I am very bad about putting things off for another time. But since taking this course and receiving more responsibility at work, I have tried to take a different approach to prioritizing things.
Ive never been a procrastinator because I hate the consequences of not being prepared. So then I have immediacy issues and fear issues. Making a prioritized task list with weekly updates is exactly what I am going to start doing. A timeline of tasks in an organized and prioritized way. Now I hope I don't leave important tasks out!
Nicole,
I agree. I have these issues as well. due to the type of job I do. I think that there are times that we may want to do things differently but due to time restraingts and requirements we tend to lean towards immediacy and control in order to meet the demands placed on us.
I have always tried to prioritize my tasks depending on needs of the better of the company I work for and the patient or client. I feel that most people tend to accomplish tasks based on demand from their employer or customers. I have met several people in my career that had no clue how to prioritize anything! But I still learned from them...
I like this course it helps you reasses your way of doing things and take a look at possible changes to improve.
Robert, I know it's hard to change. Maybe you could slightly evolve your current method. Sounds like you struggle a little with immediacy. Maybe delaying a couple of low priority tasks every now and then will help you feel less hurried and allow you to enjoy life a little more.
Dr. Melissa Read
Stephen, Mental breaks are certainly nice and I understand exactly where you are coming from. Some of my students call these 'mindless tasks.' It's nice to have a few quick wins throughout the day, motivating too!
Dr. Melissa Read
I will not change much about my task prioritization, I seem to have a grip on this concept. It does get interesting in corporate America when priority from management changes and we have to reassess based in that.
I tend to tackle the most important and/or pressing things first and interlace them with less important or easy to accomplish tasks. I find it helps break the time up and keep me working.
Putting things off until tomorrow is going to be a tough pill for me to swallow. I was raised to always complete tasks/chores first – the sooner the better. But I must admit that living with that attitude does, at times, leave me feeling stressed and exhausted. I should adopt a different perspective.
Dr. Read,
From what I'm learning, I feel I should place urgent before important of course. It's all important to me, so I know not where to start a lot of times. I believe though, if I let go of some my immediacy ways, I can improve.
I really do both depending upon how much I have to do. I try not to put things off, but I sometimes have to. I have always used lists, but based on this module, I will try highlighting to set priorities. I usually try to list to do things in order, but I feel this method would be much better.
David, Good that you know that about yourself. Some of us are great at organizing our days but when it comes to getting through them, we have a hard time. My recommendation is to start with a small confidence builder at the start of your day and work your way up to other tasks from there.
Dr. Melissa Read
Jennifer, I understand where you are coming from. The subtasks can really help. They make daunting tasks feel less overwhelming and you can chip away at them over time.
Dr. Melissa Read
In the past, I have accomplished tasks that are high priority first. However, I also throw in a couple of easier, non-urgent tasks in between. While they don't have much priority, it seems to give me a little break mentally and also reduce the list. I feel more relieved that the list is shrinking.
Susana, So true, looking ahead at projected outcomes can really help us focus in on the best things to work on today.
Dr. Melissa Read
i prioritize just fine. very detailed lists, in order. my problem is i'm a huge procastinator.
I always prioritize. I am used to sort things out and always look at the possible outcome of my actions. I believe this is important as an instructor.
I have a planner and a calendar and mark down events or class schedules, but haven't thought of a "to do" list to break things down. Probably doing this will make things feel more manageable. At times I get overwhelmed as an instructor and any way to make things uncomplicated is a blessing.
Sometimes a to-do-list is not effective for me because I forget to read my to-do-list often.
I am not usually a procrastinator. I have learned my lesson from years of being one years ago. I do tend to organize the urgency of my tasks, but at times, do tend to do the easy ones first to get them out of the way.
