immediate response
A lot can be said with doing tasks immediatly. If you have the time to do something immediatly, given your ability to reprioritize actively, wouldn't benefit those involved to complete the task?
Michael, I understand your thinking. Mostly this is true if you don't have other priority tasks to consider. I should note, however, that your well-being and rest in a priority too. Sometimes, it truly is better to wait to complete tasks for another time.
Dr. Melissa Read
When I have a task to do I accomplish it as quickly as I can because there will be another task on the heels of the first task and I don't like when my plate gets too full!
I think keeping short accounts of the most important tasks or tasks that take the longest is a prudent step to take. I realize that at some point we all get behind, but it is easier to manage this stress when one keeps up with the day to day tasks that can be taken care of right away.
Lisa, Interesting perspective. Sounds like your tasks keep you quite busy and in motion. Where it makes sense, you might consider some task prioritization as the task that's sitting right in front of you may not be the most important.
Dr. Melissa Read
Greetings Dr. Read and classmates.
I feel the pressure of immediacy and I feel it often. It seems in our career, tasks, responsibilities, to-dos, and obligations come up all the time. How do you delineate? I feel like ditching immediacy is definitely worth a try in that it could lead to a higher rate of quality completion (as opposed to lame completion). However, take a look at my to-do example:
English:
-Grade exams
-Grade remaining hw
-Give feedback on narrative paragraphs
-
MaxKnowledge:
-Complete ED110
-Complete ED111
Document Processing:
-Grade projects
-Class prep
-Turn in communication log
-Turn in week's lesson plans
-Enter CV notes
-Post quizzes
I could to-do all day. At any rate, I always find myself in this grid lock of sorts. Important things trump urgent things and vice versa. Big tasks trump important tasks and vice versa. I'm a pro list maker, but when I get on it, I balk. How do I become a pro prioritizer in the nonstop world of professional teaching?
Hi Michael. I must admit that "immediacy" is something I struggle with, as it not only affects sleep but home life too. While procrastination can be an issue for some. We need to find a happy medium. I'm hoping this course will assist me in that area.
I agree, a happy medium would be ideal. I struggle with immediacy for the things that aren't high priority and procrastinate the tasks that are most important. Part of that is because the most important tasks are the biggest and just thinking about them makes me feel overwhelmed. Then there is the issue of feeling obligated to respond to my students texts/calls/e-mails immediately and dropping everything to do so. I justify it by saying it will only take a minute, but even those "minute" tasks turn into more time then I expected. Everything I read so far makes sense, the tips are very logical. I just don't know how to reprogram myself to apply them.
Amanda, When the most important tasks are overwhelming you, try breaking them down into smaller chunks. This tends to help quite a bit in terms of getting things accomplished. It makes these tasks feel far less overwhelming and helps you more easily jump in.
Dr. Melissa Read
