I wrote about Leadership Skills on my last blog post. I had fully intended on writing my next post the following week, but lots of other things took over. And so, I decided to write about Time Management this week. Time Management is a key skill in this job and indeed in all parts of our lives. Everyday we are faced with a multitude of tasks and never-ending lists and we have to decide as leaders-what needs to be done immediately and what can be done later. I like Steven Covey’s Time Management Matrix as seen below.
This helps me in my principal work. I balance my time well between teaching and the principal role. I give the majority of my time to my teaching and I cover urgent principal tasks as I go through my day. I save less urgent items on my list for my Principal Days or evenings when my children are in bed. Better still, I delegate where possible. I leave school at 3pm every day unless I have meetings and I work from my home office once my family are all sorted!
As I reflected back on the past two weeks, I realised that I got caught up in wrestling this never ending list- something I thought I had learnt not to do. But no, I was swept away in a frenzy of emails and phone calls, chasing up tenders for the Emergency Grant; Assistive Technology applications; induction video for incoming infants; ordering tests; parent teacher meeting timetables via phone; a cycling tour along the Wild Atlantic Way; preparation for the sacraments; etc. I broke my rule of not working through lunch and took a lot of phone calls. Even worse, in order to ‘get ahead’, I stopped doing my simple stretches in the morning and going for my walks in the evening. Did I ever get ahead or finish my list? NO!
But I did feel exhausted and unhealthy!
So this week, I have vowed to keep my ‘me time’ and manage my time better and not respond or react to others’ panic! I find I give 100% into my teaching all day and I do not operate at 100% with my own children after school. Yet, I give them all that I can and then by the time my admin work is complete, I have very little, if any, time for myself. I will repeat daily ‘You cannot pour from an empty cup-take care of yourself first’ in the hopes of getting back on track.
Even an experienced principal can forget self-care rules in busy times!
Time Management Tips:
Keep calm- do not stress.
Be mindful- do not react immediately. Reflect. ‘Pause-Clarify-Decide’
Sort your tasks in to the Time Matrix by Stephen Covey.
Keep a file of similar tasks and forms etc. to save time- look back.
Learn to say no!