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Exercise #4
Time Management

The following exercises will help you organize your work for telecommuting. It is best to plan ahead the specific tasks you will be completing while working at the Telecenter.

Directions for completing this exercise:

1. Using the "To Do" worksheet, develop a list of tasks and activities you need to complete during the next week.
2. Categorize your "To Do" list on the "Setting Priorities" worksheet according to the following priorities:
   • Determine which activities are urgent and can be completed at the Telecenter. Enter those activities in Section #1.
   • Determine which activities are urgent and can't be completed at the Telecenter. Enter those activities in Section #2.
   • Determine which activities are not urgent and can be completed at the Telecenter. Enter those activities in Section #3.
   • Determine which activities are not urgent and can't be completed at the Telecenter. Enter those activities in Section #4.
   • Analyze your priorities as follows: those activities in Section #1 can be worked on first at the Telecenter; those activities in Section #2 need to be completed, but not at the Telecenter; those activities in Section #3 will take a lower priority and can be completed at the Telecenter; those activities in Section #4 take a low priority and can not be completed at the Telecenter.
3. Assume that you will be telecommuting tomorrow. Prepare your daily calendar and assign tasks for yourself for each hour, or half hour on the "Daily Calendar" worksheet. Make sure that you can take care of all urgent matters. Have you included all the urgent activities? Ask yourself if you have the right resources. Do you have the equipment to complete the task? How will you communicate with the office on those activities?
4. At the end of the telecommuting day, identify which activities were completed and which ones need to be followed up.

Quite often, our performance is judged on how quickly and how well we complete urgent and important matters. When telecommuting, one maintains and improves work productivity by keeping those job objectives and tasks at the forefront.

Your daily calendar should also include breaks and include some time for communicating with the office.

The following instructions explain how to complete this exercise alone, with your telemanager, or with your telemanager in a training class:

If you are a telecommuter reviewing this as a self-guided manual

1. Develop a schedule that includes all the urgent and important tasks.
2. Review the list with your supervisor.

If you and your telemanager are reviewing the self-guided manuals

1. Share your results with your telemanager.
2. Ask your manager for recommendations and concurrence.

If you are a telecommuter attending a training class

1. Share the results with your telemanager.
2. If your telemanager is not present, compare your results with another telecommuter.

To Do Worksheet

Date:_____________

1. Can be completed at the Telecenter and is urgent.
2. Cannot be completed at the Telecenter and is urgent.
3. Can be completed at the Telecenter and is not urgent.
4. Cannot be completed at the Telecenter and is not urgent.

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