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Hi, Dr. Read,
I see myself as both a procrastinator and someone with immediacy issues! I cannot stand to see my desk cluttered first thing in the mornings. So the night before, I will do everything that I think needs to be done before I leave. That makes me late going home. And a lot of times these things aren't important at all. We have an accreditation visit coming up in March. I am putting off gathering evidence for this visit even though I know it is very important. It just seems so mundane to me. The module about a to-do list and using numbers to prioritize was very helpful. I do rewrite my to-do lists and don't make the tasks broad. But the numbering for priority was very helpful.
Denise Griffin
Serena, Sounds like you have quite the organized system in place! Great work and keep it up. I'd love to learn more about how you think you could improve your system.
Dr. Melissa Read
Evangeline, Sounds like an excellent plan. Prioritization can make a big difference on our productivity and how we feel about our progress.
Dr. Melissa Read
I am a huge procrastinator, but if there is a task ahead of me then "get out of my way" I will do it. I believe in lists, I like things written down--fron grocery lists to what is needed for each class. For the classes I write down the basics: (ie. 1-lecture, 2- vocab list for next chapter 3- quiz. Then my list is further broken down: 1- Lecture point a, point B, etc.
Lists help me stay focussed and when I return to class I checkmy list and see where I need to pick up.
Yes I will be more attentive to prioritize urgent or important tasks in the future.
The text did not address the issue of urgency versus importance. There are often a number of tasks which are of less importance but which are more urgent and must be accomplished quickly(answering questions from the boss on events which have already occurred.) Unfortunately, the amount of time spent on these urgent, but not important issues is time which can not be spent on those that are actually more important. This then results in having to spend additional time addressing those issues that truly are important. How does one resolve this?
Sharon, Love this too! Thanks for sharing. Yes, it is often best to attack complex tasks head on. Makes us feel so much better about everything else in our days and gives us a positive outlook.
Dr. Melissa Read
Evangeline, What a great saying! Perfectly sums up the concept of breaking big tasks into manageable chunks. Thanks for sharing!
Dr. Melissa Read
Yaima, Yes, task prioritization can help us focus on what's most important and continuously drive toward our priority goals.
Dr. Melissa Read
Karen, It sounds like you know yourself well and know what works best for you. That's great to hear. Yes, for instructors with tight schedules, sometimes a same-day approach to task completion is the only thing that keeps tasks from slipping through the cracks. Of course, writing tasks that you cannot complete that day down can also help.
Dr. Melissa Read
David, Thanks for sharing. This is actually a common process for instructors. For many of us, it feels good to get a few things off our plates prior to dealing with difficult tasks. Small and easy tasks can be great confidence builders.
Dr. Melissa Read
I am agree with that because not all the task are priority , we always has to make sure what is the priority for us and work in that task .
I always utilize a planner and list tasks by day, highlighting those that cannot be pushed forward. At the end of the week I transfer any unfinished items forward to the less busy days. Sometimes I have four lecture courses running simultaneously, so it is important to be very organized, when time is so limited during the week. I like everything to be prepared a least a week ahead, so if something urgent comes up unexpectedly it does not create a crisis.
There is an old adage that goes "Life is easier by the inch and harder by the yard. It has helped me to remember to brake larger tasks into smaller ones that I can complete. It gives me a sense of accomplishment when completed and then I am eager to get started on the next part of the task. I find that the hardest step is getting started.
Task prioritization has definitely been a struggle for me. I tend to start with the easiest thing to accomplish first. I have heard that phrase a little differently before that 'if the toughest thing you have to do in a day is eat a frog, do that first then the rest will be easy.' I love it
I almost always complete the important and urgent tasks first. I was first formally introduced to this through the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". However, sometimes if an important/urgent task is going to take a significant amount of time I may do lesser important and urgent tasks that I come accomplish quickly to knock those out and clear my mind.
I am definitely a procrastinator. I am starting to take "basby steps" to overcome it. For example, when I get home from work, I usually go out and get the mail, then put it on a table by the front door. If I do open the mail right away, I put the garbage in the recycling, but will leave bills on that table. On Fridays (my day off) I will move the bills into my office, and flie them in my "bills due" file, or pay them. That is procrastinating. On Monday night, though, I got the mail, and followed through to the filing of bills right away. No mess on my table, or my desk top. I felt really good. I am hoping that small feeling of acomplishment will propell me into the habbit of taking care of my mail in this fashion every day. So far, so good. I was surprised to have no mail in my box last night.
I did the dishes last night instead of just loading the dishwasher and leaving the hand washing for Friday. I really don't like clutter, and am trying to reduce it by following through on simple tasks right away. It feels really good to look around and realize that I have accomplished something, and I can see my horizontal surfaces (counter tops, tables, desks).
It feels really good to cross things off a list. Sometimes I will put a quick tassk on a list, just so I can complete it and cross it off!
I usually have to go from one class right to the next, and do put things off for later. I do try to do importatnt urgent tasks ASAP, preferably on the same day I am hoping to do them. Tasks with low priority I often put off for days, and the paperwork often goes to the bottom of the pile, and I may forget about those tasks.