“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” – Eisenhower
What is eating up your time? Are you struggling with a never ending “to do” list? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Try applying the 3 D’s, a simple yet effective time management method, to your list of tasks.
Do it – Stop just staring at it, put it on the schedule and get it done! Only work on one thing at a time.
Delegate it – Give it to someone else. Is there anyone else who has the capabilities to finish the task besides you? Even if they don’t, train one of your team members/mates to take on tasks that you just don’t have time for (remember as a school leader your time is a valuable commodity- if you are routinely completing clerical tasks then your district is likely paying more than 60 dollars per hour for those tasks! Does this seem commensurate with the level of expertise needed to accomplish those task types?
Dump it – Stop telling yourself it will ever get done. It’s just honestly not important enough to ever get focus when there are other things that require your attention more. Delete it or throw it away so you are completely free of it.
*Bonus Tip – Learn to say “no” so you can prioritize the activities that impact student outcomes. After all, isn’t that why you went into school leadership in the first place?
Consider the Eisenhower Decision Matrix:
The "Eisenhower Method" stems from a quote attributed to Dwight D. Eisenhower: "I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent." It helps you decide on and prioritize tasks by urgency and importance, sorting out less urgent and important tasks which you should either delegate or not do at all.
Some great advice I once received was to “stop starting new projects; start finishing projects that are in-progress!" Work on one project at a time until it is completed before starting on the next one. I know it is hard, but give it a try!
When you really examine what you’re doing and make decisions about what to do yourself, what to delegate, and what to stop doing altogether, you will find a sense of relief and freedom to focus on what matters most. It gives you the physical, emotional and head space to focus your attention and be more productive.
There is no time like the present to change the way you allocate and prioritize your professional time. Today, make a commitment to…..stop starting. And start finishing instead!
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