Literacy Links

Time Management

Time Management Tips

From Administrators

On the first of September, I start a monthly to-do list. I list major deadlines and projects by month to help me prioritize my time for the year. For example, I list due dates for quarterly reports, give myself deadlines for completing forms and pre-tests with participants, remind myself that it is time for employee reviews, etc. I place this monthly list right in front of me at my desk and check it at the beginning of each month. It has really helped me to distribute my workload throughout the year.

I found it hard to get my literacy instructors and coordinator of volunteers to take the time to review new materials and do professional reading. What seems to work is to send them e-mails with clips from things I find online. They take time to read those.

Another way to encourage professional reading was to mandate that 1/2 an hour a week be spent on professional reading. For a part-time teacher, this was extra time spent. The others were full-time and this meant they had to scale back on something else to fit it in. Perhaps it was more an issue of priorities than time management.

I make time to talk to teachers and students immediately. Delaying or scheduling tends to grow the problems, thereby taking more time.

I try to give teachers as much information and lead-time as possible on upcoming changes. Getting buy-in for change is a two-way street. Time spent listening is time saved handling problems.

I recommend everyone read Stephen Coveys "First Things First: To Live, To Learn, To Love, To Leave a Legacy"

(Covey, et al, 1996). Your health and your family come first, no matter what. I schedule personal appointments first thing in the morning because going to work makes me want to postpone or cancel them. At their deathbed no one ever said, "I wish I had spent more time at the office!"

I always invest in training. Helping others learn will save me time in the long run.

Put your schedule on email or voicemail so people know when youre out.

Train, and trust people under you to make decisions.

Organize your computer files and paper files the same way (with the same headers/names).

Put the things you use the most close by, and the things you use least further away.

Organize grant files by year, including official correspondence, contract, proposal, amendments - makes auditing easier.

Clear your desk every day.

I have found this tip to be very helpful in managing the piles and stacks of paperwork, incoming mail, email printouts, meeting notes etc.- "TRAF".

TRAF means to review your stacks at the end of each day and take one of four actions:

T = "Toss" everything that does not apply to your program, is outdated, etc. Make the wastebasket a friend;
R = "Refer" tasks or projects when possible to staff members. This should be accompanied by a note to yourself to follow up at appropriate intervals to follow progress;
A = "Act" on issues needing your immediate attention;
F = "File" anything that is important and keepable but requires no action or follow-up.

The key is to make yourself do this every day before you go home (a challenge in itself).

Surround yourself with good people and delegate!

One time saver for our literacy taskforce is having a listserv. It saves hundreds of phone calls, call backs and faxes. The fifty-three members share information on grant opportunities, workshops, and meetings with everyone receiving the information at the same time. Several people monitor different national listservs and post the information that is locally useful. That saves the taskforce members hours of time that all would spend reading the same e-mails. We use Yahoo e-groups for our listserv since it is free. The ads are a drawback, but are easily bypassed.

A special thanks to the administrators who provided these tips.

Audrey Abed, Even Start Coordinator, San Marcos CISD
Virginia Allain, Director, Weslaco Public Library, Adult Learning Center
Cathy Rhudy, Director, Northside ISD Adult & Community Education
Irma H. Trujillo, Director, Ysleta Community Learning Center
Carla-Marie Weir, Texas Hippy Center for Training and Technical Assistance, University of North Texas System Center at Dallas, College of Education

From Teachers

Arrive thirty minutes before class starts and stay thirty minutes after class ends. Some places don't pay for this, I know, but it keeps you sane.

Plan your lessons so that you give your class something they must all do by themselves either as individuals or as group(s). This gives you time for those one-on-one tutoring someone in the class always needs or give you time to make a copy, reassess your lesson plan - whatever you need to do.

Get your class started on a computer project, typing game, print shop, e-mail and do your ACES at the same time. Youll have interruptions, but youll be glad for them in this instance.

Journal writing can buy you five or ten minutes. Essay writing or map drawing will buy you a good twenty or thirty minutes with a few interruptions.

Testing or assessing a class or individuals buys you a few minutes here and there.

Catch up on your work-related reading while you eat lunch/dinner (if a meal falls during your class time). Its cheaper, probably healthier than eating out and enjoyable.

Mostly you just have to train yourself to be able to do several things at once. To pull this off, recognize your strengths and weaknesses and multi-task when you are in an area of your strengths. For example, I really have to focus when I teach math. I cant be working on anything else. However, when we are working on reading and writing, I can do several different things at once and maintain focus.

Recognize that some days you just cant do everything and live with it, because other days you'll be a whiz and accomplish a lot.

Offer calendars that merchants give away to students. Mark your appointments. Show learners how to write in medical, school, welfare and court dates.

Give appointment reminders on postcard-size, bright colored, cards. These can be handed out or mailed.

A special thanks to the teachers who provided these tips.

Connie Seibert, Austin Learning Academy
Linda Holt, Teacher, Adult Probationers, Gray County Community Supervision