Handouts & questionnaires for wellbeing and time management
Last updated on 19th November 2008
Here are a selection of assessment sheets and handouts on wellbeing, time management and related topics. A lot of my work involves helping people face fear and anxiety. The "Determination training" and more straightforward monthly "Practice record" are often helpful here. The "Respected figures exercise" is one of the most frequent forms that I ask people to fill in - it clarifies values and so highlights how one wants to act. The handout on Kohlberg's work is relevant to values too, especially at times when the focus is on fairness and assertiveness. I often move from the "Respected figues exercise" to the four "Goals for roles" handouts. They build from clarifying "Role areas" and using this for the "80th birthday party exercise" up through a possible "Brainstorm" exercise to the "5 year, 1 year & 3 months" planning sheet. Many of these values/time management ideas are more fully explained in Stephen Covey's fine book "The 7 habits of highly effective people". The "Day & week projects record" is a form I use on a daily basis to keep my own time management sharp and realistic. The "Goals - ACT WISeST" sheet I put together from some research on what kinds of goals promote both effectiveness and also wellbeing.
Determination training - record sheet and suggestions for use that can be particularly helpful when encouraging people to tackle challenging tasks (for example with exposure/desensitisation work).
Practice record - this is a sheet that I get people to record on when keeping tags on work they're doing over a month. This might be forms of physical exercise, relaxation, socialising or other areas that they are targetting.
Goals, values, meaning - this is a handout I put together a long time ago. It still has some value for orientation in this area.
Respected figures exercise - I use this sheet a lot for helping people clarify their values. I suggest to them that they are unlikely to feel good about their lives unless they are trying to live the values that they particularly respect.
Life highlights exercise - this exercise was pointed out to me by a friend. I haven't used it much, but it looks good!
Alternative lives exercise - I invented this exercise when I was thinking about my own life. It aims to get people to think out what else they might have liked to have done and then realize that they can get at least some of this within the life they already have.
Kohlberg's stages - interesting ideas for challenging people to think about and live their values.
Vaillant's stages - helpful handout when talking to people about the differing challenges they may face at different stages in their lives.
Diaries (respected figures) - 2 qualities & 3 qualities - these are monitoring forms that I would typically use when encouraging people to live values that have emerged from the "Respected Figures" exercise.
Goals for roles - role areas & 80th birthday party - I often use "Goals for roles" sheets after having done the "Respected figures exercise". The "Role areas" form helps clarify different aspects of one's life and it can be used to provide some structure to the "80th birthday party" exercise.
Goals for roles - brainstorm, 5 year, 1 year & 3 months - forms I typically use after the "80th birthday party" exercise to get to the nitty gritty of specific goal targets.
Day & week projects record - I use this form myself on a daily basis. It helps me clarify and keep to targets for the day.
Importance of attitude - the science behind this handout is rather dated now, but it still makes useful points about control, challenge & commitment
Goals - ACT WISeST - I'm rather chuffed with this handout. I was feeling impatient with the quite widely used acronym SMART (specific, measurable, etc) when goal setting. ACT WISeST seems a more evidence based acronym to me and I enjoyed putting it together!