Time Value

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Compare strategies for spending small units of money and time while examining how hidden criteria and brief deadlines influence team output.

Use it when: Use in time management, project kickoff, or productivity sessions when teams need to examine how small windows of discretionary time are used.

Skip it when: Skip when the session focuses on long-range strategic roadmaps or when the group needs quiet, individual work time.

Group arrangement: 3 to 4 small teams of 2 to 6 participants

Timing: Source specifies 30 to 45 minutes; 30 minutes provides balanced time for both sprints, scoring, and debrief.

Materials and tools

• 3 to 4 flip charts with stands or wall space
• Felt-tipped markers (2 to 3 per team)
• Index cards (4 per team, plus extras)
• Timer or digital stopwatch
• Whistle or gentle chime for signaling time

Before participants arrive

1. Set up 3 to 4 flip charts around the room with markers at each station.
2. Place 4 blank index cards at each station.
3. Optionally recruit 2 to 3 colleagues as guest judges for a 5-minute window near minute 15, or plan to act as judge yourself.

Say this to open

Welcome. People often say time is money, but we handle them very differently. Today we explore how we draw value from small investments. You will work in teams at flip charts under tight five-minute deadlines. Listen carefully to each prompt and record as many concrete ideas as you can before the signal sounds.

How to run it

1. Form teams and set up warm-up 3 minutes

   Divide participants into 3 or 4 teams of 2 to 6 people. Direct each team to an assigned flip chart. Announce the first topic: 'You have five dollars to spend. How can you make sure that you get the maximum value for this money?' Explain that any member may write, and that this round is a warm-up sprint for the team.

2. Brainstorm five-dollar warm-up 5 minutes

   Start the timer for 5 minutes. Teams brainstorm and write ideas on their flip chart. Give a 1-minute warning. At 5 minutes, sound the chime or whistle. Instruct teams to stop writing immediately, explain that this warm-up prepared them for the main exercise, and have them flip to a fresh blank sheet.

3. Brainstorm five-minute value 5 minutes

   Announce the core prompt: 'You have 5 minutes of free time to spend any way you want. How can you make sure that you get the maximum value for this time?' Start the timer for 5 minutes. Teams list as many practical ideas as possible on their fresh sheet. At the signal, call time and have markers placed down.

4. Score quantity and quality 5 minutes

   Category 1 (Quantity): Ask teams to count the ideas on their second list (the 5-minute free time list). Declare the team with the highest count the quantity winner. Category 2 (Quality): Ask each team to choose their two best ideas from that same 5-minute list and write each on a separate index card. Collect and shuffle the cards. Read them aloud. Have the panel of judges (or facilitator) select the single best idea and name the winning team.

5. Score uniqueness 5 minutes

   Category 3 (Uniqueness): Ask each team to select their two most unconventional or bizarre ideas from their 5-minute free time list and write each on a new index card. Collect and shuffle the cards. Read them aloud. Ask the judges to select the most unusual submission. Name the winning team, thank the judges, and dismiss them.

6. Debrief time management lessons 7 minutes

   Gather the room for debriefing. Pose 2 or 3 structured debrief questions. Take 4 to 6 spoken responses across the room. Conclude by discussing how artificial deadlines, unspoken goals, and brief time windows shape day-to-day productivity.

Debrief questions

• Compare your five-dollar list to your five-minute list: what spending strategies appeared in both?
• We evaluated the five-minute lists on quantity, quality, and uniqueness without announcing those goals beforehand. How did working without explicit scoring rules shape your output?
• How did the strict five-minute deadline change how your team worked compared to an open-ended discussion?

Finished output: Flip chart sheets with ideas for spending five dollars and five minutes, plus index cards highlighting the top quality and most unique ideas for spending five minutes.

Remote

Run in video breakout rooms. Each team uses an assigned digital whiteboard frame. The facilitator posts prompts in the main chat and times 5-minute sprints. In the scoring phase, teams paste their top two quality ideas and top two uniqueness ideas onto a shared judging frame. The facilitator or guest judges read submissions aloud from the canvas and announce the selected winners.

Hybrid

Form distinct in-person and remote teams. Supply in-person teams with flip charts and remote teams with separate digital canvas frames. A room camera or facilitator reads remote submissions aloud alongside physical index cards so all participants hear and evaluate every nominee.

Access and participation choices

• Allow participants to sit or stand during brainstorming rounds, placing flip charts at accessible heights or providing table pads.
• Teams can assign distinct internal roles such as verbal contributor, recorder, or card submitter so writing is never mandatory.
• Participants may pass on speaking during the whole-room debrief or offer observations via text chat or written notes.

If the session gets stuck

Teams get stuck generating ideas for five minutes of free time.

Offer neutral examples such as organizing a desk drawer, sending a quick thank-you note, or doing a brief physical stretch.

Guest judges are unavailable or cancel at the last minute.

Act as the judge yourself, or invite two participants who prefer an observational role to review the submissions.

Terms used here

• Micro-period: A short discretionary window (typically 2 to 10 minutes) between fixed calendar commitments.