I make 'to do' lists all of the time and never completely finish them. I like the idea of breaking down into steps. I tell this to students all the time. But I never do it with the things I don't enjoy doing. I like the idea of looking at time as an investment. When I procrastinate the task is always there in the back of my mind draining a little energy all the time. So I think if I break the unpleasant tasks down into managable steps and think about the free time I will make by doing them it will help. I don't have to do all of the steps in one sitting and yet I am still making progress.
I have to say, I procrastinate which makes the task just a bigger job. I just need to do it and not wait to enjoy the free time like the module talked about. I don't suffer from the obstacle of immediacy.
Colleen, Sometimes facing our tasks head on and just completing them is the healthiest approach. When we delay things, we can worry ourselves sick!
Dr. Melissa Read
Helen, Yes! Breaking large and undesirable tasks down into steps is a great approach to getting the work done. Otherwise, they appear as huge and daunting tasks on our lists that we are reluctant to ever tackle.
Dr. Melissa Read
I have been using "to-do" lists for as long as I can remember. If I didn't I would forget half of the tasks I would need to complete. I always have trouble coping with stress and have found this to be a great help.
I do not procrastinate. I try to accomplish as much as possible at any given time. However, I found out that I am burning myself out and I seem to work slower. I have difficulty finding time for myself and have stopped doing my hobbies and exercising. After working with this module, I plan on utilizing the techniques discussed to better myself in the future.
I usually do the most import tasks 1st then do the less urgent this after i try my best to be organized and complete task on time.
Kurtis, It sounds like you've been taking a productive approach from the start. That's wonderful to hear. This being said, I imagine there is always room for improvement.
Dr. Melissa Read
I try to prioritize my work know
Yes know im starting to do this and it seems to be working.
I make "to-do" lists every day and revise them as necessary but also procrastinate. I will heed the advise of this lesson which echo what a friend does. He makes formal lists with the levels of urgency and scratches the task off when it gets completed. His technique has an "overview" method as opposed to my urgency approach.
For myself, I usually tend to do the task immediately if it is of high priority. If it's not of high priority, then I will put it on my schedule and do it within a week.
I make a to do list each week and prioritize each task. I try to knock out the high priority items first, however, sometimes if I have a short window of time to complete tasks, I'll knock out several lower priority tasks since I can usually complete them in less time. It makes me feel better to see my list get significantly shorter.
This is a tough question especially if you are new instructor or teaching a new course. I like to take my time to get prepared for each day. So I set aside a 1 hour each day to prep for the chapter I am going to teach. If I have a 1 week before a new semester starts and I am teaching a new course and another instructor gave me his/her materials I like to review them to make sure they make sense to me. It is embarassing when you teach something that another intructor did and you did not understand it yourself and students have a way of knowing that you are under prepared. I do my best to keep abreast what is urgent and what I can do another day or few days later. Eileen
Rachel, That sounds like a healthy approach. Sounds like some of your priority tasks never make it onto your list because they just get processed. This system likely works well in situations when you only have a few priority tasks coming into your queue.
Dr. Melissa Read
Vicki, Many instructors take the same approach so I understand where you are coming from. Sometimes it's nice to make a little progress on low priority tasks, knocking them out of our queues to make room for the larger, more stressful, activities.
Dr. Melissa Read
I tend to finish the most important tasks in my life before dealing with the less important ones. I feel that this is something that I already do on a daily basis. Making a physical list instead of just a mental one is an area I can improve in.
I usually get stress when I have a lot of task to complete.
From now on I will make as lists. I will set limits and complete the task of most importance first. I will also list things as urgent and non-urgent and focus on the urgent tasks first. I will go through my to do list and rewrite it at regular intervals.
I am a list maker of things I need to do , however I do not prioritize. I work down the list and cross off when done. This is teaching me to organize and prioritize what is most important
William, Yes, it's great to put pen to paper. This is especially true when we have too many tasks on our plates to track in memory. When we put tasks on a list, we get them out of our mind.
Dr. Melissa Read
