I have found the key to balancing work and life is setting a schedule that you adhere to. This has been the biggest help to me in enabling me the balance both work and life.
Bennett,
Dedicating specific time to work is a good time management skills. The real world examples will help as well. Thank you.
Similar to my earlier comments about time management, I dedicate specific times to online teaching.
To further make my time as efficient as possible, I pro-actively provide students with numerous announcements (including FAQ’s), a thorough review of weekly assignments during chat sessions, and post real world examples to support DB discussions. These activities have proven to lessen the number of “one off†clarification questions and, more importantly, increase student confidence as to expectations placed on them in the classroom.
Stephanie,
What are your best tips for minimizing distractions? This can be a big "time taker."
Thanks!
Jeanette,
Careful planning takes time, but is well worth the effort. Is there a way to help students look for themselves to see what is missing so you don't have to take that time?
maintain time between the two and minimizing distractions.
I also plan my days very carefully. I actually created a schedule for my online work.
On Fridays, I review the grade book to see if students have completed assignments. If I have students that have not yet submitted there assignments I send an email. In my email I find out if they need my assistance on the assignments/test. I also encourage them to attend the webex in order to gain a better understanding.
I remind them of the resources available if they are unable to attend the webex. For example tutoring and practice exercieses.
I try to do this on Saturday mornings which coincides with my office hours.
Berrie,
"We" are a work in progress. ;-) We do have to know what our priorities are and then manage them appropriately. It's not about time management anymore, but about priority management. Thanks so much for your input.
This is a work in progress. There are days I feel that I do nothing but work. I work a full time job and do online in the evenings. I discovered early on that I must do something in the class multiple times a week so that at the end of the week I am not overwhelmed with Assignments to grade, discussions to post and emails to answer. After an initial trail and fail, I got a rhythm that I can live with and still be compliant to my Administrative requirements. I try to take one complete day where I do not touch the board at all. This refreshes me and allows me to not feel pressure from my family. Is the schedule perfect? Not at all. If I hit a I've-had-all-the-bad-writing-I-can-take moment and I have only read 5 of 50 assignments, I know the next night will be a real push. But I am getting there. I focus on family first. School when my daughter is reading or going to bed for the evening.
Eugene,
Good idea. We have to set aside that specific time to work and play. Interruptions certainly do slow us all down. Thanks for your input.
What I do is have specific times set up for teaching, work, and family. I try to be persistent with those times. My family knows that when I am teaching, I am "untouchable" unless it is an emergency. This helps keep tempers down. I also try to teach when no one is home or at the office. I can complete everything much faster when I am not continuously interrupted.
Jay,
When we develop the good habits for managing our time, we obviously work more efficiently. Do you share these tips with your students?
LE,
It's nice you can relate your time back to when you were a students. Share this with your students to help them be more conscious about their time management. Thanks!
Lawrence,
Time management is essential. Sounds like you have a schedule that works for you and you budget your time well. Time management is all about priority management. Nice job.
How do you balance work and life when teaching online?
The best way to balance work and life is to budget your time and create a schedule Everyweek, I list out my tasks that need to get done that week. In addition, I also create a matrix with tasks that need to be done in the comming quarter.
The process of managing my time as an online instructor is much like when I was a student. I allocate a specific block of time to the activity and try to keep to that schedule. I grade papers early on Monday mornings. I plan my day with that as the first business task. Then when that is complete I move to other activities. Keeping a schedule and working at specific times helps me to draw the line and separate "My Time" from "Work Time."
The best way for me to achieve work and life balance is to set up rituals and habits on a daily basis. For example, I would strive to check e-mails and respond by a set time per day. Also, I allocate time to participate in the weekly discussions as well as provide feedback in assignments in order to issue a grade. Forming a routine or pattern makes it easier for me to then plan my other commitments such as my family and leisure activities.
Alana,
Try not to take up your whole weekends though. You deserve a break. I make my assignments due on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm. I am available early in the week for help and can grade on Thursday and Friday and take Saturday and Sunday off. It is just what works for me. Thanks for your inputs in these forums.
Hi Dr. Crews
I have a schedule for myself daily for what is due and what needs to be done. I spend a lot of time on the weekends get organized and ready to go on Monday to save time during the week.
Thanks
Alana
James,
Carving out time just for work is essential. It's good to have a specific area, like your downstairs den, as well. It does help keep those boundaries in place for work. Thanks!
