I have to do lists daily and weekly. Its pretty simple, students come first.
Yes, I try to take care of the urgent items first. Making a priority list allows me to decide which task I can put off without comprimising.
Indeed. Just being able to see everything on paper can help remind you to complete those larger and more time consuming tasks.
You bring up a good point Wanda. The way we handle tasks in our careers outside of teaching may not work best in the career college context. Each context may require a unique form of task management.
Dr. Melissa:
I think in discovering that unique form of task management we must pay attention to the results that we are getting. Often we find something that works and reinvent the wheel or continue on the path of using something that is not working.
Wanda
Dr. Melissa:
I like the idea of scheduling breaks and down time. One example for me is walking my dog in the morning which is great exercise and thinking time. I also find it hard to fit in my dance class on Sunday's probably because I have to commute 75 miles to get there though it is worth it. I am exploring joining a liturgal dance group at my church on Friday evenings only 30 miles away to manage this better.
I am in my second year of a doctorate program so time management and time for myself is key.
Wanda
Wanda, it sounds like dance class would really work for you if it weren't for the distance. I might suggest buying a dance class DVD, moving a few couches and trying it at home every once in a while. You can invite a few friends too.
In the past I have had problems with urgency -- I will slow down and prioritize now.
I tend to put tasks off for another time. You would think that I would learn from previous hardships. In my defense, if someone needs me--a student, boss, my family--and they are in crisis--I am "Johnny" on-the-spot to help. But if the situation involves a "confrontation" I will put it off as long as I can.
I tend to save the "big stuff" for when I get home and have more time to get it done in one shot. I think if I started the important items, even if I must continue them later, I might actually get them done. (I hate leaving things unfinished - if I forced myself to have unfinished things, I could use my OCD tendencies to drive me to get back to those things, which would, otherwise, drive me nuts until I got back to them).
i usually initiate such tasks.
probably not, however i will probably breakdown the larger tasks.
Interesting. It almost appears as though you struggle with immediacy for one aspect of your life and procrastination for another.
I am very good at organizing and defining my priorities. I always take care of urgent and important issues, and never procrastinate.
Sometimes, it becomes a cause of stress.
So, I found the info on coping mechanisms quite interesting.
Most of all, I think the obstacle of immediacy is the one I may need to focus on removing.
I will make sure not to struggle to handle everything on my "to do list", even things identified as "less urgent" .
This will REDUCE my stress greatly.
THIS IS THE BEST COURSE EVER! Very insightful!
Thank you!
Excellent Agnes! I'm glad you are finding insights that will work for you. Yes, procrastination is not the only obstacle to good time management. The obstacle of immediacy can be just as challenging for some people.
Dr. Melissa
Yes, taking this course has helped me in putting a stop to immediacy. I can now even fit in this course!
Wanda
Without argument, it is necessary to complete certain tasks by a certain time and - for the sake of sanity - within a certain elapsed time. But to sequence tasks based only on their inherent importance and/or urgency ignores some human factors.
1) I often will do unimportant "quick and easy" tasks first just to get warmed up for the long haul jobs. There is a great satisfaction of "finishing" something, even if it is not an important something. It empowers me and lets me tell myself that I can get through the rest of the day.
2) I have come to realize that the most important thing about a response to any correspondence is its timeliness. Students, in particular, judge an instructor by the elapsed time between a submission and its return with grades and comments. Immediacy is terribly important to students; it indicates that the instructor is interested and involved in their work. At one level the student is aware that the instructor has graded the same exercise hundreds of times and knows all the different ways that it can be done wrong, but nonetheless the student wants reassurance that the instructor has taken some interest in that particular submission. The first indication of that interest is the amount of time it takes for the instructor to return the submission. That pushes mundane and trivial work to the top of the "to do" list. (In that respect, managers are not much different from students.)
Ronald, I really like the point you make about doing quick and easy tasks as a warm up. I have seen this work for many instructors. Sometimes, it takes an hour or so to really get into the complex tasks.
I try to tackle the most urgent and important tasks right away. It helps me feel as if I have truly accomplished something to mark off my list! I have in the past listed the tasks for the next day or two and then prioritized using A, B, C, etc. The A tasks need to be done today, the B tasks have some urgency also, the C tasks are usually ones that could be done but are not so urgent, might take less time,and are maybe just more fun! Sometimes I will "reward" myself with a C task after accomplishing a time-consuming A or B task. The module has reinforced my prioritization of tasks. I may need to consider making out a task schedule that covers an entire week, not just the next day or so.
Wow, it sounds like you already have a highly organized system Heidi. Yes, a task schedule could make you even more efficient, but you are doing great as is.
Well, I do use lists, and tend to prioritize the things on it, but I tend to knock out the easy tasks first so that my list will look smaller. I procrastinate on the tasks that are not so fun even if they should be of a higher priority. I know which tasks I should handle and when already, but do not ALWAYS handle my time perfectly. Will I change this order in the future? Maybe.
