Step 1: Beginning tomorrow, keep a time log for a whole
week. Record how you spend each thirty-minute block in the next seven
twenty-four hour periods. Using the following format, record the
log in your own notebook, diary, or journal.
| Time | Activity | Productive/Unproductive | Required/Discretionary |
| 1:00-1:30 | |||
| 1:30-2:00 | |||
| 2:00-2:30 | |||
| Etc... |
Step 2: Beneath the heading "Required/Discretionary," write whether the time spent in each thirty-minute block was required by someone or something else (R) or was discretionary (D). That is, was the time under someone else's control or your own?
Step 3: Beneath the heading "Productive/Unproductive,"
and beside only the discretionary time blocks, rate the extent to which
you used each one productively, that is, whether or not it led to present
or future improvements of some kind. Use the following scale for
your rating:
4-Used productively
3-Used somewhat productively
2-Used somewhat unproductively
1-Used unproductively
Step 4: Draw up a plan for increasing the amount of discretionary time you have during the week. The hints in the Time Management Survey located in Appendix D can provide some suggestions. Be sure to write down the things you will implement.
Step 5: Identify ways in which you can use your discretionary time more productively, especially any blocks of time you rated 1 or 2 in step 3. What will you do to make sure the time you control is used for more long-term benefit? What will you stop doing that gets in the way of your effective use of time?
Source: Whetten, D.A. & Cameron, K.S. (1991). Developing Management Skills. Harper Collins: New York, NY