Kevin Blissett: Out of the Cave » timemanagement

Clearing the Queues in Our Lives

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:22:59 +0000

Ever feel like you can’t breathe for all of the “lists” you have in your life? I can’t tell you how many personal effectiveness systems I’ve sampled over the years, though I’ve settled on a personalized management philosophy founded in a Franklin-Covey approach and the 7 Habits. Leo Babauta offers his own sage suggestions for tackling our daily “to-do’s.” He begins by listing the various types of queues we deal with every day and then proceeds with the tips, among which are:

Simplify your queues–i.e. consolidate or eliminate.
Set up systems to allow others to deal with issues on their own.
Hit unsubscribe on irritating inbox intrusions.
Set up email filters.
Of course, prioritize.
Clear out things you’ll probably never get to.
Learn to skim RSS feeds, social media, inbox.
Queues don’t have an end by their nature so drop the thinking that you need to get to the end or finish.

Leo does a great job breaking down each of the ideas above. Read the article for the essential details.

Photo by Looking Glass

Leaving the Burrow

Kevin Blissett — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:00:01 +0000

“OK, today I’m going to get out into classrooms, and nothing’s gonna get in my way!” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve uttered those words, but no matter how good my intentions are, the “office” part of the job seems to always call for immediate attention. In this article from Principal magazine, former principal and superintendent Kathleen J. Parkhurst offers advice on how to make the most of one’s time and find space for visiting classrooms during the school day. Among her suggestions:

Organize a routine.
Keep an orderly office.
Delegate.
Answer email in chunks 2-3 times per day.
Have a proper filing system.
Get ready for tomorrow today.

I might add: escape while you can. One thing Parkhurst does not address is how to get into the classrooms when one is a teaching principal. Classroom visits clearly become more of problem when the principal is teaching 1/3 to 1/2 of the day. In this case, I just have to clear the entire slate some afternoons or mornings to make sure I’m seeing teachers and students, and they are seeing me.

Photo by ecastro