Do the mos important and urgent tasks first
Oh you bet I have prioritizing problem. My "orange" personality sends me to the fun stuff first. Ok for personal life, not for profesional though. I need to use this as a tool for managing work stress.
Ian, Great approach, though I should note that some instructors like to get to a few easy tasks first. They can make for great confidence builders.
Dr. Melissa Read
I organize tasks by A+ priority B, and C. I find this method is similar to the provided 1, 2, 3 order. 1 is most important and 3 is least important. I tend to complete more urgent tasks first that will impact my daily work duties. I'm a great To-Do List and Task Prioritizer. I plan to continue doing what I do.
I have always tried to tackle the tough tasks first and save the easiest for last.
I am big on deadlines. I use deadlines as a guide to get things accomplished, even if I have to set the deadline myself.
I will do my best on prioritizing in the future. I have a tendancy to put the time consuming things on my "to do" list on the back burner so I can feel as if I have accomplished at least a few things on my list. I will start working on breaking the big things up into little things in order to get them completed in a timely fashion.
I used to rely too much on my improvisation skills. But it is dangerous business. Whatever tasks I had to complete I would wait until the last minute, confident that I would come up with a good solution. Even though most of the times the solution was acceptable, it was hardly the best solution. Also, it added a high and unnecessary level of stress. We should write down our tasks, prioritize them and deal with them in due time. No matter how confident you are on your own skills. It will give you a lot of control and piece of mind that you will need for your profession.
It is important to make lists, it may seem distant and almost old fashioned in this day and age of technology where these tasks almost always give us ease. The corrctness in lists and following gives you a sense of accomplishment. I will apply the tips in this module in day to day operations of instruction.
I usually do the tasks within a reasonable amount of time. Some things I do immediately (like grading papers)most things I do at least the day before the deadline.
Marie, Well that's mostly true. The quicker you prioritize, the faster the urgent tasks get done. It may not all get done fast but that's ok. We just need to focus on what's most important for the near and long term.
Dr. Melissa Read
Often times, it is easier to "put off" a project that seems too big or overwhealming to complete. This module discussed important steps to overcome this problem, such as listing everything that needs to be done, breaking down each task into more manageable tasks, and then prioritizing which tasks is more important (or urgent). Soon, the project that appeared "too big" is successfully completed.
Thanks for the tip. Since finishing this Module, I have started to number tasks in order of importance on days when I have a daunting amount to tackle. That keeps me on track, since I have to finish number 1 to get to number 2, etc. It is a great relief to get difficult tasks out of the way first!
I have tried breaking larger tasks up into smaller parts, and have had some luck with that. However, I only have so much room in my day planner!
Yes cause the quicker you prioratize , the quicker you'll be finish with the tasks
Task prioritizatin is very essential.I always plan out in advace what i am goint to do.Time and tide wait for none.
Saroj Patel
Kimbely, Excellent to hear and I meet so many students who feel the exact same way. It gives us such a great sense of accomplishment to be able to check things off our lists. When we cross items out instead of taking them off our lists altogether, we remind ourselves of how far we've come.
Dr. Melissa Read
When it comes to time management and prioritizing, that is something that I am very good at. I have always made to do lists, even in my personal life. I write the things that need to be done and then prioritize the list. Scratching items off the list as I complete them gives me a sense of accomplishment and almost serves as kind of a fuel to complete the next task.
I tend to already have a sence of right now on urgent tasks and other tasks can hold off til I am ready. this partly balances the stress with some relax time but can always work on better prioitization.
Making a to-do list is very essential. I am going to keep a running list ,not only when I am feeling overwhelmed.
Jason, I like this approach. Breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones makes them feel so much less daunting. It's also great to feel a sense of accomplishment when completing pieces of tasks.
Dr. Melissa Read
I do tend to put off tasks if I fear they will be difficult/painful to complete. I guess one way I could change the order in which I complete those tasks would be to break them down into smaller less daunting tasks.
