Task Prioritization
Think about the tasks that are most important and urgent for you to complete. Do you usually choose to accomplish these tasks right away or do you tend to put these tasks off for another time? Based on what you have learned in this module about task prioritization, will you change the order in which you accomplish important and urgent tasks in the future?
I am pretty good at making effective to-do lists. Unfortunately, I am overly optimistic/ambitious about what I can get done each day.
I try to "plan my work and work my plan".
Eva,
It's great to hear that you are good at making effective to-do lists. That is a wonderful start!
Perhaps there is a way to have more reasonable expectations about what you can accomplish on your list. When our expectations are too high, we may end up feeling disappointed about the tasks that we didn't accomplish. This can decrease our motivation to try to accomplish tasks in the future. When our expectations are reasonable and more closely match reality, we tend to continue to be motivated to accomplish our tasks. This can help us reach our goals.
"to-do" list are my weckness. I have 2 business that I own & I also teach part time. It is so had to sit down & write things out! i really need to sit down just for 5 min a day & write down what I need to do for each business. Sometime U forget & I do the wrong thing for the wrong business, Things like a "to do" list would help with the account & my records. "to-Do" list are a part of personal & professional growth. i had them as I kid, I need to have them now!
I try to prepare my work, set what is the top priority in my prepare to do list.
I try to plan my work with a do list hopefully benefit my priorities
Samuel,
I am glad to hear that you plan to use a "to do" list. You are right in that these lists really can help us accomplish our priorities. It is amazing what can happen when we write our priorities down on paper. Our priorities are more likely to be accomplished if they are written down. But there is another great benefit too. When we write our priorities on paper, we can put them out of our minds. This makes our priorities less distracting and can help us focus on the tasks at hand.
I haven't made a "to-do list" until now. I feel that if something needs to be done, try to get it done right away, unless it's something I would like to avoid doing. I deal with things at work better than things at home. When I'm at home, I usually want things done ASAP, especially if it involves cleaning. At work, I know that everything should be done in a timely manner, so that I am prepared to teach and it's better to be on top of things when you are coordinating the school's Medical program. Sometimes I do get very stressed though.
Hi Tina,
What a thoughtful response. You bring up an interesting point about work and household responsibilities. Some people deal with work and household responsibilities differently. For example, you seem to be relying on immediacy to accomplish tasks at home but seem to have a more balanced approach when accomplishing tasks at work. You might find that creating a to-do list that includes both work and household responsibilities can help. With this type of list, it might be easier for you to prioritize tasks because you will be able to see the whole picture. This type of list might also help you feel more in control of the tasks that you wish to accomplish across the board. The feeling of being in control may reduce the stress that you are experiencing.
I HAVE STARTED TO MAKE A WEEKLY TO-DO LIST, AND NOW FEEL MORE ABLE TO PRIORITIZE BETTER AND FEEL AS THOUGH I WILL BE MORE PRODUCTIVE AND LESS STRESSED HOPEFULLY.
I always have a steady "to do" list with everything clearly written out. However, I have never given any thought to prioritizing this list. It always ends up as a random list of duties. On that note, though, my "to do" list is the first thing I look at everyday. I organize all my daily activities around it, and it is always getting rewritten. If there is an item on there for the coming days, I just simply ignore it...
Paul,
Looking at your “to do†list on a daily basis is a great habit. Many people are perfectly capable of writing out a “to do†list. After their list is written out, however, they never look at it again. By taking a look at your tasks every morning, you remind yourself of everything that needs to be accomplished. If nothing else, your list probably serves as an excellent memory aid for you.
I now use the method of writing down new tasks each night as I review my task lists.
Numbering the tasks in order of importance and urgency are of utmost importance. I used to accomplish the quick tasks, so as to get them out of the way, and found that I ran out of time to perform the tasks that were more important.
By using this method, I also found that the tasks were very prominent in my mind and so during the day I would stay on course to accomplish what had to be done. This has eliminated running around and accomplishing nothing.
I highly recommend task prioritization either using a comuter task list or an old fashioned "To Do List"
Tina,
I am glad that you mentioned computerized ‘to do' lists. Keeping track of tasks with your computer can work great. You can set your computer up to remind you to complete certain tasks at certain points in time.
As instructors, it is always important to leverage the technology that we have access to. If you have access to software that can help you keep track of your tasks, why not put it to use and make it work for you.
I am extremely busy and have responsibilities for 4 different agencies. I have to admit that I am not as good about making to do lists as I should be. I have a Palm Pilot an I will begin to use it for my to do lists and classify the tasks by responsibility, importance and priority.
I tend to try to get the most urgent tasks done first, but sometimes there are so many distractions and everyone seems to think that their requirement is the most urgent! I'm good at handling student requests in a timely manner most of the time. Adminstrative requirements often take a back seat to student/instruction requirements, but I rarely miss a deadline. The things I'm worst about putting off are the things that I need to do for "Me".
Interesting points Sharlette and I agree. It is easy to prioritize student needs over the things we need for ourselves – especially when students present their needs with such a sense of urgency. But it's important to note that doing things for ourselves can be what keeps us going. When our needs are met, we are in the best position to help others.
As the school program director for a diversity of medical office programs with students constantly at my door, I will strive not to meet, greet and interact with everyone who stops by, allowing them to control & interrupt my time, causing constantly changing work priorities during the day. I will also focus on priority task versus what activities can be left until another time.
This sounds like a great first step Sandra. I know how hard it is to minimize interactions when students and administrators are continuously stopping by your office. Sometimes, it can be helpful to provide people with a visual cue that lets them know you are busy. For example, a closed door is a good sign that someone is busy. Alternatively, if you are working in a cube, a sign that says “Door is Closed†can be equally effective.
Dr. Read,
After reading this section, I understood some of the processes that I've developed are working– yet others seem less functioning. The on-line communication has offer an idea for an effective tool as well, computer based scheduling.
As a tool in the two school I teach at currently, I've attempted a new theory of "Pod" teaching. This method requires students to meet with their "Pod" peers once a week and go over their work before submitting it for grading, which has allowed for greater growth for me, through larger communication skills, and through each student learning to overcome their shy and prioritization scheduling problems.
Do you, although, feel that the computer based ideas for task organizing is less effective than the old fashioned idea of writing a list? It seems that the paper form could be more effective through just a reminder method. Then going back to a computer program, which to me seems frustrating and more task anti-productive.?
Best Scott
