Skill:Create 1.1.1 – Time Management Quest

“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.”  ― Harvey MacKay

Time is essential in this world - and there never seems to be enough of it! Managing your time can help you keep and manage this precious resource. After reading the article 10 Proven Time Management Skills You should Learn Today I realized that I employ a bunch of proven time management skills – even though I was just creating a system that allowed me to function. Here are my top five management tools to me manage my time in both my professional (PRO) and personal (PER) life :

 

1)   Keep a Task List (PRO & PER) When ever I feel I have a bunch to do in a certain time frame I take a piece of paper and portion it out to the parts of my life, personal, face to face school, GaVS, church, family, and any other category. Under the heading, I bullet the things that need to get accomplished and by when. This helps me prioritize what needs to be done and helps me figure out how much time I might need. I also like to scratch through the list to see my ‘To Do List” shrinking.

2)   Schedule Tasks (PRO & PER) I have found that scheduling certain task at certain time it increases my efficacy and sets a dedicated time during the week to complete tasks. Example, the Friday morning after every due date, I get up an hour earlier to add zeros in the gradebook, and send out the “Ooops you missed an assignment” email. This way I know it gets done before I got to my face-to-face school and students are informed early on Friday so that they have a chance to submit the work. In my personal life I have to schedule exercise so I know that I get it in. My son has soccer practice twice a week for an hour and a half. I know that on these days, I can run and train for my half marathons while he is at his own training.

3)   Minimize Distractions – (PRO)  Most of my professional needs are done on a computer. I find that I get distracted, just as my students do – facebook, instagram, email, etc. When I sit down to work for a period of time, I try and put y phone away from me so I am not tempted to look at it. I also only open up my Safari browser, which is only used for work. Nothing personal is on it – so I am not as tempted to check email, facebook etc. I find this gives me my allotted time to complete what I need.

4)   Set Time Limits (PRO) I find that I can get lost in work and when that happens my productivity often goes down!  So I will set time limits – I will grade for one hour stop and do something else. I will clear out the drop boxes Tuesday and Thursday night and quizzes Monday and Wednesday. This makes sure I am not always on the computer and I spend quality time with my family.

5)   Reward Yourself (PRO & PER) Rewarding yourself, even if it is just with a piece of chocolate, for completing a task goes along way in keeping the motivation going!