I do tend to try and deal with tasks immediately, as free time is hard to come by. Lately, however, I make sure I have a prioritized task at hand to work on when a block of free time becomes available.
I am not any different than most of the people in the world; I have been known to procrastinate on many things. I find it amusing when someone comes to me and tells me they are bored! When do they have time to be bored? Since I became a home-owning, child rearing, working adult I don't have time to be bored. Because of these developements I have had to become a prioritizer master. This knowledge and experience has not gone unused in my classroom. Someone asked once, "How do you eat an elephant"? Answer: One bite at a time. That is how I handle all large projects and some of the smaller ones. I have seen my students counting pages in a large project and have listened to their moans and groans. My response is to just do the project one page at a time and before long you will be done. From time to time my to-do list gets re-arranged because of a task that comes in that had to be done "yesterday", or cannot wait until I can get around to it. I totally understand prioritization and have had to implement the concept many times in my life.
i definitely will use the ideas in this module. i tend to procastinate when i am tired, but making lists and prioritize in order of urgency seems like a good solution to get the job done!!
I tend to do the important urgent tasks. I also lose control by responding to do anything asked at that moment as quickly as possible. This module has helped me see how I can better control my time in a less stressful way by being less over immediate.
Yes!! I tend toward finishing easiest tasks first, but after reading the module I definitelly will try to tackle the most urgent first despite the effort involved.
Excellent to hear Linda. Note that sometimes it really is better to knock out a few easy tasks before getting to the more complex stuff. Easy tasks can be great confidence builders.
I focus on urgent tasks first, however, I try to be as proactive as possible to avoid urgent tasks. Sometimes it does not always work.
Yes, being proactive is a great approach Suzanne. Really helps us stay on top of things. Of course, random things always seem to pop up no matter how proactive we are. At times, we have to react too.
I see myself as a mixture of both. I do make a "to do" list on a weekly basis and have been doing so for years. I typically do what is on my daily list. However, I tend to push things on the back burner if it is not due right away. From this module, I do see myself making attempts to tackle less urgent items a lot sooner and not keep them on the back burner (I cherish my personal time!)
Completely understand where you're coming from Earl. It's important to both get tasks complete while at the same time enjoy your personal time. Working ahead on tasks that are not due right away are great, but do with limits so as to enjoy life a little too!
Usually i tried my best to accomplish tasks as soon as possible, although it is hard. I prioritize first my responsibilities as a clinical instructor rather than my work in the hospital. One thing that hinders me is the exhaustion. it is really hard trying to keep up with the pace. This module gave me some idea of managing both responsibilities. making a to do list and making it less complex is a great concept because it helps me prioritize and do my duties one at a time.
,I often think of all tasks as being "urgent." If I can get them all done at once, I'll have so much more time to myself. The issue is, that there are always more tasks to fall in for the finished tasks. It's always on-going, and I must realize that.
I already use the suggestions made in this module. There is no other way to accomplish tasks unless one prioritizes.
Excellent to hear Fred! Sounds like you are on track.
Making a list that helps prioritize everything I have to do is going to help me get organized. i feel overwhelmed because I know the things I need to do, but I am constantly interrrupted, and I do switch into "putting out fires" which is dealing with the immediacy issue. Dropping an important task to deal with some other demand sometimes is okay, however I can see that many times I am in control and I could write it down on my to-do list for later.
I am definitely someone who likes to accomplish work related tasks right away. In dealing with students, I try to respond to them within 24 hours... I think this is important in making them feel like they are being heard, that their question is important, and that I want to support them. In other areas of my life, I do prioritize things better - meaning, I respond/complete things in order of importance and urgency.
After working on this module, I definitely will step back and look at how I do things. I am definitely burned out and know that I tend to do a lot of work from home. As the module suggests, maybe picking certain times of the day to read email might be a better strategy!
I like your approach in giving quick responses to students Christine. Often times, our students experience challenges that they cannot overcome alone. Being there for them when they need us is so important. At the same time, evaluating the true urgency of student requests is important so we can prioritize the students who need us the most.
Yes, if it's possible to write a task down and save it for later, it's usually a good idea when you're in the middle of other things Erin. Even if you save that task for just the next hour, this method can still help with your focus and efficiency in completing all tasks.
Making lists and checking them twice is a must for anyone who has more than one place to be and more then one thing to do.
I have a small notebook in my purse that I jot down things that must be taken care of in addition to the "routine" tasks of teaching my 8 classes a week.
I take the highest priority tasks and do them first. If I can fit in the little ones on the side great. I like the to do list for setting goals every week and every month. I think I am doing what is represented in the module.
