A TIME WIZARD

How often is each of the following statements true for you? Write your answers on
the blank space provided after each statement, using the following scale:

4 : Almost always
3 : Often
2 : Sometimes
1 : Almost never

1. I often get distracted by the ‘unimportant’ while I am in the midst of something

important ____
2. My mind wanders when I am working alone ____
3. Interruptions throughout the day affect the amount of work I have to accomplish
_____
4. I put off today what I can do tomorrow ____
5. If a party is being planned, I enjoy attending to the particulars more than to the
theme. _____
6. I go home with my desk in order _____
7. It is important to capture specific details of business conversation and record
them verbatim _____
8. I enjoy implementing the details of a project rather than envisioning the end
result _____
9. I find myself losing sight of long-term goals when dealing with short-term crisis
_____
10. I put-off making decisions until a situation becomes urgent ______
11. I prepare for things at the last minute ______
12. I find myself working long hours and never catching up ______
13. I know where I have filed most of my papers _______
14. I keep my ‘to-do’ list handy ______
15. Telephone and fax nos. for my business contacts are readily accessible. ______
16. I object to meetings that start late ______
17. I tend to take on several tasks on one time ______
18. While working on one project, ideas about other projects come to my mind _____
19. I am eager to start a new project before finish the existing one ______
20. During a business phone conversation, I would rather look for a related file while
talking than to put the person on hold _____
INTERPRETATION

Your personality in terms of managing time and priorities can be described according
to five different dimensions:

1. ATTENTION TO TASK

To find your score in this, add up the score in points no, 1, 2,3 and 4.

Now interpret it as follows:

7 and above – You have a ‘divergent’ attention to task. Though your desk may be
messy, you would maintain exactly that you know where everything is. You tend to
easily wander off the subject to whatever sounds interesting at the moment. You
draw energy from starting new projects but are not very particular in finishing them.

1-6 : Your attention to task is that of the ‘convergent’ type of category. You draw
energy from completing projects and targets. Working with divergent people can be a
challenge for you.

2. TYPE OF FOCUSSING :

To find your score in this add up the score in points 5,6,7 and 8.

Now interpret as follows:

7 and above : You are a detail oriented person who needs facts and details about
situation in order to feel comfortable. You seek out information and verification and
prefer situations that can be supported by facts and figures. You draw energy from
seeking and organizing information.

1-6 : You belong to the globally oriented type of personality who is more drawn to
possibilities than the facts of current reality. You enjoy thinking about the future and
discuss inter-relationships. You often have highly tuned conceptual skills and are
drawn to professions such as theature, the arts, upper management and marketing.
Although some globally oriented people also enjoy taking care of subsequent details,
most do not.

3. STRATEGY OF ACTION

To find out your score in this, add up the points 9, 10, 11 and 12

Interpret them as follows:

7 and above : You tend to be a ‘reactive’ individual who likes putting off today what
can be done tomorrow and as a result spend most of your time responding to crisis or
deadlines that pop up suddenly.

1-5 : You belong to the proactive category of individuals who take charge of their day
and accomplish what they set out to accomplish. You often do not let circumstances
or procrastination get in your way. Once you make a plan, you follow it and
consequently rarely find yourself in last-minute crisis situation.
4. APPROACH TO STRUCTURE:

To find your score in this, add up the points 13, 14,1 5 and 16

Now interpret them as follows:

7 and above : You believe in having a loose approach to structure and prefer to
have flexibility in how you carry out tasks. You are fine with meetings starting late
and even proceeding without agenda. You put the information wherever it is
convenient at that time, resulting in many scraps of paper with valuable information
scattered on your desk. You put together some system of working in the beginning,
but as the project proceeds, you alter the system or ignore it completely.

1-5 : You maintain a tight approach to structure and like to have a system for
accomplishing tasks. You prefer that meetings start on time and follow a pre-
designated agenda. You have specific places to put specific information. When
working on a task, you will figure out how to organize and structure what you are
going to do before you begin.

5. STYLE OF PROCESING

To find your score in this add up the points 17, 18, 19 and 20

Now interpret it as follows:

7 and above : You are a parallel processor and are comfortable performing more
than one task at a time. When you have to work with serial processors, you often feel
frustrated at the seemingly slow pace of progress. You would rather keep all parts of
a project in motion at the same time

1-6 : You are a serial processor and prefer to focus on the task at hand. In contrast to
the parallel processors, you prefer to begin at the beginning and complete each step
thoroughly before proceeding.