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Attitudes to Time - Diagnostic
Sometimes we feel that there is too much going on, that we are expected to do more with
less and that we do not have time to do everything properly. We are often swamped by
workload, deadlines and competing priorities and we want to be more effective at managing
ourselves– working smarter, feeling less stressed, investing our energy wisely for maximum
return and being more in control. A useful starting point is to reflect on your personal attitude
to time.
Attitude to time
Very like me
Less like me
A
B
B
A
A
B
I like to follow an agenda rather than create my own
B
A
Time is a finite resource that needs to be spent wisely
B
A
A
B
B
A
A
B
B
A
A
B
B
A
A
B
B
A
A
B
B
A
A
B
B
A
A
B
Time is an infinite resource that expands to meet the
need
I get great satisfaction from planning ahead and
achieving tasks
I find colleagues’ pressure to organise and to develop
‘systems solutions’ frustrating
I prefer spontaneity to planning
I use lists actively as a tool to monitor progress
I am motivated by last minute changes and tight
deadlines
I can easily lay my hands on relevant papers
I enjoy the adrenaline rush of working under time
pressure
I find that planning activities reduces my anxiety and
provides a sense of control
I frequently make to-do lists then misplace them
I am good at estimating the time required to complete
work
I am energized by being flexible and leaving things open
to possibility
I believe an ordered life is a happy life
I often overlook the need for contingency planning; I
expect things to work out fine.
I feel unduly pressured and anxious if I can’t prepare for
important events well in advance
I am often overly optimistic about the time needed to
complete tasks
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Scoring:
If you have scored mainly As:
You are likely to start too many projects and have difficulty finishing them. You tend to be
curious and welcome a new light on things or suggestions for new approaches. You
probably prefer to be flexible and spontaneous and are unfazed by last minute changes,
preferring to experience and understand situations rather than control them. Detailed
plans and final decisions may feel confining to you as you like to stay open to new
information and last minute options. Although you may postpone unpleasant or difficult
jobs, you are energized by your resourcefulness in adapting to the demands of the moment.
You are likely to be a good trouble-shooter, comfortable with solving problems ‘on the
hoof’. You probably feel that you spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy
trying to master better approaches to scheduling and planning tasks and find it takes
conscious effort to stick to someone else’s plans or follow their methods of organisation.
If you recognise yourself from these descriptions, you may need to take a more active role
at the project/work planning stages (i) to manage others expectations about your approach,
(ii) to reassure/remind people about your ability to deliver what’s required on time and to
standard, and (iii) to influence the project/work processes so that you are genuinely able to
commit to the recording, reviewing and reporting processes required. It is important that
you establish early on which deadlines are not negotiable and set yourself interim
milestones. Ideally these should involve others or at least require some public commitment
on your part, both to help you keep on track and also to make progress visible to you and to
others.
You may need to accept that highly detailed scheduling and complex time management
systems are not the answer for you. Devise your own simple system of identifying priorities
and critical paths and revisit them regularly, at least at the beginning and close of each day
and ideally once during the day. Ask yourself (i) whether anything has changed, (ii) what
progress you have made today, (iii) what needs to be done differently (iv) who else you
need to involve/contact/discuss progress with.
If you know that you are energized by deadlines and complete a disproportionate amount of
work during the final stages, it is vital to manage others’ expectations about your work style
and also to ensure that you do not over commit yourself. Otherwise you will struggle to find
the time and energy to produce the required burst of creativity and activity needed to meet
all your commitments.
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If you have scored mainly Bs:
You are likely to work best when you can plan your work and follow the plan. You often like
to determine not only what you do yourself, but also what others are to do; being in control
is important to you. You may find that last minute changes to your schedule, or people
departing from an agreed agenda, are highly frustrating, occasionally this can freeze your
ability to think ahead. Consequently it can take you some time to change track and/or alter
decisions. You may sometimes be slow to notice that requirements have changed or new
things need to be done. Once you’ve made a decision, you consider it settled and finished
and are reluctant to revisit it. You want to come to a conclusion quickly and then move on.
To give of your best, you need definite milestones and an unambiguous final deadline.
Sticking to a plan and schedule are very important to you and you are energized by getting
things done.
You derive both comfort and satisfaction from task lists and planning tools and use them
actively to monitor progress. You are keen to move quickly towards activity as you are
motivated by doing and are wary of leaving things open-ended for too long. \early on, you
are likely to limit the time spent exploring alternative options or on seeking new
information.
If these descriptions sound more like you than those under ‘A’ above, you may need to be
careful not to overcomplicate planning and scheduling activities. You could find that the
processes begin to take over from the task itself, eating up valuable productivity time. You
may also find you spend a disproportionate amount of time on paperwork and email
chasers compared to face-to-face contact with individuals and telephone calls. You may
want to reflect on whether you could make more use of informal progress checks and
reduce the paperwork burden.
You are energized by goals and by tracking your progress towards them. This means you
need to be clear about the purpose of what you’re doing and the specific achievements
required of you. Therefore you may need to set your own interim milestones and sub goals.
You may also need to work on your tolerance of others’ different work styles and your need
to control their schedules/ approaches to work as well as your own. Instead, focus on
reviewing your personal time management and work planning systems: are there redundant
processes or aspects which you could simplify or streamline further? Have you balanced the
demands of the tasks with the need to support the development of effective work
relationships? Have you ring-fenced some thinking time to ensure you don’t move too
quickly to a final decision which may subsequently need to be unpicked? Has your faith in
your organisational abilities led you to over-commit yourself so that you have had to cut
back on preparation and planning time?
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Before you rush to make any changes, consider
“what are the intended AND unintended consequences of your personal attitude to time.”
You may conclude that you want to change your approach. Equally the positive
consequences may be sufficient for you to accept the challenges your attitude to time
presents and find a way of accepting it and working with it rather than against it.
Any action/approach/attitude has both intended and untended negative and positive
consequences. For example: what are the consequences of always leaving it until the 11 th
hour to complete work?
Intended positive consequences
 Perform well under pressure
 Flexible, able to take last
minute changes on board
 Focused
 Work more quickly
 Motivated to achieve
Intended negative consequences
 Short-term impact on health &
well being
 Increased anxiety levels
 May need to compromise on
quality/depth
 Risk of missed deadlines and of
letting others down
Unintended negative
consequences
 Inability to deal with any other
priorities which emerge
 No contingency time if
technology fails/errors spotted
 Perceived as disorganised
 Others feel ‘out of the loop’
 Perceived as unreliable
Unintended positive
consequences
 Perceived as busy person
 Avoiding structure – able to
live in the moment
 Avoid mundane/routine tasks
 Avoid dealing with issues
outside of work
 Feel positive/motivated from
adrenaline rush
You might want to complete similar consequences grids for
 Working long hours
 Being busy
 Being under pressure
 Taking on new/challenging work
 Believing it must be perfect.
In this way, you will begin to appreciate why you have become stuck in possible
unconstructive patterns of behaviour in managing your workload. Only once you have
understood what the unintended consequences are will you realise why you have become
trapped by these unhelpful patterns and therefore be able to work towards changing them.
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What have I learned about my attitude to time?
What do I want to build on as a strength?
What do I now want to do differently?
How could I achieve this?
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