Battle Rhythm, Management By Objective, and Managing Time
One thing I learned in the military is that of the "battle rhythm" for recurring tasks. If crews laid out what their tasks are along with the recurrences, managers can see the tasks and how they contribute to the overall objectives of the school. Managers can also see if recurring or repeating tasks are conflicting and help crew members interoperate with their peers.
Management by Objective also is a great approach as it sets the corporate, department, team lists of what is most important and how that rolls up into the bigger picture. If crew members can see how their contributions add up, morale improves and can also help with maintaining the battle rhythm.
Time management isn't just a personal skill, it's a management objective. I've come to understand that managing a crew means looking at each of them, and then looking at them together as a whole to see the 10,000 foot view.
We all have the same amount of time and it's up to us to decide what to do with it. /rab
Battle for for time management is sometimes just that. Like with most battles, you win some and you lose some. Pulling back and regrouping is essential.
James, Too funny and so true!!! Challenges can be motivating. Overcoming them can be rewarding. Our language can greatly impact our perspective.
Dr. Melissa Read
I totally agree with what you say about our choice of vocabulary making a difference. Instead of facing an "obstacle" (which may seem daunting), it is better to think of a "challenge." We all like challenges, and there is that comfortable feeling of victory when we meet the challenge and take control of it. This works with our "to do" lists as well, when we highlight those urgent tasks, and then take our pencil and check them off. "I love the smell of graphite in the morning; it smells like victory," lol.
Eric, Sometimes the words we use to communicate our plans really do make a difference - to your point. They can completely re-frame the way we speak and feel about stressful situations. They can also change the nature of our approach to handling challenges in our lives.
Dr. Melissa Read
Rick, I think the best part of your "Battle Rythm"
is the Individual VS the Whole. I don't like the term "battle" because it should not be a battle to get your time under control. I would much rather see a term like "working rythm" or "flow control". If a team has the same objective then each member has to funnel his contribution to the solution as required. Repetitive tasks for team members sometimes get forgotten when the level of urgency rises in a task or tasks. Daily clerical tasks are the first to suffer. This is where the to-do list with "recurring" is helpful, especially for new teachers. Eric
