# Day In The Life Of (DILO) Participants log a typical workday into structured time blocks, categorize tasks into planned versus reactive work, and identify workload bottlenecks. Working in pairs and then as a room, they surface shared operational drains and pick practical adjustments. **Time:** 45 minutes. UWT suggested 45-minute workshop session. The source outlines multi-step individual and team workflows without fixed minutes. **People:** 4 to 24. Individual mapping, followed by pairs (one trio if odd total), then whole-room theme aggregation. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Document and categorize daily task demands to identify time drains and workload imbalances across a role or team. **Use it when:** Use when reviewing operational workload, assessing role boundaries, or evaluating patterns of reactive interruptions versus planned work. **Skip it when:** Skip during active performance evaluations, formal disciplinary reviews, or when participants lack psychological safety to report actual time use honestly. ## Materials and tools - One printed DILO Workload Analysis Worksheet per participant (or digital spreadsheet copy) - One pen or pencil per participant - Four colored sticky note pads for whole-room theme mapping - One timer for the facilitator - Shared online whiteboard (for remote/hybrid) - Digital spreadsheet template (for remote/hybrid) ## Before participants arrive 1. Print one copy of the DILO Workload Analysis Worksheet for each participant. 2. Set up table clusters for pairs or trios. 3. Clear a whiteboard or wall section labeled: Planned Work, Reactive Demands, Bottlenecks, and Adjustment Ideas. ## Say this to open Welcome. Today we will map a Day In The Life Of your current role. The purpose is to look clearly at where your hours actually go, especially the split between planned work and unplanned interruptions. This data belongs to you. It is not an evaluation of your personal performance, and you decide what specific details you share. Take your worksheet, pick a representative recent workday, and let us trace what happened hour by hour. ## How to run it ### 1. Introduce scope and set ground rules (5 minutes) Deliver the opening script. Explain the four worksheet categories: Core, Admin, Meeting, and Firefighting. Emphasize that responses are confidential and used only to identify systemic workload patterns, not personal productivity ratings. ### 2. Complete individual workday map (15 minutes) Participants work independently to fill in their DILO worksheet for a typical full day. For each block, they note the activity, categorize it, mark whether it was planned (P) or reactive (R), and rate the Energy Drain column as Low, Med, or High. Stop when the timer reaches 15 minutes. ### 3. Compare patterns in pairs (10 minutes) Participants pair up with a peer. If there is an odd number of participants, form one trio. In pairs, each person takes 4 minutes to share two key patterns from their sheet: where their day derailed into reactive tasks, and which tasks consumed more time than anticipated. In a trio, allocate 3 minutes per person. The remaining time is used to write 1 to 2 shared systemic friction points on sticky notes. ### 4. Cluster team themes on the wall (8 minutes) Invite pairs to post their sticky notes on the wall under the matching categories: Planned Work, Reactive Demands, Bottlenecks, or Adjustment Ideas. Group similar notes together silently, then read out the top two recurring clusters to the full room. ### 5. Facilitate group debrief and next steps (7 minutes) Lead a structured debrief using the prepared questions. Take 3 to 4 contributions from the room. Agree on one common systemic time drain that the team can investigate or adjust. ## Debrief questions - Looking at the cluster wall, what surprises you about the ratio of planned work to reactive interruptions? - Which time drains appear across multiple roles rather than just one person's schedule? - What is one concrete handoff or recurring task that can be simplified or scheduled differently next week? **Finished output:** Completed individual workload worksheets and a shared wall map showing primary systemic workload bottlenecks and immediate adjustment priorities. ## Remote Distribute a digital spreadsheet copy of the DILO template. Participants complete their logs independently. Run pair discussions in 2-person breakout rooms for 10 minutes (or one 3-person room if numbers are odd). Use an online whiteboard to post and cluster sticky notes by theme during the group debrief. ## Hybrid In-person pairs share paper notes while remote pairs use video breakout rooms. Remote participants enter their sticky notes directly into a shared online whiteboard projected onto the main room screen. The facilitator reads aloud remote notes during clustering. ## Access and participation choices - Offer digital spreadsheet or printed paper format according to individual writing preferences. - Participants may anonymize task descriptions, summarize high-level categories, or pass on posting sticky notes without disclosing specific calendar items. ## If the session gets stuck **Participants worry that listing idle or reactive time will hurt their performance rating.** Reiterate that the activity evaluates operational workflows and organizational interruptions, not personal efficiency. Emphasize that individual worksheets remain with participants. **Participants state that no day is typical because their workload fluctuates wildly.** Ask them to pick yesterday, or the most recent regular working day, rather than searching for an ideal average day. ## Terms used here - DILO: Day In The Life Of; a structured method for documenting all activities and interruptions experienced during a work shift. - Reactive Work: Unscheduled tasks, ad-hoc requests, and interruptions that displace planned core priorities. ## Participant material: DILO Workload Analysis Worksheet DILO WORKLOAD ANALYSIS WORKSHEET Role Title: ________________________ Date Mapped: ________________________ Instructions: Fill in your activities across a typical working day. Mark whether each item was Planned (P) or Spontaneous/Reactive (R). Categories to use: - Core: Direct value creation, main role deliverables - Admin: Internal paperwork, routine reporting, timesheets - Meeting: Scheduled discussions, reviews, check-ins - Firefighting: Unplanned escalations, urgent interruptions Time Block | Primary Activity Description | Category (Core/Admin/Meeting/Firefighting) | P or R | Energy Drain (Low/Med/High) 08:00 - 09:00 | | | | 09:00 - 10:00 | | | | 10:00 - 11:00 | | | | 11:00 - 12:00 | | | | 12:00 - 13:00 | | | | 13:00 - 14:00 | | | | 14:00 - 15:00 | | | | 15:00 - 16:00 | | | | 16:00 - 17:00 | | | | Overtime/Later | | | | REFLECTION SUMMARY: 1. Estimated % of day spent on planned core work: ____% 2. Estimated % of day spent on reactive demands or interruptions: ____% 3. Top two recurring bottlenecks or obstacles today: a. b. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in WorkshopBank as 'Day In The Life Of (DILO)'. Retained the defining mechanic from WorkshopBank: logging a full daily activity cycle to evaluate workload balance, role scope, and planned versus spontaneous work under strict confidentiality. WorkshopBank provided an open framework with downloadable templates and process steps without fixed timing. UWT structured this into a runnable 45-minute workshop session with a concrete time-block worksheet, paired sharing, visual theme clustering, and structured debrief prompts. [WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/tools/day-in-the-life-of-dilo) [WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/day-in-the-life-of-dilo) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/day-in-the-life-of-dilo-workshopbank/