I have a tendency to avoid the bigger tasks on my to do list. I do all the short easy tasks first. It makes me feel like I have accomplished more because I can cross everything off the list and it looks like the list is almost complete. This is a classic example of the Obstacle of Procrastination. While the feeling of accomplishment feels good, it is short lived once I realized the biggest mountain of work is still hanging over my head. Perhaps what I can do to remedy this tendency is to work on the big project in sections; work on "part one" of the big task first before the other items, the easier items, and once "part one" is complete, then I can get my quick rewards and crank out a few easy tasks like posting attendance, enter scores from test, and reply to emails. Sometimes the biggest projects, to most time consuming ones, become easier once you just get it started.
I do a similar method here but i will use outlook to remind me of due dates and large items. I have certain things I do at the end of my day and tend to write my prep list for the next day while it is fresh in my head and I may not write down every task.
Do create a list Don and see what happens. It sounds like you have made a reasonable assessment about yourself today and that there's some opportunity for improvement. This is a good place to start. It's only up from here.
My time management skills are horrible. I never make to-do lists the way that this module instructed. I have a BlackBerry, so what I end up doing it adding the most important, "do-or-die" items to my task list in the BlackBerry and then putting a reminder in for a day or an hour before (depending on the task). Man times I end up clearing the task before the reminder even pops up.
I'm planning on trying to create one of these lists in the coming days.
It is nice to take work home if your home environment is peaceful or when you know outside distractions are taken care of.
This is true Michelle! We can't be good at what we do when we do everything at once. Quality takes a hit.
I've found myself in this situation, too, and the stress of it is amazing! It's hard to get yourself to realize that not only do you not HAVE to get it all done at once, you really CANNOT effectively get it all done at the same time. What may stop me is the realization that I'm really not paying attention to a particular task (one of the many) or that I'm not doing one of the tasks really well while trying to juggle them all.
I know that I sometimes put off a task (even though it's more urgent) simply because of the apparent size or amount of work/time that will be needed to complete that task. I should practice breaking it down into smaller, more manageable pieces so I can make progress and experience the joy of having completed at least part of it.
yes i can improve in many areas
I do the same. Usually I prioritze my work this helps me to get things completed. I sometimes will take work home, where it is nice and quite. I get things dones quicker and more effective. I like to be organized.
I was a little different, I prioritize the time consuming task, toward the easiest, I know I need more time to complete. Then once in a while I just to the easiest to give me a little variety kind of thing to do, so I would not get bored doing the hard task. Unless I am really short of time.
That is true sometimes the work suffers when we try and do too much at once. But we had a great dinner and the front door looks great. I wish I had a button that forced me to do one thing. I can't even watch TV without having my computer in my lap. I have to force myself to go out to get away from the computer or other work :o)
Wow, sometimes when we try to do multiple tasks at once, we're not able to do any of these tasks well. I can't imagine cooking, paining and emailing all at the same time but I think things could get messy! You might try slowing it down a little and doing less parallel work. This could save you time in future rework.
I am usually not the person who can finish the important tasks when I want them done, but i always get them finished when they need to be done. I like to keep ahead of the game, but lately have found myself lagging behind my time schedule. I have now began to be a better steward of my time by delegating more of the mundane tasks and will begin to focus on the big stuff.
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.
Stacy Everly
Yes, it's a large hurdle indeed Ed. With immediacy, we get a lot done quickly. However, priority tasks can slip through the cracks and it's hard to know when to clock out for the day.
I am an immediacy person. I do everything I can at once which is a large hurdle I must overcome!!
I usually prioritize my to do list and attepmt to accomplish the most important tasks as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, at times it seems that all of the tasks on my list require immediate attention. At those times, I can only organize my list and work on accomplishing my goals one at a time.
Having spent 30 years in the corporate world prior to becoming an instructor, I truly understand the value of prioritizing what needs to be accomplished. To me it involves a sense of responsibility. I have a responsibility to my students to be prepared, to provide constructive feedback, and to emerse myself in the class and their learning experience.
You have a fairly typical process Robert. If it works for you, keep it up!
