Yes, this is the reality for many instructors Jan. It can be very frustrating when we can't get to continued course development because there are not enough hours in the day for accomplishing our basic tasks.
Urgent tasks increase my stress because most of them have to deal with other people completing thier task
personal down time, Is that between 1:00 AM & 4:00AM, that is when I did sleep...
Last few weeks I have been eating lunch at my desk to keep up. I did notice stress level is increasing...
Now for the question, is it the work load or NO TIme to complete the work load
My prioritizing is generally pretty true it is simply the fact that there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish the tasks and still leave time for contined course development let alone personal down time.
Yes changing the order of tasks to the most urgent and breaking them down to managable sizes allows for the task to be checked of the list. A sense of accomplishment follows completing tasks.
This is great Jennifer. It's good to finally put a name to some of the challenges we experience in our lives. It's also great to know that - in that they have a name - many others experience them too!
After going through Module 1 I realize my biggest obstacle is immediacy! I guess I didn’t realize my “problem†had a name (ha ha).
It is nearly impossible for me to procrastinate. In fact, I tend to try to juggle 10 things at once since I feel they all need immediate attention. My biggest challenges since I teach online are student emails and discussion boards. If I do not post on the discussion board first thing in the morning and mid-late afternoon I get anxiety, feeling I am too “out of touch†for the students. This impacts how I prioritize my personal responsibilities and tasks at my other jobs. I realize that is a bit irrational but I’m struggling with how to overcome this.
In this module as we learned about urgency and importance I plan to use some of those techniques to sort through my daily tasks and decide what is truly urgent. This is going to be a challenge for me to implement but I look forward to having some peace of mind.
Never tell a student when the subject areas is hard. I always try to make the hard items fun.
When it is fun it is a better way to learn
I prioritize also. It is important to teach the most critical skills first so students have plenty of time to review and ask any questions in plenty of time before being tested on the subject
I agree.
I also use a note book.
From the day I start a job to the end I record my daily activities, the work that needs to be ccompleted, task for another day...
This way I have a history of what has been done and the furture of what needs to be completed
A calendar works great too Madonna. It's all about getting your thoughts down on paper and out of your mind in whatever format works best for you.
Clear task that can be done fast 1
Allow time to over come that hard tasks
Difficult but admirable to work toward.
Add 15% work hours to each task, you never run short on time. If you are ahead of schedule your stress will be reduce.
You never get in touble if you are a head of schedule
Email and schedules are great.
But sticky notes you know what has to be done before your PC is on.
Also sticky notes do not crash...
I can make phone calls before my system is up.
I also use a little black book, with HANDS FREE cell phone I can make the calls when I am driving to work
I LOVE sticky notes. The inventor was a genious (and now a billionaire). They are definitely my organizational tool and priority list, too!
Very True. I use sticky notes on my walls.
THis is based on Project Management skill set from BU
It depends if the task is urgent or not. I have a list of tasks I must do and I do them in order of priority. Some need to be done right away, others can wait until I have more time. I could make a list, but I use my calendar.
I have been on helpdesks for over 15 years.
There is no one way streets to handle stress.
Always take tasks in two ways.
1) what can be done fast and easy
2) What level of importance
Between the two you can come up with a plain...
I am sort of mixed in the area of what I do: I do make a list of what I have to do. This greatly helps me get it off my mind so I can deal with what I have to do. I do prioritize what I have to do, but I do not number them. However, I could cut back on some of the things I do so I am not so stressed. I like the idea of changing my syllabus as I go along so break week is not so hectic.
