Many people do this Luis. One of the challenges though is that people then have to go back and do rework later. It's a big time saver to do tasks once and do them right.
As a network administrator and an IT instructor prioritizing tasks is second nature for me. The only problem comes when ppeople have unrealistic expectations on the amount of time it takes to do things.
For example, take a printer repair that came up recently... I have to teach 3-16+ hour days and teach on every other Saturday for another 10, but in addition have to be on call with two campuses IT needs 24-7 and handle things like interior data backups and moving data off site to the other campus. With all of that, I assigned a printer refit with less urgency than the management wanted ( We will be covering printers in one of my classes, so I decided to "kill two birds with one stone" and fix it then). This caused students in that class to complain that I wasn't doing it with enough speed.
That will take some time to assess. I do at times have the immediacy problem. It is likely that I will need to slow down a little bit more than I need to re-organize
These are important points Keith. Setting expectations ahead of time can be a great solution. But sometimes, it's hard to communicate to administrators just how busy we are.
I usually complete urgent tasks as soon as possible, and use daily task lists that are prioritized.
I usually try to get quick tasks done, ones that shouldn't take much time,first that way things that are more complicated can have my full attention. I see now that I might be able to get more accomplished if I did the ones with higher priority done first. I will be reorganizing the lists so the things get done first that need to be completed first.
Excellent idea Julie! Yes, taking care of higher priority tasks first will likely help you accomplish more and experience less stress in the process.
I am an instuctor at a self paced school. There is no set student level of time or set daily activity. My daily tasks are set on the fly per need basis. Student need is the first priority. everything else fits in between.
That sounds like a challenge George. With no set tasks or schedule, you probably have to work a lot harder to make sure you stay on track.
Wonderful idea to add breaks and vacation time. I also think should add dating time so I don't end up spending way too many hours at my friend's home watching a movies that I have already seen, like last night! Plus play with my cats time.
I'm so grateful for this course since even though I was great at listing tasks and priorities for career and household chores, I completely left out personal life items which are of a high priority sometimes more than career. Also, I need to extend my prioritizing, so I can get away from being immediate and feeling quilty for not accomplishing all on my task list for the day.
Laurel, Your personal life is indeed something to keep at the top of your list!
Good points Laurel. Don't feel guilty adding things to your list that you really enjoy - whatever they may be.
I often work on the weekends, and that is when I usually make myself "to do" lists of the things I need to accomplish that weekend. I find myself writing these lists only as reminders (lest I forget) and have not often prioritized them. I have learned through this class that I really should prioritize these "reminders", just so that I won't find myself running out of time and not having accomplished everything on my list! It has happened!
Indeed! It's not just about getting your tasks on paper. It's also just as important to do them. Making your list a priority is the first step.
I am a long time user of Franklin-Covey Time Management calanders and find that when I utilize the task priority aspect, I have more "FREE TIME"
I have always been able to prioritize tasks--but getting them done was my challenge. For the past week I have implemented the list--then classification of importance and then attacking one thing at a time and I have to say it has worked and for the first time in a long time I am ahead of schedule--very exciting
This is a good point LuAnn. You can actually gain more free time when you prioritize your tasks.
I do both - immediacy and procastination. Fortunately, I am an orderly person and I tend to get stressed when I don't have order.
I have learned that writing down what needs to be done each day works for me. Being online makes it hard to put off some administrative items, such as responding to emails.
My first priority every day is to check emails and determine if they need to be addressed immediately or can be saved to later.
If the issue is an issue concerning a student, it needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. If the issue is a lessor priority, I can wait until the end of the day or the next day as long as I respond within 48 hours.
I have developed a system that is very helpful. I use Outlook to assign priority labels on my emails. Red means an action is required. Green means the response can be handled later. Gold means there is no action required at this time but the item is important. I have other colors but red, green and gold are the ones I use the most.
In addition, I have created Outlook folders for items that need to be recorded. The folders allow me to clear my inbox and leave the items that need my attention now or later.
I am taking this course because prioritizing can be stressful. It is important for me to stay update on new practices. As I said, I seek order but I do not want to be overwhelmed by trying to achieve order. This module expands my knowledge on ways to stay more organized with less stress.
This is a great Marcia. And agreed. Sometimes prioritizing can be stressful. This is especially true when we are online, in that we are so accessible. Going offline and setting an out of office automatic email reply can be a great way to take a break and regroup.
