A new school year is an opportunity for a fresh start—it is the perfect time to reflect on years prior, and to set new goals and develop a plan to achieve them. To truly build a strong foundation for our students, we need to consider what we, as staff, need to do to prepare ourselves. Being proactive and doing everything possible to minimize the reactive nature of educational leadership is the key to maximizing student outcomes and achieving a healthier work-life balance.
Getting off to a great start hinges on finding and sticking with an organizational system that works for you. An administrator’s job is both time-consuming and time-sensitive, and it comes with a mountain of paperwork and daily tasks that need to be completed. Establishing a time management and organizational system at the start of the year is crucial to staying on top of everything that needs to be done, and to ensuring priorities are not lost in the clutter.
Regardless of what system you implement and which strategies you deploy to maximize your efficiency and effectiveness as a student-focused leader, these 3 common time management pitfalls may derail you from time to time:
Not making a to-do list. If you don’t know what needs to be done, you can’t effectively prioritize your workload.
Multitasking. Contrary to popular belief, multitasking is actually less productive than focusing on one task and then moving on to the next. That’s because our brains aren’t equipped to perform two tasks requiring high-level brain functions at the same time. Some studies show that multitasking can lower your IQ, because your attention is split, and might even damage your brain. (Yikes.)
Not knowing how much time a task requires. Can you write the report in an hour or will it take three days? If you don’t know how long a task takes, you can’t effectively manage your time or prioritize your activities.
There are so many ways to structure your day and organize your activities to avoid these common pitfalls, but the key is finding one that is well-matched to your workstyle preferences and implementing it with fidelity over the long haul. One size never “fits all”, so be sure to look for a good match for your professional strengths and workstyle preferences.
Once you find a system that works for you, be sure to collect data on a regular basis to monitor your progress towards the time management goals that you set for yourself. This will allow you to pivot and implement interventions to get back on track if you find that you are not progressing towards your intended outcomes. Some questions to ask yourself when selecting an organizational system are:
How do you find a system that works for you?
What data will you collect to know if you are progressing towards your organizational and time management goals?
If you are not meeting your goals, what action will you take to get back on track?
What strategies should I implement to get the most out of every minute of every school day?
How do I know if the strategies I am implementing are working?
Where can I go for help if I need it?
If you need a thought partner to answer one or more of these questions, Time ReDesigned provides the accountability and support necessary to help you develop, implement, and evaluate your progress towards your organizational and time management goals. Subscribe to the Time ReDesigned YouTube Channel to see HOW your colleagues are checking everything off their professional “to do list”, minimizing the reactive nature of school leadership, and achieving a healthier work-life balance.
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