Working full-time in industry and instructing in the evenings and weekends increases the need for organization and task prioritization.
I have found over time and with experience, that I am better focused late in the evenings when the day is winding down to complete my assessments.
The deadline time and date tends to drive what tasks I focus on completing and which ones I will accomplish. When I have 72 hours to complete an assessment, I try to get this completed within 48 hours. This demonstrates to my students that they are a priority and I am working hard to get their assessments returned to them in a timely fashion. If I have 7 days to get an assessment completed, then I will have this task assessment complete within 5 days for the same reason.
Having a clear understanding of the universities policies and the commitment made to my students drives my task priority.
The module was very helpful in identifying the 4 areas influencing HOW we get our tasks accomplished.
Best!
Nicholas
I do prioritize what i have to get done . the here and now things i like to do to get done . i often get some help on large tasks from other instructors as it may be part of there to do list also. team work on classes some times is less stressful.I always will do what fulfills my job description first and the student needs first and the the other tasks do get pushed off some times to . I need to work on this area.
Some instructors thrive on a little procrastination David. If it works for you and you don't let it get out of hand then it's probably ok.
I used to be really good at procrastination, but as i get older I prioritize more and get things done in a more timely manner. I do tend to wait until small tasks have grown into bigger projects before I tackle them, because I like to immerse myself in something and focus on that exclusively. With a little detemination and self-discipline I can overcome it, usually.
Prioriting my tasks for a class are always set up in a logical way for building a foundation for learning. This works for me and I will continue to work this way.
I do find I put things in good order and keep at them till they are finished.
Sounds like a good plan Wayne. Sometimes dividing tasks up to be accomplished at work and at home can really help.
It sounds like you have a really honest and realistic assessment of yourself Robert. That's a great first step. The next step is to start tackling the opportunities, one at a time.
I cannot say that I choose to accomplish the most urgent or important tasks on my list right away.
I am pretty good at making lists, but often, especially when it gets late in the day, or week, or month, I will take care of tasks on my list that may be easier or of lower priority instead of the more important ones. It sort of falls into the "at least I got something done" mode of thinking.
I like the idea presented of breaking down items on my list into sub-tasks. That way, I can chip away at the important tasks and feel better about making progress on the tasks that matter most.
I can't think of a time that I didn't get an important task done on time. That seems to breed further procrastination, but also increases stress.
If I can better prioritize tasks and further break them down into sub-tasks, I think I'll be better for it.
thank you, -Bob
Yes, student-oriented tasks will be prioritized to be done at school and academic peparation and post-testing tasks to be prioritized to be done at home. Thereby reducing the stress of the conflict of the two.
My task are prioritized by importance. Three questions have to be answered to the positive to help decide the answer. 1) what is best for the company, 2)what is best for the customer, and 3) what is best for the employee. I prioritize to those three questions.
My biggest issue is that i don't like having unfinished tasks, and I have to pace my self to not accomplish everything the quickest, which could lead to quality issues.
Yes, task delegation to students can be a great method Carol. It allows the students to learn more about the responsibilities of work life and it can take a load off too!
I learned that I am a procrastinator and I can easily set a time to order/reorder my tasks both weekly and daily. I believe this will help me organize. Also I need to assign some of my tasks to students so they learn the parameters of their jobs.
Yes, when your fellow faculty members and administrators pile on work, it can be tough. Setting expectations is key. Let your coworkers know how much you have on your plate and how much bandwidth is really left for new tasks.
Sounds like a good start Tracy. Urgent tasks should take a little more priority.
Probaly yes, but most of my important tasks will still be accomplihed in a timely manor, but in the future the urgant tasks will be looked at a little differently.
urgent task must be addressed first. the urgency of a task are those tasks that requires an immediate respond.It is very difficult as an instructor to monitor your emails, because most of your time are consumed in the presents of student ( in a classroom). When an instructor gets the time to check his/her emails it very important to prioritized his/her time very carefully at that moment.It is at this time that he/she needs to focus on his/her time settings. Task prioritization is one way of helping you to achieved good time management.
Yes, definitely can understand where you're coming from George. Often times, instructors have a case of the cobblers shoes. It's not always easy for us to put what we teach into practice.
A lot of instructors approach tasks that way Thomas. It's nice to knock a few confidence builders out of your queue before moving on to more complex things.
Yes, when we are organized, we are far more effective Clive. Using the same amount of time, we can get significantly more work accomplished.
