THE TO DO LIST
Hello to all,The to do list is a must for us all. I have been using one in my personal and professional for years.Yes often it rolls over into the next day but it really helps to manage time and sterss.
Creighton, I imagine in your industry, organization and timing are critical to success. With cooking, we often have little margin for error. There's no undo button for when we leave something in the oven for too long!
Dr. Melissa Read
I am a Chef Instructor.
In food service, being able to organize, prioritize and execute are all forms of a term we use called " Mise en place" ( everything in its place)
To do lists for us would be recipes, with ingredients and step by step instrucions and so on.
With out proper mise enplace, a cook/ chef would not be able to complete the meal or task at hand.
It is a living document and must be modified periodically to reflect any extrinsic influences that may affect the overall out come.
TC, It's nice to be able to clear your mind of those kinds of thoughts and focus on your priority tasks. For some instructors, I wouldn't say 'hundreds' of tasks is an exaggeration. We are faced with a tremendous amount of work. Over time, it can add up!
Dr. Melissa Read
Darrell, Wow, sounds like the Franklin Planners class was a really great investment on your employers' part. It's nice to hear that you focused on learning more about how to keep organized early in your career. This probably meant higher levels of productivity and lower levels of stress for many years of your work life.
Dr. Melissa Read
Agreed, the "to do" list keeps the hundreds (OK may be not hundreds but a lot) of daily, weekly and monthly tasks in a managable format so that I don't spend every second thinking "Did I forget something I was supposed to do?"
Ever since my emploment back in the 80's, my employer at that time issued us Franklin Planners and we all took the "class". To this day I continue to follow what I learned and the Franklin Planner has been my guide through out my working life. Having such a tool really keeps me organized and on track with my daily professional life by allowing me the versititly to accomplish today, move to tomorrow and reschedule as nessessary without loosing track and becoming stressed.
John, So true. Structure, flow and positive reflection are all ingredients for success.
Dr. Melissa Read
Hi Bruce, I love my "to do" list it helps me to keep my job priorities in check. I also use a "to do" list at home as well. I have introduced the list to my students. I have shown them how it will help them in their office setting.
Planning a day activity needs structor and flow with a positve reflection of their learning.
I agree with you about the to do list. I am a dental instructor coming from a clinical background of 37 years. It was difficult organizing my time at the beginning. I have since learned to write out my lesson plans for the twelve week sessions and change them as needed. This has helped me become more beome organized and make sure I cover the material needed for my class.
Linda, In some professions, to do lists are not as necessary or helpful. In others, like being an instructor, people can't live without them. Those who enter the field of teaching often find they need to fine tune their time and stress management practices.
Dr. Melissa Read
I agree with all the posting of the need for a to do list. I have recently entered the field of teaching and felt that my old ways of manageing my time just wasn't working. I decided to make a list of my goals for the day and for the week and with dicipline I was able to accomplish most of my goals.
I cannot live without my "To Do" lists. I also encourage my classroom to utilize lists if they don't already. I add to mine, delete, prioritize. My family laughs at me because I cannot function without lists. But I get it "all" done - at home and work!!!! What is really great, is the ability of the smart phones to remember the reoccuring items and to notify the user with an alarm!!
Good Morning,
I have to have a to do list. It gives me a sense of control so I will not procrastinate. I find that my lessons run alot smoother and students become more organized.
I don't know how my life would be like without my notepad and post-its! Although having post-its all over my notepad sounds disorganized, it has always helped me keep a track of my responsibilities.
Keelan, Great to hear. Yes, to do lists are a wonderful way of keeping organized and staying on top of all assignments.
Dr. Melissa Read
the to do list helps keep me on track and i wont be so forgetfull at tings i need to do.
Stephanie, Sounds like you have fine tuned a wonderful and organized system over the years! Great work! I love the idea of color coding. It can help people so much. I know several instructors who have purchased several different colored pens to use with their lists.
Dr. Melissa Read
Hi Bruce,
I totally agree with you. I have been keeping "to do" lists all my adult life and I can't imagine getting anything done without my "to do" lists. I frequently have to move items over to the next day and I find that prioritizing using letters and numbers works better for me. I also like to use color to help me see different categories and tasks in general.
