? That is, how do you plan to go
about using the skills and information in your work as a supervisor?
Name: Property: Time Management
Handout 8 – Seminar Evaluation: Supervisory
Skill Builders
Read the items below carefully. The first four offer responses with check boxes. Check the response that best
matches your reaction to the item. Space is available below each item for any comments you wish to make.
Additional space for comments is available on the back of this form.
1. The information in this seminar will help me to become a more effective supervisor.
 Strongly agree
 Slightly agree
 Slightly disagree  Strongly disagree
Comments: 2. The exercises and activities seemed:
Excellent
Good
 Fair Poor
Comments: 3. The workbook presented the material clearly and in a way I could understand.
 Strongly agree
 Slightly agree
 Slightly disagree  Strongly disagree
Comments: 4. Overall, how would you rate the seminar?
Excellent
Good
 Fair Poor
Comments: 5. What aspects of the seminar could be improved? 6. How would you suggest these aspects be improved? 7. What parts of the seminar did you like the most? Time Management
Handout 9 – Instructor Evaluation: Supervisory
Skill Builders
Read the items below carefully. The first five offer responses with check boxes. Check the response that best
matches your reaction to the item. Space is available below each item for any comments you wish to make.
Additional space for comments is available on the back of this form.
1. The instructor presented information clearly.
 Strongly agree
 Slightly agree
 Slightly disagree  Strongly disagree
Comments: 2. The instructor encouraged and led discussions effectively.
 Strongly agree
 Slightly agree
 Slightly disagree  Strongly disagree
Comments: 3. How effective was the instructor at keeping the session interesting and active
Excellent
Good
 Fair Poor
Comments: 4. How well-organized in presenting the seminar was the instructor?
Excellent
Good
 Fair Poor
Comments: 5. The instructor had a clear understanding and good examples for the ideas presented.
 Strongly agree
 Slightly agree
 Slightly disagree  Strongly disagree
Comments: 6. If I could offer today’s instructor a suggestion for improvement, it would be:
7. The things I liked about today’s instructor were: