I get myself involved in socializing with co-workers during the 1 hour of precious time between classes~ Comraderie is encouraged in our envirement, but it puts me behind in grading and makes my day longer in the end. I need some balancebut do not want to seem rude.
Amanda,
I am glad this works for you. I was able to do that most of the time when i was a teacher, though I did go in early and stay late.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Amanda,
Many experts believe setting aside specific times each day to check email is more efficient that leaving it on and reacting to it all day.
Jeffrey Schillinger
James,
Thanks. There are some teachers who do not grade every paper. If you feel you must, then keep doing it.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I never do worl from home becauseI think it makes you feel as though you never have a break or a day off.
I think that frequent checking of emails are important. However, sometimes there is just not enough time especially if you are an instructor. There is so much prep work involved.
Hi Jeff,
Yes...that is part of the job. It is my obligation to read every assignment so that my grade can be the fairest assessment. I know that skimming might help with their short comments to each other on a discussion board, but their papers really require careful review. Their writing is not always very good, and their grasp of subjects can be surface at times. I also work in track-changes so as to give them a good feel for areas of weakness and points for improvement. The issue is procrastination, and it is something I need to move past. Readings the papers is not an option; getting started on them is the hurdle. A focus on a job done may be my best strategy here.
James.
James,
Do you feel it is essential to read and grade every assignment the students submit?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Hi Everyone,
In general I believe I suffer most from procrastination and scheduling overloads.
I make a great effort to carefully read my students’ work, and so getting started on a pile of papers can feel daunting. I am glad that once into the process these feelings subside and that I have lots of motivation to complete the grading, but jump starting the process is a whole other story. I have tried a number of things to help this, particularly combining it with lunch or a coffee break. In this way I get things started while I am enjoying food or a strong coffee. I know here I really just need to focus on the great feeling I get when it all is done. I admit…I really do feel great when I post grades, especially if I can get them up within 48 hours of the submission deadline. I know I have more time, but students are more satisfied when they get grades early, and I am glad to have them done.
I also need to watch schedule overload. I tend to just put together a big to-do list. I need to add some prioritization to this and also some time parameters. With just one big to-do list I feel like I am looking at the whole of what needs to get done, and this gives me one sense of calm. But adding structure to the list, with timeframes, deadlines, and in some prioritized order, would help me go further during the day. I guess the good part is that I am organized, but that organization needs to go further, where I apply specific time-management techniques to be more efficient and effective.
James.
I hope this works for you, David.
Jeffrey Schillinger
David,
What do you see as the besr strategy offered in this course to address procrastination?
Jeffrey Schillinger
I've found some of the recommendations made here to be quite enlightening. I worked in the graphic design business for a few years and was quite accustomed to working under heavy deadlines. Because I performed well under pressure, I now find myself procrastinating, until "the last minute."
Despite the slight thrill however, it's most often just not worth the the undue anxiety. I think perhaps an activity log and a schedule may be what I need to regain the discipline and focus necessary to overcome this rather bad habit.
My biggest time-waster is Procrastination. If left unaddressed it can take over more than just your professional life. This course was reassuring in that I became aware a number of additional 'techniques' for dealing with it.
I trust it will boil down to discipline, I know how to break down, and prioritize tasks, and I'm very deadline aware – I just tend to let things get "right down to the wire."
I work well under pressure and so sometimes it makes things thrilling, but in the long run it's really not worth the additional anxiety.
Tom,
Time management for Deans can be difficult. i addressed this by scheduling a lot of things that could have been done anytime.
Jeffrey Schillinger
When I owned my business I never had enough time to get my daily work completed. I did a time management course that had me track my time. I kept a small note book in my pocket and recorded my time in blocks. It was supposed to be a two week exercise but by the end of the first week I couldn’t believe how much time I spent doing things that my employees were being paid to do. Once I saw on paper it was easy to make adjustments to my schedule and ended up having 2-3 hours more time per day.
My "time waster" would be not preparing for the upcoming day. I know in advance most of the daily meetings but knowing there will be student issues and staff issues I am just walking into the building. I too have been playing "Fireman" with the same issues- not taking control of my day. I need to learn to say no and empower my co-workers to handle their own issues.
Ed,
I have found this to be effective, though i check it at least three times per day.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I always check my email and respond immediately. In the future I would check my emails at the end of the day and prioritize those that need to be addressed immediately.
I know that I waste too much time talking to peers on the job. I am an extravert so I do get my energy from people. I just have to limit the number of people I talk with each day or the length of the conversation. We all work in one area, so avoiding people is not an option.
Konnie,
I have had to deal wit hthe same type of challenge. I starting looking for times that no one else would be around. I used to go in early or stay late to make copies. Saturday mornings also were good.
Jeffrey Schillinger
