Pete, Sounds like you have a nice system in place for getting it all done. Many instructors find that the note pad approach works wonderfully. It's great to be able to get things out of your mind and on paper. Really helps us relax and focus on more important things in life.
Dr. Melissa Read
Randall, Sounds like you have made some mistakes but learned a few lessons along the way. Learning by real life experience can be challenging but also can make an impact. When we make a mistake in the real world, often times we don't let it happen twice.
Dr. Melissa Read
I have a long history of procrastination. I think the first time i heard the word was in the second grade. My mother was shouting at me because i had put off some sort of project that second graders do until the night before it was do. Of course Mom came to the rescue, and the project was finished last minute. Things dont work like that anymore. Now, as a professional educator, if I procrastinate, lots of people end up shouting at me. My students, my peers, and my supervisor. All of these people count on me to get my job done in a timely minor. I try to streamline my tasks anytime that I can, in order to perform at max efficiency. The students and the education they are pursuing come first and foremost. Ensuring that they get the most out of the class takes priority, so any tasks involved with that, ultimately take priority.
Task prioritization and organizational concepts are discussed by "experts" regularly. Some of us live in a world where there are so many tasks that it can feel overwhelming just to ponder where to begin. An elephant should be consumed one bite at a time and so should your tasks. I like the idea of addressing important tasks quickly without allowing external factors to hinder progress. The problem is that often new tasks arrive with urgencies of their own and I may have to leave a task half-completed. I am then hoping that life settles down enough to return to the partially addressed task. There is no great answer since we all have factors that play against our internal drive to complete each task in an order that makes sense to us.
I agree with prioritizing the important tasks. When grading, I will grade essays first before Discussion Forums, primarily because I know my students will need essay feedback sooner than DF feedback because they will be starting a new essay the week after the first essay was due (one essay each week). The earlier I can get these back to my students, the better their next essays will be!
For some time now I carry a note pad to write down the tasks that I need to complete. But the reason I would write them down is so that I would not forget not as much as to accomplish in any priorty order. Pending what is on my "To Do" list, priority of the items can change at any given time. Not to mention tasks that can arise from upper management. Pending what is on the list in front of me, I can change the order of tasks completion within reason.Yet keep control and not feel everything has to be done right now.
I have been guilty in the past of falling over many obstacles for time management. For instance I would often do a less important task because I thought it might be easy to get it out of the way and then suffered on a more important task because i did not give it priority.
Karis, Yes, it's always good to have a healthy respect for who you are and how you like to get things done. For many of us, the best style is our own.
Dr. Melissa Read
Marie-Anne, Sounds like you've done an honest assessment of yourself. Note that it's ok to procrastinate every now and then if tasks are non urgent and can wait until tomorrow.
Dr. Melissa Read
Linda, Sounds like you are on top of things. At the same time, I can understand if you might occasionally experience challenges with immediacy. Sometimes, for non urgent tasks, it's ok to put them off until tomorrow.
Dr. Melissa Read
I believe my prioritize my tasks in proper order. I may tend to procrastinate a bit but my "to do" list is always up to date and accurate. This module made me stop and think about my stress levels though.
I will change the order of tasks but it was refreshing to learn that I don't necessarily have to change my "style" of completion.
Yes, I will change how I prioritize tasks. However, I realize from this course that it is OK to complete tasks in a slightly different way than others do as long as I get them done.
I do not think I will change the way I accomplish the tasks but will concentrate more on how I list items on my "To Do" list to prevent "Immediate Actions" due to misplaced or uncatagorized tasks.
The list already contains urgent/immediate items that should be delt with and the less important tasks must be considered before they become urgent. It is a balancing act and you have to know your limitations. Eric
I have always prioritized my task, but when able to accomplish a new task I will, time permitting, take care of it, if time is short, I will add it to my task list in the proper order.
I ALWAYS accomplish my most urgent tasks right away. For me personally, I cannot be at ease until they are done. This method has always been helpful for me and I will continue to prioritize my tasks.
Robert, I like the way you have digitized some of your organization methods. I have to say that Google Tasks, and other tools like it, can be powerful in education when we learn how to leverage them. End of day or beginning of day list review is often critical to success. Lists should be more than just parking lots for items we need to get done, but instead living, breathing tools that we reference often.
Dr. Melissa Read
task managment is very good, but I feel that there still needs room to be flexiable. Sometimes the way you have thought out to complete your task does change as you go through the process.
This is one subject that I have to say I have always been good at. Every evening before I leave work I put together a to do list for the next day with the most important on top and so on. Then at the end of that day I review the list, before repeating this the next day. Most recently I have be using Google Tasks to put this list together.
Lani, True on all points! There are so many reasons to prioritize. Even if we are not in a stressful situation, it's always good to approach our work efficiently. This way, when work increases, we are ready.
Dr. Melissa Read
