I often find myself throughout the day anxiously working on tasks that are urgent and important- (quadrant 1)and ultimately end up becoming a BIG waste of time (and sometimes money) because I am rushing to finish. I plan out a schedule for the day, and items that MUST get complete are thrown in my face throughout the afternoon, while everything else is put on hold (until, of course, it becomes an urgent task). A colleague of mine calls this the fire box, the place you want to stay away from. As time goes on, I don’t think that this can be avoided, but rather we can create systems to try to minimize the time spent on these tasks.
There will always be students who forget their passwords, locked bathrooms, staff coverages, or something that is unavoidable that pops up. The systems that are created for next time will find their way onto the matrix, but if we spend time in the urgent fire box, we will never get to think of ways to get out of it.
Be proactive. It is ideal to work out of the non-urgent important quadrant #2.. Most of my day should be there- getting things that aren’t yet due complete, while mixing in small things that come up. What systems or procedures will I need to put in place to get there?
Remember your non-negotiables. As a digital coach, I pledged to myself that my role would be to help teachers feel comfortable with the digital content. I didn’t realize my inbalance until today, when I let the compliance urgencies allow my attention to a colleague take second place. I have to re-evaluate where I am at, and make time to balance it all. To me, balance means that teacher support comes first and then everything else. She did the right thing and made me aware of it, rather than just excusing me. Her time is equally as valuable as mine. Thanks for keeping me in check.
How do you predict what will become the next urgent item to proactively avoid it?
Does life ever have a balance?
I remember feeling this way as a new teacher (learning expert) and becoming uncertain of where to start- finding the balance in a new uncertain position. I was part of a team with an exceptional English teacher, and she would often remind me that you have to always remember your purpose. Why are you doing what you are doing? What is your purpose? Keeping my own goals and principles active in my mind makes decision making easier. I’ve passed that along to so many people and its again my turn.
I must revisit my purpose, write down my goals and keep them somewhere I will see them.
Will this relieve my frantic feeling all the time? I’m not sure, but its worth trying.
I agree that working in the firebox addresses the moment, but not our purpose. I think remembering purpose and priorities is key, and sometimes that means helping others see that their firebox cannot automatically become yours...even if that person is your principal. She is learning and sometimes stumbling too. She is also trying to manage the Covey quadrants...some days better than others. Let's keep the dialogue open.
ReplyDeleteDon't be so hard on yourself. Someone in the school is going to have to be that person. The person you go to when your locked out of a bathroom, when you lost your metrocard, someone has to be the "goto guy." If each advisor becomes that person for a small group of kids no adult should be become too overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to step out and see this is HUGE. You are standing on a balcony watching the party and really seeing whats going on in your school. And you have done this so early in the school's birth. They are lucky to have you.
I too worked with and extrodinary english teacher when I was a teacher who inspired me to write done and chart out my thoughts similar to the way you are doing here. When things got tough I went back to read my thoughts and found the blog as a grounding tool.
Good luck and I can't wait for the next post!