Time Management Behavior Scale – Chinese Version

Description

The research indicates that time management behaviors (or aspects of it, such as short-term planning) are positively correlated with perceived time control, sales performance, university grades, overall learning habit scores, time spent on high-priority tasks, work performance, and health, while being negatively correlated with work-related physical tension, fatigue, psychological distress, and short-term time estimation. According to Tian Qinghui’s research, time management behaviors positively impact job satisfaction regardless of differences in education level, gender, work experience, and job position; individuals with good time management habits generally report greater satisfaction with their work. Training in time management behaviors for employees with high work control can significantly reduce their feelings of burnout. For employees with high time management behaviors, it is beneficial to appropriately increase their work autonomy to unleash their potential. For those with low time management behaviors, training in time management behaviors and adequate work autonomy should be provided. Combining these three aspects serves the purpose of intervening in occupational burnout, ultimately promoting employees’ physical and mental health and fostering the healthy development of enterprises.

Authors and Contact Email

Tian Qinghui

Purpose

To explore the relationship between time management behaviors and various performance and well-being outcomes in organizational settings.

Test Year

Information not available.

Administration Method and Scoring

The Time Management Behavior Scale (TMB) developed by Macan in 1990 was used for measuring participants’ goal setting and prioritization behaviors, tasks arranged, and progress monitoring. The questionnaire contains 34 items, employing a Likert scale of 5 points, where 1 means “never” and 5 means “always.” Higher scores indicate better time management behaviors. The internal consistency reliability coefficient of the Chinese version is 0.85.

Reliability and Validity

The internal consistency reliability coefficient of the Chinese version is 0.85.

Factors and Subscales

Information not available.

Keywords

Time Management, Behavior, Job Satisfaction, Work Performance, Occupational Burnout

Items in Chinese

1. 当我决定要完成短期计划中的任务时，也铭记自己的长期目标。
2. 如果需要对目标进行修正和改变的话，我会谨慎考虑后才做决定。
3. 我会将复杂、困难的计划分解成易操作的小项目。
4. 我会设定几天或几周之内就要完成的短期目标。
5. 当我决定要完成什么任务时，会给自己设定一个截止期限。
6. 我会寻求提高工作效率的方式。
7. 在解决一些次要的问题之前，我会先完成最重要的任务。
8. 我会通过回顾每天的活动来检查自己是否浪费了时间。
9. 我会评价按照自己制定的进度表运行一个工作日的效果。
10. 我会根据轻重缓急对工作任务进行排序以保证完成每天的工作。
11. 我会随身携带笔记本简略记下需注意的事项及想法。
12. 在工作进程中最多相距一个星期我就会制定一个工作进度表。
13. 当我觉得某人是我需要经常联系的时，我会将他的姓名、地址和电话号码记在专门的记事本中。
14. 我会把定期要办的事安排到我的日程表上。
15. 我写便条提醒自己该做什么事。
16. 我对每天要做的工作列出清单，然后逐项检查是否完成。
17. 我随身携带记有预约的本子。
18. 我坚持每天写工作日记。
19. 我用一个“待办”的文件夹和“已办”的文件夹对工作进行分类，使日常的文书工作井然有序。
20. 我会寻找可以避免打扰和分散精力的工作地点。
21. 假如发现有什么事使我不得不花时间等待，我就会继续着手自己能做的事。
22. 一天工作结束时我的工作环境仍保持整洁有序。
23. 下班对发现早晨写好当天要做的事情的清单被忘记或被放置一边。
24. 当工作环境杂乱无章而不是整洁有序时我能找到使工作变得简单易行的方法。
25. 我定计划和制定工作时间表是浪费自己的时间。
26. 我的工作根本无可预料，使得我在很大程度上无法计划和安排自己的时间。
27. 即使处于混乱状态下，我还有些具有创意的想法。
28. 当我处于某种混乱状态下，我还能较好地调整自己来适应那些意想不到的工作。
29. 假如把不想做的事情搁在一边而不是把它们当成要事来处理，我发现自己能将工作做得更好。
30. 我会低估完成工作所花的时间。
31. 我感觉能控制自己的时间。
32. 我花大量的时间在不重要的事情上。
33. 由于其他人的打搅，我发现自己难于按计划行事。
34. 我发现自己面对不喜欢但又必须做的事时会磨蹭。

Items in English

1. When I decide to complete tasks in my short-term plan, I also keep my long-term goals in mind.
2. If I need to revise and change my goals, I will consider them carefully before making a decision.
3. I break complex and difficult plans into manageable small projects.
4. I set short-term goals to be completed within a few days or weeks.
5. When I decide what task to complete, I set a deadline for myself.
6. I seek ways to improve work efficiency.
7. Before solving some secondary problems, I complete the most important tasks.
8. I review my daily activities to check if I’ve wasted time.
9. I evaluate how well I adhered to my schedule for a workday.
10. I prioritize work tasks based on urgency to ensure I complete my daily workload.
11. I carry a notebook to jot down important notes and ideas.
12. I create a work schedule that spans at most a week in advance.
13. When I feel someone is someone I need to contact frequently, I note their name, address, and phone number in a dedicated notebook.
14. I schedule regular tasks in my calendar.
15. I write notes to remind myself what I need to do.
16. I list my daily tasks and check them off one by one when completed.
17. I carry a diary that includes appointments.
18. I keep a work diary every day.
19. I classify work using “To Do” and “Completed” folders to keep daily paperwork organized.
20. I look for workspaces that minimize disturbances and distractions.
21. If I find I have to wait on something, I continue to work on what I can do.
22. At the end of the day, my work environment remains tidy and organized.
23. I often forget or set aside the list of tasks I made in the morning when I leave work.
24. I find ways to simplify tasks when my work area is chaotic and not organized.
25. I consider planning and scheduling my work as a waste of my time.
26. My work is unpredictable, making it hard for me to plan and organize my time.
27. Even in a state of chaos, I come up with some creative ideas.
28. When I’m in a chaotic situation, I can still adapt quickly to unexpected tasks.
29. If I set aside tasks I don’t want to do rather than addressing them, I find that I can do better work.
30. I tend to underestimate the time it takes to complete tasks.
31. I feel I can control my time.
32. I spend a lot of time on unimportant matters.
33. I find it difficult to act according to my plans due to interruptions from others.
34. I find myself procrastinating when faced with tasks I dislike but must do.

References

Macan, H. (1990). Time Management Behavior Scale (TMB).