Measuring the results of time & organization training

The closest instrument that I have developed to a quantifiable measurement of results obtained from a time management and personal organization workshop is the Personal Organization Self-Analysis Quiz. It attempts to evaluate the individual’s current state of organization (or disorganization) by applying point values to each component. For instance, under the area of Procrastination, it makes the statement, “I feel pressured because of all the things I have to do.” If the individual feels this is true, she or he gives it 2 points, if only partially true, 1 point, and if not true, 0 points. After completing the entire quiz and calculating the total point value, the clients have a quantifiable indication of their current degree of personal organization.
The higher the number of points, the more disorganized they are. Then I issue a companion instrument, the Getting Organized Action Plan, which provides 15 suggestions in each of the same eight key areas being measured – for a total 120 suggestions. A month or so after putting into practice the ideas that workshop participants feel will help them, they can take the quiz again and see whether their total score has dropped. Just seeing a measurable improvement motivates them to continue to make further changes.
I recall one attendee coming into my office a few years after attending my workshop and excitedly telling me that he initially had a score of over 300 and that it had dropped to close to 200 a few months later after he had introduced some changes into his life. His goal was to get it below 100. Another client told me she repeated the test every few months, after applying a few more ideas from the Getting Organized Action Plan, and saw an improvement each time. This is the type of feedback that is rewarding.
The eight areas measured by the Personal Organization Self-Analysis Quiz are setting goals and prioritizing, planning and scheduling, writing things down, procrastination, packrat tendencies, environmental organization, work habits, and the tyranny of the urgent.
The companion Getting Organized Action Plan is simply a listing of 120 suggestions broken down into 15 suggestions for each of the eight key areas being measured. Many of my clients have used only the Action Plan to issue to their employees so they can put it into use immediately.
Everyone wants to be able to measure the results of training. Corporations are reluctant to spend thousands of dollars on training without knowing whether they are getting an adequate return on investment. They want to be assured that the new skills are being applied on the job with resulting increases in productivity.
Individuals in a home environment also want to get their money’s worth, but they are less concerned with return on investment than they are with realizing an improvement in their current situation. If one of your recommendations results in more free time or less stress or a greater feeling of control—or anything positive—they will be motivated to try more of the suggestions and to stick with them.
As a trainer, you obviously want to be able to measure results because that’s your job—to get results. You want to know that you are truly helping people to gain control of their time and their lives. It also results in more enthusiastic testimonials, referrals, higher ratings on evaluation sheets, and ultimately more business. And there’s nothing more rewarding than having someone tell you that your presentation saved their marriage or prompted a change to a more rewarding vocation or helped them discover their true passion.
It is not easy to quantify the results of time-management training. But you should do everything in your power to do so. It will set you head and shoulders above those who deliver a workshop or spend a half-day with a client and then disappear.
Effective 2018, I am offering organizations and individuals the rights to reproduce both instruments in unlimited quantities for a one-time fee of $149. They are available for immediate download at our website, taylorintime.com in the “Shop” area of our drop down menu items.