This offered me a good insight on how to handle priorities at work. I am currently furthering my education trying to balance home, work and studying. I do tend to put off some work that i should have done during the week and will have to reorganize and do a check off sheet and reassess it weekly.
Lauren, Sounds like you know yourself well, both your strengths and limitations. That's a great first start. It also sounds like you might benefit by taking a little time for you. You are right, fatigue can really limit your performance. Sometimes we are at our best when we take a step back and spend a little time investing in ourselves.
Dr. Melissa Read
It depends on the task as to whether or not I will accomplish it right away or not. Ironically, I used to keep "to-do" lists all the time in college but now I find I am too busy to write things down. Instead, I try to remember everything mentally which as I am sure you can guess does not always work in my favor. I like the idea of using to-do lists. There is something unequivocally satisfying about physically crossing words off a list!
Sadly, I must admit that I am guilty of immediacy. Some of it is built in as the college I work for demands that we respond to students within 24 hours. However, I could do a better job by choosing which hour I respond and not allow the student to control my time and therefore, my life.
I have the problem with immediacy, I often find myself working longer. I have 2 part time jobs and at time it can be very stressful trying to manage all of my tasks. I have found that my fatigue has influenced my performance. I learned that I should prioritize the important tasks and take breaks when I need it.
When given a task to do, I try to get it done within the time frame that it is asked for. I can see where I need to make some changes in the time immediacy area. There have been times where I have stopped everything basically to complete something for someone else. I am going to try to focus on what I know that I need to do and also at the same time take into consideration how important or urgent is task that someone is asking me to do.
This section helped me to realize how when putting a to do list together and stating out of those where they fall on my priorities it will make me more time efficient and effective.
Tiffany, That sounds like the right approach. Sometimes we need to take a step back and approach our lists with new perspective. It's easy to cross off simple tasks... but if we do that all day, the harder ones never get done. A balanced approach can work wonders.
Dr. Melissa Read
I agree as well Stephen, as your work load increases you must become more savvy with how you complete those tasks. I have become a sticky note queen as an example. And I have also figured out the RIGHT TIME to do certain tasks. I can do a heck of a lot more once my children go to sleep or when my planning period is more lengthy than at other times. I suppose it just helps to figure out how your day flows and then to make adjustments as necessary.
I too become very frustrated very quickly when there is alot on my plate to complete. Implementing a To Do List has first off allowed me NOT to forget what needs to be done, and secondly allows me to complete those tasks in order of importance. This significantly reduces stress for those who freak out easily.
I personally usually complete tasks that are quicker to complete to do first. However after completing this module I will try to do those tasks that are more pressing and urgent first.
Esperanza, Interesting approach. I like the way you've incorporated psychology into your teachings of time and stress management and I'm sure your students benefit. Yes, we've ultimately got to ask ourselves about the outcomes of not performing certain tasks. This can help us establish priorities.
Dr. Melissa Read
Dawn, You are not alone. Many instructors are motivated to complete only the most interesting or rewarding tasks. Tasks that are less interesting often fall to the wayside. To do lists can help us stay balanced in terms of the tasks we select to complete.
Dr. Melissa Read
Daniel, Interesting take. Task delegation is a great way to manage through a full task list. When we have people we feel we can count on, we are in a great position to delegate.
Dr. Melissa Read
It depends. If I think it will only take a few seconds, and I have a few seconds, I will do it. Otherwise, I will put it off. I think organization is key to time management. I tend to put off doing things I don't want to do or like to do. I find that I work better from a To Do List. It helps keep me focused. I not only make them for work, I also make them for home.
I am constantly updating schedules and task lists. I try to use the philosophy of getting a task done and onto someone else's desk becomes their problem not mine, as I have finished my part.
I teach RN students and prioritization is a very important aspect of how we formulate our plan of care for our clients. It is certainly easier to accomplish the easy tasks first but we should think of the consequences of inaction or incorrect action when we make our to do list, whether it is a written down list or an almost instinctive reaction to a crisis or emergency.
I teach my students to be very familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs when they are deciding which tasks should be accomplished first.
Ron, Sounds like an important change in approach. Yes, assessing tasks by priority is key. Urgent tasks can often be unimportant when we look at the big picture and can distract us from our most important workplace contributions.
Dr. Melissa Read
I was going about task's by their urgency only.. Now I can see where task importance is just as relevent. I will avaluate how I prioritize my tasks based on both criteria from here on out.
If the task is prioritized to urgent, I try to take care of it as soon as possible. I do not like submitting anything past the due date,I feel instructing in the classroom is no different.It is unfair too our students if we are not prepared for class. Preperation is key! I do feel it is important to prioritize, an individual can find themselves very stressed out if they are constantly waiting until the last minute to complete task. I personally am not able to function in that manner.
Personally, I have been prioritizing my tasks by the amount of time they take for as long as I can remember. While I was reading the lesson it struck me that I really do all the easy and fun things first then force myself to do the things I really don't want to do. I often feel like I need more time to do things so I am going to make a conscious effort to do the longer more difficult tasks first and see if it makes a difference in my available time.
