Do you want to find more time in a day?
You will find
the following heads on the template:
Time: This will
include the start time of the activity and the end time. For instance, you were
on the phone with a friend from 11:00 am to 11:45 am, so the time column will
say “11:00 am-11:45 am”.
Task
description: This provides the explanation of the task. If we take the same
example of talking to the friend, the description will say, “Gossiped with the
friend about someone.”
State of mind:
This section is meant to explain how you feel during that time of the day when
you were doing the activity. Continuing with the example, “highly energetic and
productive” is my state of mind from 11 am to 11.45 am when I was talking to
this friend.
Duration:
Needless to say, the duration has to be recorded in minutes that you spent on
the task. In this case, it would be 45 minutes.
Significance of
the task: There are four parameters here; high, medium, low or none. I am
assuming that gossiping is not “high” on significance; I would give a “none” to
it.
Every time you
do something, make a note of it in the Activity Diary. I very strongly suggest
that you make a hard copy of it rather than noting it down on the computer.
Questions Thyself:
1.
Do
you complete your high priority tasks before the low priority tasks?
2.
Do
you ask for extensions and/or finish your tasks at the last minute?
3.
Do
you set aside time to schedule and plan your activities every day?
4.
Do
you keep a track of the time you spend on various activities during the day?
5. Do
you often find yourself handling interruptions rather than concentrating on
your work?
6.
Do
you set goals to choose the tasks that you need to perform in a day?
7.
Do
you plan for contingencies and unexpected events as well?
8. Do
you think about whether the tasks you are completing are of low, medium or high
priority?
9.
Do
you decide to complete a new task on the basis of its importance?
10. Do
you remain worried about commitments and deadlines?
11. Do
you get distracted by different things when working on a critical assignment?
12. Do
you take your work home to finish it after office hours?
13. Do
you maintain a to-do list and priorities your tasks?
14. Do
you frequently verify the precedence of tasks with your boss?
15. Do
you analyze if the output for a particular task is even worth spending time on
it?
