I try to stay organized both in my personal life and in my professional life. I make sure to schedule time to get my work done and I also try to schedule time to enjoy life. You don't need to schedule every personal activity, just the blocks of time that will be devoted to personal activities. that helps me to keep things in balance.
Frank Nolan
Anne,
Realizing that we have many tasks to do and listing them can actually serve as a motivation to get them all done as we "check them off." Thanks for your input.
Faith ,
Organization and time management go hand-in-hand. As we explain what we do to others, they can better understand our lives as online instructors. Thanks!
I keep a daily task of work events that must be completed each day and the due dates of future events.
I review my personal calendar with my work calendar each week to see where I need to ramp up the work on future events to allow my personal life a little fun, too.
It always seems to work out as long as the uncontrollable stay at bay.
Organizing the day is important if instructors and students want to get everything done. It might be good to provide students with a typical day in the life of their instructor just to provide helpful information that they might use in their own lives.
Kara,
I actually put in my syllabus when I check email and when I do not. I try to reserve weekends for family and friends and down time. That is why I make all assignments due on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. I can answers questions on Monday and Tuesday and grade on Wednesday night and Thursday. Thanks for your input.
Sometimes it is hard to balance work and life. Students think that they can call you all hours of the day, which can be stressful when you are trying to take time off. I have learned to let it go to voicemail and return calls at a later date. I have to emphasize to the students, without being mean, that I do have a life and they need to respect that.
Tasha,
You seem to have a system that works for you. I even put in my syllabus when I will be checking email, discussion boards, etc. I post "office hours" and tell students I'll check emails during that time. I also tell them I do not check email consistently on weekends. That is why I make all of my assignments due on Wednesdays. Thanks!
For me consistency and setting my own expectations has been crucial. I am sure to check emails at the same times each day, log in about the same time each day, etc. Gone are the days of checking my email every time my phone "dings" and taking my laptop into my bedroom to work!
T. Brown
Vimlarani,
We do have to say no sometimes to maintain our balance. I definitely like my phone calendar to help me stay on task and meet deadlines as a good instructor. Thanks!
Balance school, work, and life with three of the best time management tips. Balance your life by learning to say no, delegating, and writing everything in a date book or planner.
You don't even have to give an excuse, but if you feel you must, thank them for thinking of you, say you're going to school and that studying, your family, and your job are your main priorities right now, and that you're sorry you won't be able to participate. A date book, planner, or PDA is an absolute must if you're going back to school and trying to balance your life. Put it at the top of your school supplies shopping list. Delegating can be as simple as a diplomatic process.
Christopher,
You, like others, are working that schedule. We have to think about priority management and our personal lives as well. Nice job.
LaShanta ,
I fall back on the fact that I don't remember a time when my boss asked me to do something, gave me a due date and then gave me an extension. Students do need to understand what a firm due date is and stick to it. Thanks!
Vivian ,
Excellent. You seem to have developed a routine that helps alleviate your frustration and enhances your teaching.
Nice job.
I create a schedule for myself. I know exactly when I will be grading, when I will be participating in the online forum, and several times a day...I check to see if students have questions. I know when I am available to spend quality time with my family and also ...based on class assignment, when I will be able to go on vacation
Sometimes I feel compelled to say yes when asked to do something. After all, if my student ask for an extension in week 5 for all of week 1-week 4 work, you should do it, right? Not always. I take stock of all the committees I already on, and all the projects I already in the midst of. I decline, explaining that the student had plenty of opporotunites to contact me for the extension and also that they are responseible for there school work, I have a full plate. If I accept too much responsibility, I will be stretched to the point that I will no longer be doing a decent job at anything.
Rehearse saying no.
LSingleton
I balance my work and life when teaching online by following the schedule I created for teaching. I set an allotted amount of time for online and an allotted amount of time for family and self. When the allotted time is up, I turn off the computer. I find that I'm more relaxed when I stick to a schedule. I used to spend more than eight hours online teaching after I left my full time job because I had nothing else planned.Then I suffered from lack of sleep. Sitting for long hours aggravated my low back pain. Not having time for self frustrated me when things I wanted to accomplished were left unfinished. Having time for self is mandatory. :-)
Vivian
Angela,
Sounds like you have a plan that works for you. You have to balance your own school work and the evaluation of others. Thanks!
There are certain days that are devoted solely to teaching work. I do my grading on Tuesday and teach Tuesday night and Thursday morning. I am also getting my Master's online so Thursday afternoons are devoted to my schoolwork.
Cristy,
Time management, and more importantly priority management, are enhanced with a good schedule. Thanks for your input in this forum.
