A discussion
on time management could not have come at a more well-timed point in my life. I
am a full-time academic advisor who advises four hundred and seventy-five
students. One of my colleagues took another position designing courses in the
same organization, which is amazing. To ensure all students are attended to the
vacant section has been divided for coverage. I am also advising an additional
hundred plus students and glad to do so. There is a lot that goes on in a day.
Today I came into forty emails in my advising box, nineteen in my personal box,
and another fifteen in my temporary box. Not to mention the admit report,
enrollment report, and payment report. I also try to answer my phone every time
it rings. There are many more intricate things to do throughout the day beyond
these daily tasks.
You would
think by the time I got home I would be exhausted! Then there is the matter of
what I do in my free time, which is full-time Graduate school. For the next
fifteen days, I am in not one, but two full-time core courses. Now let’s talk
about a great idea I had to create a conflict. I am traveling to another state
in a couple days to attend an out of town wedding which means I have to plan
carefully when to complete my assignments before I leave. Not only do I want to
do all of these things, but I want to excel. Currently, I feel like a time
management boss, possibly a Time Lord, for those who are Doctor Who fans.
I carefully
control every aspect of my time. While I am making it work from day to day,
this leaves me little time for exercise or even casual recreational time. I
miss exercise! While this is a temporary condition, I scoff every time my
iTunes shuffles to “Time is on my side” by the Rolling Stones. When I began
Graduate school, I struggled tremendously to become oriented and to finish my
assignments weekly. I can do more with my time now than I ever thought
possible. Still, it is a struggle to make sure I keep moving forward and not
fall behind. When I finish my degree and turn back into a pumpkin, the days of
watching television on the couch after work will not cut it anymore… and I am
glad. However, if I could do all of this by working up to it, I bet I could do
more.
Whetten
& Cameron (2011) remind that effective time management helps accomplish
more per day and also facilitates the elimination of stress and overload. Both
are detrimental to personal accomplishment and satisfaction. More than
twenty-time saving suggestions are proffered from the text for general and
managerial use. By applying some of these hints efficiency will improve and
stress will decrease (Whetten & Cameron, 2011).
First and
foremost I would be lost without sticky notes. I am super old school, but my
reader-writer learning style demands it. For my birthday, my cubicle mates left
new sets of sticky notes on my desk knowing that I could cherish them. While I
am already keeping a task list, I could streamline the process by keeping one
centralized list and including not only what needs to be done but also things I
want to achieve. As I am a proponent of small wins, this will help me merge two
powerful ideas into one process (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). Currently, I
have one for work and one for school. My personal tasks are abandoned in no
man’s land. Rather, they are tasks without a list, so these tips can help me
mobilize my efforts.
Another idea
which is not necessarily new to me is something I am not using yet! I could
improve prioritizing my tasks by focusing on the important tasks and then
moving to urgent tasks. Whetten & Cameron (2011) mention Dwight D.
Eisenhower as a successful time manager who strictly adhered to this idea. The
Eisenhower Matrix divides tasks into four quadrants ranging from important, not
important, urgent, and not urgent resulting in four responses: decide when to
do it, do it immediately, do it later, and delegate it (Krogerus & Tschappeler,
2012). I am going to draw this onto my whiteboard at work for one month to keep
this as a reference to see how this improves my day.
Finally, the
last tip appeals to my chronic obsessive compulsive desk disorder. My desk
perpetually looks like I could clear out at any moment. While I have made an
effort to add personal touches, I think more clearly without clutter. A dirty
desk is my kryptonite. However, I have been reluctant to update any of my new
documents since the new academic year. This also includes electronic auto texts
since the new ERNIE update to provide instructions. Instead of manually editing
these as needed each day, which is quite laborious, I should spend one whole
day making master updates as I go until I have touched upon everything. This
would save a ton of time! I keep convincing myself I am too busy, and the
thought of dealing with culling new information from multiple sources makes my
stomach churn in consternation.
Whenever I
can cut corners by making what I do quicker and easier I experience immense
relief. I cannot wait to integrate my new, trouble-free action plan into my
daily routine!
References:
Krogerus,
M., & Tschappeler, R. (2012). The decision book: Fifty models for strategic
thinking. New York: W.W. Norton & Company
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