The obstacle to good time management that I have identified is the perception of the "obstacle of control". All the demands of the students, especially management, the required technical and soft skill training expected, having to perform maintenance of training aids, all the meetings required by UTI and Ford and the completion of the required paper work can start to make you feel like you don't have control over your own time or life. Making and developing a to do list and prioritizing the task items by there importance and urgency is essential to me taking control of my time.
Other events that need attention other than many of the usual tasks. Typically I tend to me task ahead of time when able. By having the tasks done ahead of time when I can. Giving me more time to attend to those that pop up and are unexpected.
i think i fall into the trap of all the obsticals. i like to get things done soonest. I do however get the most important things done first. i do not like anything hanging over my head.
I find the major obstacle to the proper use of time is my prioritization of tasks from upper level management. Ihave found for me to overcome this obstacle I must look at each task individually and then prioriotize based on what i see needs to be done when.
This is true Rich. For many of us, it's not about clocking in and clocking out. It's just fully serving the needs of our students however much time it takes.
Mine is immediacy, I always seem to be ahead or caught up and have to prioritize better.
Sometimes it seems that the time clock requirement is a hinderance and insecurity builder. Some of us start our day prior to punch in time which helps our timeliness but not our feelings of "Big Brother".
I try and complete all grading of student assignments they day they are turned in so I can return them to the students in a timely matter. This also allows me to attend to all of the other administrative duties I have as well as allows me to have a personal life as well.
I am a known for my list, I create a list for my personal, work, and school aspects of my life everyday. I do not always get everything done on these list, but it seems like i get a lot more accomlished versus when I do not make these list. I think it is a control thing for me at least.
This is true Lyle. Once tasks are prioritized you can be assured you're focused on the right things at the right time.
These are some great techniques Salvatore. Breaking big tasks into sub tasks makes them feel less intimidating. And distributing those tasks across weekdays can really make your workload feel manageable.
Steve,
There are many primary (daily) tasks to complete each day. It is important to prioritize them first as they are the most important.
I will either make a list for the next day or I will make todays list, first thing in the morning.
Also it is important to put secondary duties in order by difficulty and time usage.
I have found that putting smaller secondary tasks first in the list. It tends to give me the feeling that I am accomplishing something and building the confidence to "Power through" or chip away at the larger seconday tasks.
For me I think that the biggest obstacle is the “obstacle of controlâ€. There are so many demands made on our time and dead lines to meet that it can get overwhelming.
I really liked the idea of not just making a to do list but breaking the list down into smaller tasks and prioritizing those steps and looking at it on a weekly schedule. I think this will help me stay on task and not feel overwhelmed because I won’t feel like I have to remember every thing at once.
I already usually prioritize my tasks so I find if I don't have time to do the task it will have to wait and that's O.K. By prioritizing the tasks to begin with it usually assures you of getting the most important ones accomplished.
Great points Ronnie! Instructors must balance speed of task completion with accuracy. Both are important.
every day I find challenges to get things both done on time and be correct.Their are times that stress can take over like last friday when the computers went down I was in the grade book and every thing went gray I decided at that point my priorities had just changed because of some thing I couldn't change. so I took the time to get organized and make new priorities and sure enough every thing got done.
Sometimes just writing a list can make you feel more in control of your stress situation. Having list items out of your head and on paper is a great way to calm down.
For me the greatest obstacle to good time management is the perception of the "obstacle of control". With all the demands of students, management, required technical and soft skill training, maintenance of training aids, meetings and completing required paper work it can start to feel like you do not have control over your own time.
I have learned developing a to do list and prioritizing items by task importance and urgency is essential to good time management.
