I tend to fall into Immediacy where I feel stress until everything is done. I think if I do it now I won't have to do it tomorrow and then tomorrow I find something else to do. For example, I was cooking dinner, painting the front door and answering emails all at the same time while stressing that I had to attend a meeting in an hour. Now I am up until midnight again answering all emails and answering this discussion board even though I know it could wait until tomorrow. I am afraid that if I don't do it now I will forget! I am hoping that I learn to allow myself to control my time better
Yes, do go ahead and give that a try Leslie! It's important to plan for your priority tasks in advance of accomplishing them. This way, as you do complete each task, you can feel confident that it's the right one to focus on in the moment and you can feel good about moving forward.
Sounds like a great plan Scott. Note that some instructors work better under pressure. If that's you, then you might not need to completely change your ways. The best working style is the one that really works for you - the one that makes you most successful.
I am one of those "10%ers" that always procrastinates, I don't think I am far enough along to determine wether or not I will prioritze in the future. I will get to it first thing tomorrow though!
I will try and organize what needs to be done by urgency.
I am usually very good about completing tasks that have high importance. I try very hard not to put off things until the very end. Based on what I learned in this module, creating a prioritzeds list may be something that I try to use. I tend to create lists, but sometimes they are not in the order that needs to be completed. I believe that by prioritzing my list, I will be able to make changes.
I can lean towards procrastination from time to time. If it is important, I do try to take care of a task right away, or at least prioritize it in my daytimer. My goal is to continue to reorginize my priorities and make sure the one's that are important get done without interruption. I continually practice this and discipline myself to not procrastinate. I occasionally fall off of the wagon, but for the most part, I do a good job.
I have always been a list maker. From the time I was a little girl I made lists of things to accomplish whether it was daily or weekly. Recently I have noticed that I haven't been making my usual lists as often. I have found that without my lists, I tend to forget to accomplish certain things. I also have learned that when I create a list that prioritzing my tasks is very helpful.
The module completely dovetails with my standard operating procedures. I think that shows because I scored 100% on all the modules and final tests. It was worthwhile to see the formal presentation of the factors I have been dealing with over the years. My methods were confirmed by the short course which is most reassuring.
I used to make list. and took considerable criticizm for it and quit.. But without those obstacles now, I will restart this.. and prioirtizing has not been a strength in the list, that I can fix.
Yes, mental to do's can be great but also stressful. Sometimes when we make a mental note of too many tasks, it can become hard to think of anything but those tasks.
I feel I do pretty well with making my to do list and accomplishing the tasks I have prioritized as highly important. I usually prefer to do a mental to do list versus a written one.
I can procrastinate on certain things if I find them boring or time consuming. When I run in to that problem, I try to convince myself to be productive and get them out of the way so I can move on to other projects or just enjoy a free weekend.
It sounds like you have done a very accurate assessment of yourself Jenny. That's a great place to start. Far too often, instructors don't realize how stressed out they are. You are standing on a solid foundation in your perception of your current situation. Now it's time to stand on that and do something about it.
One must admit that the consutruciton of the "to do" list must incorporate events occuring in ones personal time that affect swift execution of projects concerning work or class insruction. Where there is balance in the personal life, less stress is added to required activities in work life
I like to prioritize, but yet I dont set things in stone.
I suffer from task urgency and control, and don't always prioritize well. I feel overwhelmed by my task list (a mix of work, kids, house, errands, etc.) and find it difficult to stay on an organized schedule, which I know would help tremendously. I was very good at scheduling my time in college and grad school, but seem to have lost the touch since becoming a mother and telecommuter. I'm definitely hoping that this course will help put me on a better, more organized path.
Sounds like you are taking the right approach Dawn. Yes, if we don't do our tasks today, they will ultimately just pile up on it. So it's very important to keep on top of things!
I normally prioritize with regards to importance and urgency only. I will begin to look at re-priotizing according to work load as well.
I use to do lists everyday. I really don't know how I would function without them. They really help me manage my time more efficiently and prioritize the tasks that I need to complete on a daily basis. I have to admit that there are times when I have put off a task that I really didn't want to do. But generally I try to do them in the order that I set them because I realize whether I do it today or tomorrow I still have to do it. So I try not to procrastinate and just do them.
Military experience absolutely helps when it comes to task prioritization and completion David. Glad to hear your service experience is serving you well as an educator.
