As educators, we try to be masters of multitasking. While it’s not a strategy that I would suggest, teachers try to juggle lesson plans, grading, meetings, parent emails, professional development, and the varied needs of all of their students. Many teachers rely on a To-Do list to keep track of everything and stay organized. Often, those lists become cluttered with vague and overwhelming tasks. Instead of providing a productivity power-up, they instead leave us feeling lost and paralyzed.
The problem lies in the non-specific.
Let’s think about an example. “Grade papers” is a monster of a task. It’s so broad that it’s almost meaningless. When we add such a non-specific to our list, we set ourselves up for failure. It can be overwhelming. A huge task like “grade papers” feels insurmountable, leading to procrastination surrounding the task. Without something more tangible, it can also lead to a lack of clarity as to what “done” looks like. Being non-specific means we meander through the task instead of focusing intently.
Being non-specific is a huge problem.
So, what can we do instead to be more productive?
Take those behemoth non-specifics and turn them into bite-sized, actionable steps. Instead of “Grade papers,” try:
- Grade essays for period 3 English
- Grade the first 10 science quizzes
- Input reading fluency scores into the gradebook
These tasks are certainly more manageable, clearly defining a specific chunk of work. You know exactly what needs to be done and checking off smaller tasks creates more of a sense of progress and accomplishment.
Try these strategies for making your To-Do list more manageable and more specific:
Be precise. Include details like the specific class, assignment, or number of items that need to be finished.
Set deadlines. Add due dates or time estimates to prioritize tasks. Dates and timelines can help you to stay on track and hand everything in on time.
Break it down. When in doubt, if a task still feels too big, always break it down further into smaller sub-tasks. The To-Do list is more overwhelming with fewer monster tasks than it is with more manageable smaller tasks. Massive To-Do? Split it in two (or four or more)!
By embracing specificity, you can transform your to-do list from a source of stress into a powerful tool for productivity.
Ditch the vague, embrace the specific, and get your Autopilot ON!
Rich