I "try" to accomplish the important tasks first. Those are the tasks that I feel will have the greatest negative consequences if not accomplished, or not accomplished in a timely manner. Sometimes however, I need information or an item from someone else to accomplish a particular task. Even if that task is a high priority I may move on to another task if I don't have all that I need to accomplish it.
I'm loving this course because it pegs me between my eyes. My perfectionism causes me to fall into immediacy, urgency, which then translates to all-nighters, fatique, then sickness. I do make To Do lists but I was taught to do the quick and easy things first in order to feel sucessful and to mark out the majority off the list before attempting the larger tasks. Priority rather than size.
I usually do these tasks right away. I change as the priority changes.
Hi Dr. Read,
I tend to make a "to do" list daily for things I need to accomplish while in class teaching and things I need to accomplish at home after I leave work. I find "to do" lists extremely helpful because then I have an idea of what needs done and can budget my time accordingly. For the most part, my "to do" lists are accomplished each day unless something on that list will take more than one day to complete. I am the type of person to remain as organized as possible each day, especially when balancing work responsibilities and home life with upkeep and children.
Ronda, I am glad you are getting so much out of this class. I should note that it’s ok to accomplish a few easy tasks before moving on to the more complex ones. Easy tasks can be great confidence builders, we just can’t fill our entire queue with them all the time.
Dr. Melissa Read
Shannon, You bring up an important point. Some people like to separate work and personal tasks into two lists. Others feel more productive when they can see both lists at once. In the end, it comes down to what you feel most comfortable with and what works best for you.
Dr. Melissa Read
John, So true! Assessing level of urgency can be really tough, especially when everyone thinks their task is the highest priority. Not every task is in fact red hot, though sometimes you might be the only one who sees it that way!
Dr. Melissa Read
I really needed this cousre, I have a tendency to get to work on things to fast instead of doing them a little at a time. Based on what I have learned once I have made my to do list I will start to prioritize it a lot more often. I am always allowing others to dictate my time instead of managering it myself. But not after this lesson, I will get back the control.
Unfortunately I tend to be more crisis oriented, dealing with the fire burning most brightly. I can see from the materials that organization and planning would greatly reduce my daily stress loads.
Yes, I will change my prioritization in order of accomplishing the important task prior to urgent tasks.
I find "to do lists" very important...Teaching is a part time job for me in the evenings. I have a full time job during the day and family responsibilities at home...Lists keep me on task and as I check things off I feel a sense of accomplishment and not so overwhelmed.
I am pretty good at prioritizing and getting things done. I like to use my Outlook calendar to schedule time for pressing items such as,correcting papers, doing my Max Knowledge courses, etc... Then I fill in the additional time with exercise and time with family and friends. Yet, I still am able to move around my pressing items to later in the day if needed or later in the week, but they always are on the calendar so that they get done. Honestly, this course just confirmed for me that I have my priorities in the correct order.
Victor, It's important to put out any fires so I understand your approach. Fires are the priority. After those burning issues are taken care of, you can then move to a more organized approach.
Dr. Melissa Read
I also have a bit of a problem with immediacy for task completion. As a previous OR nurse, it was ingrained in me that a lot of things had to accomplished immediately and that is the habit I have used in my professional career. It is nice to be able to see from this discussion that I just need to start setting priorities and I can hopefully get out of that cycle. Mindy Smith
I am a long time list maker. I make to-do lists almost every day. I like to think I keep a balance between too much immediacy and too much procrastination. I teach a lot Monday thru Thursday, so Friday thru Sunday is my time to complete most of my to-do list tasks. I wouldn’t say that I always prioritize them based on importance. I usually group them together based on topics. For example, each weekend I have to grade any tests or assignments from the week, update student attendance records, email this info to my school director, back up my computer, and fill out a student blog with review material from the week. So that stuff falls under the topic of school tasks. I usually have household tasks to do (cooking, cleaning…) and relaxation tasks (reading, exercising…). I tend to get everything done in one topic before moving on to the next topic. This works well for me as long as the tasks are relatively small.
Where I have trouble is prioritizing large tasks that take several days/weeks to compete. For example, I’ve had to research and contact businesses to expand our hiring contacts for students. I’ve had to research and contact local high schools to expand awareness of our school. These types of projects that take a long time to complete are the ones I’m most likely to keep putting off. I like the satisfaction of completing small tasks, so the ones that seem to never end for me often never even begin.
I tend to put off important tasks. They are important but not urgent. I had an 'Aha' moment when I heard Stephen Covey from his 'Habits of Effective People..' book talk about those who spend time in Urgent and Important tasks and then retreat into Unimportant and Not Urgent tasks to seek relief. Not very effective or healthy. It certainly contributes to higher stress levels. Trying now to prioritze and do more planning and preparation so things don't become crisis. and sying No to certain activities that are not important.
I know that I fall into the procrastination category, I often will give an exam and let it sit on my desk for a day or two before I get to them. I have now started to ensure that I make a checklist of what needs to be accomplished and the priority of each task.
I find on occasion I do have a tendency to put things off that should be accomplished before other tasks. I would like to incorporate to do lists to help me prioritize my tasks in a more productive manner.
I am aiming to change how I confront tasks associated with my class. I currently suffer from Immeidacy, I felt I was more productive and better organized if I immediately addressed grades, tasks, and concerns ASAP. As I learned in this module, I am tired often and overwhelmed much of the time. I intend to work on this part of my personality.
I usually do the easier tasks first. I want to get them out of the way, and I feel more accomplished the more I can check off of my list. I need to do the most important tasks first, and do them in order of urgency and importance.
