Time-Wasters
Please provide an example of a personal "time-waster." How have you in the past (or might you in the future) minimize(d) personal time-wasters?
I find myself in meetings that run too long due to side track conversations and insignificant chatting. I will recommend a list with a "quick agenda" for informal weekly lunch meetings.
I always have students who waste time in class
I have at least one student per term that wastes time in class
I have to admit that I have several time wasters, but procrastination is one of the worst ones for me. The cause is mostly due to fear of failure. That's just due to perfectionism, not so much in ability to achieve the task. The way I have been trying to remedy this problem is to just tackle it head on and quit thinking so much about the task itself. Once I just dive in then I realize I am able to get the task completed and off my list.
Daily interruptions by students who just seem to want to complain, or give excuses as to why they cannot meet an academic expectation - especially when they wait until the last minute to communicate difficulty. This scenario has been so bad at times, that I've wanted to "hide" from certain students. Going forward, I will require all students to provide solutions to their problems first. This should limit the number of student interruptions during the work day, increase fore thought and planning on their part, and instill a basic form of personal accountability.
Prior to taking this class, My main time issues are: I teach from 1800-2230: I like to use the rest of the evening to "catch-up". It is my most productive time. The Time-wasting issue is that they have taken to locking the school at 2300. Areas I have to now consider are how to manage time when people are interacting on a greater basis.
What thoughts could anyone share with me.
I check my emails more than I should, probably 7 or 8 times a day. My computer has the "pop-up" that shows when I have received a new email. When I see that "pop-up" I want to check the email right away. Since I work with former students of our college, and Servicers who handle the students loans,I receive quite a few emails in a day. I also receive emails from other employees. Since I do receive the "pop-up", I can tell who the email is from. I need to evaluate if the email needs to be read right away or not. I need to make myself only read my emails 3 to 4 times a day.
Terrak,
Email and social media tend to be the two most cited reasons for productivity drops at work. Putting the phone away could help. You could also try booking time for these current distractions.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Personal distractions such as checking my smartphone for email or text messages, or busying myself in mundane tasks like small talk with office employees. These can result in a loss of focus on the goal and also a loss of time spent refocusing on the goal at hand. Though sometimes unsuccessful at times, I have tried placing my smartphone in my locker or briefcase and restricted checking it only at lunch or during breaks. When focused on completing a goal, I often break it into small reasonably attained goals which allows me to remain focused instead of feeling overwhelmed thus minimizing or eliminating the temptation to pursue a time waster like checking my phone or engaging in small talk.
Paul,
Most folks who have taken this course have found that turning off email is the best "sliver of gold" in the course.
Jeffrey Schillinger
E-mail and plain personal computer use waste my time. I procrastinate something terrible when I hate a particular task. However, I have found that if I give myself the reward of 5-10 minutes of "play time" for getting a task done, it helps me get through it. Kind of like the "carrot and the stick" method. LOL!
Having my PC on in front of my work space; when an e-mail pops up I respond to it instead of focusing on the work in front of me; a lot of great ideas in this course; one I will start using immediately is to establish times on when to check e-mails.
Timothy,
You have a good system. Far too often folks become slaves to their email.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I leave my email up but under other programs that are open. I check both at the beginning and end of my shift and possibly in a lull during class as I walk the room constantly. It isn't a priority, therefore not inclined to let it interrupt my normal work schedule.
Shana,
This sounds like a great plan. I hope it continues to work for you.
Jeffrey Schillinger
It took me several months to realize, I do not have to response to every email immediately. David is correct concerning turning off Outlook as you are working on a project or assignment. The constant notice of new emails became a distractor for me. I check my email 3 times a day and divide my email into two section, now and later. I read my emails the first hour in the office. These emails are placed in a "now" section and a "later" section. The now emails are answered in the morning. The later emails are answered the last 30 minutes of the day.e
Nelson,
What you suggest can be difficult to do, especially if the person taking the off ramp is a superior. How do you handle this situation?
Jeffrey Schillinger
One example is not sticking to the agenda. We have several meetings that have solid agendas but once we start to go off topic, then meetings run late. It is the responsibility of the host or designated moderator of the meeting to table the discussion for another time (and/or remind the group of our priorities) to maintain true to the goals of the meeting.
My time waster would have to be email. I get so many and unfortunately so many do not require action. It is hard to manage this and ensure you do not miss something with a critical due date. We should not be working in what I call a "reactive" mode via email. So many of the things that come across email, we should already have on our schedule, our goals and be working on. Then, we get the email, we just check it off. I try to limit myself to checking email 4 times a day, maximum so I can be productive at work. I don't always accomplish this, but when I do, I certainly get much more accomplished.
