I have created to-do lists in my PDA, and that worked well enough. I found that a small spiral bound notebook gave me a greater satisfaction of crossing off the accomplished tasks.
I also keep the book until I use up all the pages. This way I can look back and really feel good about all the things that I got done.
Monica, I too feel that crossing tasks off gives me greater satisfaction. Despite having a PDA and knowing how to use it, I still rely on my legal pad. This gives me the greatest sense of progress.
I make an updated to do list daily. Where I tend to get off course is by the students who have situations that need answers today. I also get side tracked by other facility and tend to then loose motivation. I need to work on setting more realistic goals for myself and taking into consideration the daily interruptions.
Yes, it's great to have a buffer in your schedule for unexpected tasks. Only you know what percent of time that buffer should be. But it's great to have.
I have to remain more consistent with my "to do lists." Many times, I try to save time by just going off the top of my head. Big mistake....
I have the same problem of working with multiple agencies and having my calendars in separate places.
I agree. It was good to hear that we can have more control over our time and those with whom we interact do not dictate our time management.
Interesting point Silvina. Going off the top of your head is often faster in the short term but less productive in the long term.
making lists and prioritizing is something I do on a regular basis
Stephen Covey wrote an excellent book on Time Management called "First Things First". The process of prioritizing tasks is a key part of his teaching. However, he reminds us that there are other things that must be built into our schedules for us to remain healthly and happy. We need to schedule time for recreation, family and religion in our lives. Covey's later book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" repeats a lot of the lessons explained in "First Things First". I strongly recommend Covey's work.
Thanks for sharing Le. Yes, it is important to build in time for relaxation, spending time with family and other activities that make us happy. It's easy to forget, but these activities are the real priority.
I keep several lists based on meetings, and discussions with our management team.
I understand the importance prioritizing but since I've tried several strategies to do this, I always revert back to taking care of issues immediately. The strategy seems to work better with my personality.
tasks that i need to accomplish for work i always complete right away, however, when it comes to my personal life i tend to procrastinate.
There are a lot of people out there like you James. Work tends to get prioritized, but personal tasks are just as important. Some people include personal tasks on their to do lists so they can keep track of them and address them in the same way as work related tasks.
This is an important point Benjamin. There are different styles of effective time and stress management. What works for one person may not work for another. Identifying who you are and what you need to get the job done is a great place to start.
Urgent tasks are done immediately or at the first possible time. If I was in the middle of something that could wait, I reprioritize my to do list and get the urgent things done first. I always make the deadlines early if not on time.
I am hit or miss when it comes to lists and prioritization. Although I do very well when I make a list and carry out the list...I usually do not make one. I know...I must be lazy? Actually, I just get started and before I know it...It is the end of the week and my list was forgotton.
Interesting points Joseph. There are many ways of getting through tasks. To do lists are one way. But you have to find the method that works best for you.
Hi all,
This topic hits home with me after 5 years of teaching online and in a traditional setting at the same time. I am excited to see that many of the same suggestions I see in this module are the same things that I have figured out along the way. Using Web Outlook to manage my schedule is a great tool and allows for me to rearrange and create new to do lists. I can also move the time slots around as new, and more important tasks appear.
I try to get things done is a reasonable amount of time. Some things, like grading, I have a scheduled day to do this. Other things, like friendly reminders, I do another day. I plan to keep my schedule the same since it works well and keeps my stress in check!
Jon
