Managing Chaos for Educators
School principals must be among the hardest working and most harried of professionals. Almost all of the principals I have advised spend long days at school. And instead of rejuvenating on the weekends, they spend many additional hours on school tasks.
In the business world, CEO's have embraced the time management strategies of such experts as David Allen and Stephen Covey. I can't think of a better place to put their ideas to the test than in the principal's office.
Here are five suggestions for more effectively managing time in a school setting, drawn from their writings. At the end of this blog, I'll leave you with useful books and web links to explore.
1. Set aside some quiet time each week (away from the school!) to think about and plan projects that will help you lead the school toward success. This higher level planning can be difficult to do when dealing with the school's daily obligations. Think especially about creating or maintaining systems that will build capacity, in areas such as fundraising and volunteer development.
2. Write down one or more clear physical actions that you can do to move forward in your goals and projects. David Allen recommends writing down the very next action needed to move a project forward. This can be as simple as making a phone call or doing some internet research. The more concrete and specific you make your actions, the less resistance you'll have to doing them.
3. It's nearly impossible to be effective when you are constantly interrupted. While some days are full of emergencies requiring your immediate attention, it is important to maintain control over your time. When you've set aside time for a project, get comfortable hanging a "Do Not Disturb" sign on your door, and don't answer the phone or check for email. Your office manager should know to interrupt you only for true emergencies.
4. Create and train a team around you that can take over certain responsibilities that don't need your full involvement. There are already plenty that do! For each responsiblity you delegate, take the time to write a very clear description of what you would consider a smashing success. Then provide the training, encouragement, and ultimately trust, for your staff to truly own and be energized by the assignment.
5. Write everything down! There is no way to remember the multitude of tasks, large and small, that come to your desk in person, by phone, mail, email and fax. Invest in software like Outlook or some other task manager. By writing tasks down, you get them off your mind (where even minor tasks will continue to gnaw away, as you struggle to remember them). Stephen Covey recommends that each morning you prioritize those tasks that will have the greatest impact on your goals. Allen suggests that you categorize tasks by the area where they are done: at the computer, on the phone, at home, at your meeting with the Superintendent. This makes it easy to decide what's the most efficient task to do at a given moment.
The following books and web sites have been helpful to me in organizing my daily activities:
Books:
Getting Things Done, by David Allen
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
Web Sites:
About.com Time Management Links
Education World Principal Tips
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