Tech Tip Tuesday: Scheduling your time for productivity

How to stay productive and make the best use of your time using Technology (but not email!)

1. Using Google Forms to collect data

Too often you are immersed in a project and people are constantly emailing you about things that need to get done. When you create either a google form to collect data or a google sheet that people edit, you can channel all of those concerns into one file that you can check and work on daily, when you schedule time for the project. The beauty of the Google Form is that you can have people take surveys and the data is translated automatically with the click of a button to a sheet. On the other hand, the sheet allows users to edit it and see which concerns or issues have been addressed already and lends some transparency. In Google Forms you can show your respondents the results, but the spreadsheet allows you to see everything at once. You can also insert comments & tag a person so they see a response or that you asked a question. It cuts down on emails and inbox clutter and allows everyone to look and see progress on the project. This article from Ed Tech Magazine talks about ways teachers can use Google Forms in the classroom. 

2.Using to-do list apps to keep you organized and on-task

We all have to-do lists and often they are really long. I carry my tasks over and still hand write them daily to get focused, but I LOVE Wunderlist. You can generate to do lists and delegate tasks, create sub tasks, and alert people to what they need to do. The list also sends reminders (helpful when you have shared lists with your spouse and it's a reminder to pick up the dry cleaning) that come from the app, not you- you can set them ahead of time. I have a technology district list that the superintendent can see as well as the rest of the technology team- and as everyone adds to it, it helps us keep focused for large projects. The main office has a shared list, and the department chairs have a shared list. To start this year, we re-opened the list from last year and saw all the tasks we did and it helped us develop the task list for this year. My favorite feature is that I can forward emails to my Wunderlist and they appear when I log into the website! This helps me if I read an email away from my desk and want to make sure I do not forget about it. Since this is an online website with an app that works on all phones and tablets, you can enter to do's anywhere, anytime, from any device.

3. Using Google Calendar to schedule time for things

I love scheduling things into my calendar and recently began opening up appointments for teachers or other staff to book me. This cuts down on the emails and phone calls and then allows me to work projects I need to have done. This is of course, in a perfect world. When you work in a school, the world is never perfect and teaching and learning must always have #1 priority, so I do reschedule meetings from time to time. I use the appointment feature for others to schedule time to meet with me. I did this for teacher evaluations this year and it was a miracle worker. I did this recently for any teachers that want to see me this summer to pick up new technology devices. I also schedule time for ME to get my projects done. For example, 7:30-9:00 AM each day I am busy. This is my time to get into work, settle in, check in with admin assistants, deal with any emergency issues, check email, and develop my "things to get done today list". As a principal, you might need this time to be visible outside and with the staff and students, so someone trying to meet with you during this time is very difficult. If it's blocked off in your schedule, then your administrative assistant will know it cannot be booked.  If I need to do a walk-thru or train someone, its in my calendar. I try to book everything so I have a visual of my day. Not only does this keep me on task, but it prohibits me from double booking. The best part is that you can color code your scheduling so you can see how much time you spend on certain things. If I want to reach 500 classroom walk throughs by the end of the year, I know I have to schedule it and make it a priority to do 4 per day, and to schedule that 40 minute period for walking the building. Here is an article from Techlicious that shows some great features of the calendar to help you stay productive. 

Hope these tips have helped you! 




Popular posts from this blog

Tech Tip Tuesday: Internet Browser Features: The Omnibox & Pinning Tabs

Tech Tip Tuesday: Navigating the new Calendar Feed on the Website