I abosolutely agree that we fall prey to the path of least resistance. I have found that a to do list that is a white board or wall calendar works best for me since it is always in the same place to view. I tend to be a person that has a separate bag for each activity which appears to work in keeping me better organized as well.
My son who is in high school could not keep up with his portable calendar so I bought him a desk calendar which is a brain teaser which works better for him. He also has separate bags for blue and green days since his school does not have lockers. I guess my methods work.
Eva,
I have the same challenge. Now that I am in a doctorate program this is more of a challenge for me. Fortunately I work part-time for the university. The to do list will now not exceed six areas.
Wanda
I tend to complete these tasks right away. Based on what I have learned I change the order in which I accomplish important and urgent tasks. Some examples are completing student grading before responding to emails.
This is a good point James. With urgent tasks and those that are higher priority, it's far better to just focus on knocking them out one by one.
It sounds like you have a fantastic system already Debra. Yes, occasionally we do miscalculate with respect to timing. But we learn from those experience, and they make our planning more precise in the future.
I am someone that needs a list of all that needs to be done, and then I put those items in order of importance or timeframes. Then I start with item #1 and work my way down the list. The list might contain items that don't need to done until a later date, but they still go on the list so that I get an overall picture of what needs to be accomplished, when, and how much is there to do. While there are times I miscalculate how much I can accomplish in a timeframe, the list helps me stay focused and see my priorities.
That is exactly what I am currently working on...it will be better in the long run, of that I am sure!
I have found that trying to 'multi-task' all the urgent tasks; usually takes more time and leaves more half-completed tasks to be done later. I definately prioritize the 'most' urgent few tasks and save the rest for later.
Outlook is a great tool Shannon. Go ahead and test it out. You can start small by adding just a few meetings or tasks to the calendar and then work your way up.
The path of least resistance can indeed threaten healthy time management. Do try listing out the order of importance to see how that goes.
This information reinforces the need to constantly review tasks, since priorities change all of the time. I will keep better track of my tasks through Microsoft Outlook
Yes, I will change the way I tackle my tasks in the future. I have found by not making a task list I will take them in the order of least resistance not on most importance. I realize now that by listing the order of importance I can reduce my stress level considerably.
Sounds like a great plan Tim! I'm glad this module helped.
It sounds like you have a great system in place Elizabeth. Yes, it can be tempting to only want to work on the fun tasks. If you want to make sure to get everything done, try doing not so fun tasks intermittently, and then rewarding yourself with the fun work. This tends to break up the day nicely and help you get everything accomplished.
Some positions do require immediacy and we have to respond to task demands quickly. But do try to take a step back with some light prioritization. It can still help, especially in a demanding environment.
Interesting Sara. I might try consolidating home and work tasks onto a single list and seeing if that works any better. You might find, with this system, it is easier to balance accomplishing both task types.
I tend to make multiple task lists for home and work, in order to maximize my time. I tend to get tasks done more quickly when I am able to cross them off my list and see my accomplishment throughout the day or week.
I try to accomplish what I can right away, as my position demands a large amount of immediacy. I do hope to be able to step back and better prioritize items in the future.
I am a procrastinator, so before I can successfully use to do lists I need to make a to do list. I will look at to do lists differently going forward. However, this seems to last only as long as it takes me to procrastinate making or changing the next to do list.
When there is a project I like, am passionate about, or am otherwise motivated to complete I do it right away. I find that when I leave these projects to the side, I am distracted by them. I’ll start to work on a project that I dislike or is tedious and stop because I remembered something I had to do for the “fun” project. When there is something I don’t want to do, I will constantly review a project to organize and reorganize it without ever actually working on the project. I think this is my form of procrastination. I have a memory issue so I have to write everything down. I have to-do lists everywhere I look! I tend to categorize them (by project, personal issue, urgency I have never broken my to do list into smaller chunks - it makes a lot of sense and I think it will also help to curb my organizational procrastination. I also need to improve my discipline: if a project needs to be done, I need to do it even if it isn’t my favorite project at the time.
