Productivity Methods Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- Which tool classifies tasks into 4 categories (Urgent/Important)?
- A. SWOT Matrix
- B. Eisenhower Matrix
- C. ABCD Method
- D. SMART Method
- Which productivity principle consists of focusing on a single task at a time to avoid ineffective multitasking?
- A. Time Blocking
- B. Multitasking
- C. Agile method
- D. Single-Tasking
- Which psychological phenomenon explains why we often postpone unpleasant or stressful tasks?
- A. Mere exposure effect
- B. Procrastination
- C. Optimism bias
- D. Zeigarnik effect
- Who said: 'Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm'?
- A. Winston Churchill
- B. Thomas Edison
- C. Albert Einstein
- D. Nelson Mandela
- Which book by James Clear explains how small habits can transform your life?
- A. Deep Work
- B. The Power of Habit
- C. Habits of Highly Effective People
- D. Atomic Habits
- Which term describes the art of saying 'no' to distractions to focus on what is essential?
- A. Essentialism
- B. Pragmatism
- C. Minimalism
- D. Stoicism
- What is the main aim of Brian Tracy's 'Eat the Frog' technique?
- A. Ignore difficult tasks
- B. Do the most difficult or most important task first
- C. Do the easiest tasks first
- D. Do all tasks simultaneously
- Which tool can help you block online distractions during your work sessions?
- A. Forest
- B. Google Calendar
- C. Twitter
- D. Spotify
- Which book by Cal Newport advocates the importance of focusing without distraction to produce quality work?
- A. Atomic Habits
- B. The Shallows
- C. Deep Work
- D. The 4-Hour Workweek
- Which concept describes an invisible barrier preventing certain groups from reaching senior positions, despite their competence?
- A. Peter Principle
- B. Glass ceiling
- C. Impostor syndrome
- D. Halo effect
- What does the acronym SWOT stand for in the strategic analysis matrix?
- A. Strategy, Work, Objectives, Tactics
- B. System, Workflow, Organisation, Time
- C. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
- D. Structure, Wayfinding, Operations, Trends
- In Scrum, what is the short work iteration, generally 1 to 4 weeks, at the end of which a deliverable version is produced?
- A. A Kanban
- B. A Milestone
- C. A Sprint
- D. A Release
- What do we call the drop in the quality of our choices after a long series of decisions?
- A. The Pygmalion effect
- B. Decision fatigue
- C. The Pareto principle
- D. Impostor syndrome
- What is the technique of grouping similar tasks (emails, calls, errands…) to deal with them in one block called?
- A. Multitasking
- B. Batching
- C. Brainstorming
- D. Reporting
- According to a famous 1918 anecdote, what simple piece of advice did consultant Ivy Lee sell to a steel industrialist for 25,000 dollars?
- A. Write down each evening the 6 most important tasks for the next day and do them in order
- B. Work 12 hours a day
- C. Delegate all the work
- D. Never answer mail again
- Which method, born at Toyota, consists of asking 'why?' several times in a row to trace a problem back to its root cause?
- A. The 5 Whys
- B. Brainstorming
- C. The 5W1H method
- D. SWOT
- What is the 'fishbone' diagram, which sorts the possible causes of a problem into major families (materials, methods, people…), called?
- A. The Gantt chart
- B. The Venn diagram
- C. The Ishikawa diagram
- D. The Pareto chart
- What is an 'error-proofing' device that makes a mistake impossible, like a plug that only fits one way, called?
- A. A kaizen
- B. A poka-yoke
- C. An andon
- D. A muda
- What does the 'QQOQCP' method help structure?
- A. A weekly schedule
- B. The analysis of a problem: Who, What, Where, When, How, Why
- C. A budget calculation
- D. Writing a CV
- Which American advertising executive invented 'brainstorming' in the 1940s?
- A. David Ogilvy
- B. Alex Osborn
- C. Edward de Bono
- D. Peter Drucker
Answer key — Productivity Methods Quiz
- B. Eisenhower MatrixAllows tasks to be classified by urgency and importance to better prioritise.
- D. Single-TaskingFocusing on one task at a time increases efficiency and reduces errors.
- B. ProcrastinationA common behaviour linked to fear of failure or lack of intrinsic motivation.
- A. Winston ChurchillThis quote illustrates perseverance as the key to success.
- D. Atomic Habits'Atomic Habits' proposes strategies for building good habits.
- A. EssentialismPopularised by Greg McKeown, this concept advocates simplification and focusing on what really matters.
- B. Do the most difficult or most important task firstThis technique aims to eliminate procrastination by tackling the most dreaded task first.
- A. ForestAn app that uses gamification to encourage concentration.
- C. Deep Work'Deep Work' explains how intense concentration has become a rare and valuable skill.
- B. Glass ceilingThe glass ceiling is a metaphor for the invisible obstacles that limit the professional advancement of certain groups in organisations.
- C. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, ThreatsThe SWOT matrix is a strategic analysis tool for evaluating a project or organisation from four complementary angles.
- C. A SprintThe Sprint is the basic unit of the Scrum framework: a fixed-duration period during which the team commits to producing a potentially shippable product increment.
- B. Decision fatigueThe more decisions we make in a row, the more we tend to pick the default option or put things off.
- B. BatchingConstantly switching between types of task costs energy and focus.
- A. Write down each evening the 6 most important tasks for the next day and do them in orderHe let the industrialist pay what he thought fair after a three-month trial.
- A. The 5 WhysExample: the machine stops. Why?
- C. The Ishikawa diagramInvented by Japan's Kaoru Ishikawa in the 1960s, it often uses the '5 Ms': Materials, Machines, Methods, Manpower, Milieu.
- B. A poka-yokeJapanese for 'avoiding inadvertent errors'. The SIM card with a cut corner or the car that won't start unless your foot is on the brake are examples.
- B. The analysis of a problem: Who, What, Where, When, How, WhyInherited from the questions of ancient rhetoric, it is used by journalists, investigators and quality engineers alike.
- B. Alex OsbornHis golden rule: never criticise ideas during the session; quantity ends up producing quality.