Succeeding in the World of Work

Chapter 18: Time and Information Management

Time and Information Management


1.	What is the first step in time management?
		A)	list all your projects, appointments, and other tasks
		B)	rate your tasks by importance
		C)	break large, complex projects into small steps
		D)	estimate the time needed to complete each task


2.	What is one characteristic of people who are successful in time management?
		A)	they get everything on their task lists done
		B)	they get the most important tasks done
		C)	they do small tasks first to clear their schedule for complex projects
		D)	they are able to do many things at once


3.	Which of the following is a good strategy for handling big projects?
		A)	use the skill of visualization to see the “big picture”
		B)	focus only on what you can do today or tomorrow
		C)	break the project into small steps and treat each part as a separate task
		D)	clear your schedule and tackle the project, avoiding procrastination


4.	What is a good strategy for creating a schedule?
		A)	create a task list and label items by priority
		B)	make a time line to show the stages of a complex project
		C)	color-code your daily schedule
		D)	all of the above


5.	What should you do when you have downtime at work?
		A)	rest, you deserve it
		B)	improve your skills
		C)	make personal phone calls
		D)	it doesn’t matter; you never get downtime


6.	Which of the following will not help you use your time effectively?
		A)	taking calls from your friends while at work
		B)	planning your use of the phone and preparing a list of questions before you call
		C)	setting a time limit for phone calls
		D)	using e-mail to communicate with people who are difficult to reach


7.	Which of the following is characteristic of using other people's time wisely?
		A)	limiting conversations to business matters
		B)	avoiding sharing nonessential details
		C)	avoiding personal conversations during meetings
		D)	all of the above


8.	What is assigning tasks to other people?
		A)	delegating
		B)	an unwise business practice
		C)	something that can only be done by managers
		D)	important in maintaining a schedule


9.	What does the near-far rule mean?
		A)	your workspace should be close to others with whom you work closely
		B)	a company should keep its most valuable employees close to the main office
		C)	things you use frequently should be closer to you on your desk than things you use infrequently
		D)	all of the above


10.	Which of the following is characteristic of people who successfully manage information?
		A)	they keep everything they receive because it might be useful later
		B)	they keep only the information that they need
		C)	they do not bother with unnecessary “pending” files
		D)	they do not use the near-far rule


11.	When you are deciding what to do with incoming paperwork, what should you ask yourself?
		A)	What is it?
		B)	Is it supposed to come to me?
		C)	Do I need to take action on this?
		D)	all of the above


12.	Which of the following is not good advice for organizing a document file system?
		A)	categorize information
		B)	label files
		C)	put each document in a separate file
		D)	color-code folders by category


13.	What is the computer equivalent of a file folder?
		A)	directory
		B)	subdirectory
		C)	category
		D)	file


14.	What should you do if you have a large number of documents for one category?
		A)	store the documents in several different files according to subcategories
		B)	store all the documents in one file
		C)	give some of the documents to someone else
		D)	throw some of the documents away


15.	What should you do when creating a computer filing system?
		A)	choose file and directory names carefully
		B)	keep a written record of directory names
		C)	choose descriptive file names
		D)	all of the above