Time Management

Set Your Objective!

It's Monday morning. You have 40 minutes to set the objectives for your week's tasks - and then just twenty-five minutes to do them! Will you take on too much, too little - or get it just right?


How it works

Teams represent a manager starting the week with a list of tasks. In the initial prioritising phase teams have 40 minutes to decide which tasks they need to complete to achieve their objective. There’s a compulsory, main task requiring the construction of an ‘exhibition display model’ and they should allow for an unexpected task! Specific details of the tasks are unavailable at this stage and this ensures the tasks cannot be embarked upon early - but after signing a contract on their chosen tasks, teams receive datacards (with the specific task details) and have twenty-five minutes to achieve their objective!

What it does

Losing sight of the main objective is often the cause of an unsuccessful project. Set Your Objective! is a powerful exercise for demonstrating the importance of completing work on time, in line with the main objective.

Customer feedback

  • A great learning activity. I will always recommend this - and any of your exercises.

    – M. Rose, Christian Salvesen

  • A fun, group activity which draws out common failings around organising your day. In particular, the importance of fully understanding the brief, not making assumptions, not rushing into things - and not taking on too much

    – B. Steedon, Family Investments

  • Excellent! All groups love Set your Objective!

    – Employee Development Officer, Scottish Council