Time is one of your most precious commodities. It can seem like there’s never enough time to finish everything you need to do, and items on your to-do list might continue to pile up.
Academic leaders are especially susceptible to this issue. You’re often responsible for supporting and guiding faculty members, while also reporting to Leadership Team members. Your need to interface with many different groups within the school can leave you feeling as if you don’t have time to accomplish your own tasks.
If you’re struggling with time management, here are some tips to help you have a productive and efficient year.
- Set priorities. You should first analyze your to-do list and define what takes precedence. People will try to add more tasks to your plate; you need to have a clear understanding of what will move the needle and what you can politely decline.
- Plan ahead. Once you clearly understand your priorities, create a plan. For some people, that means writing out what you’ll do each hour of the day. For others, it means defining the three things you’ll have finished by the end of the week. Whatever your preference, planning exactly what you want to do helps you reach your goals.
- Block time. Consider blocking one day per month from appointments or meetings. This allows you to make extended visits to classrooms, work with your direct reports and faculty, or work on your own professional growth.
- Delegate tasks. Leaders often avoid delegating. Why? Because sometimes it’s “just easier to do it myself.” It takes less time as there is no instructing involved. But is doing that task really the best use of your time? Are you really the only person who can get it done? Ask yourself these questions and then build your delegating muscle.
- Manage stress. Unfortunately, stress is a very real issue that most professionals encounter on the job. Stress management is something leaders must work on for themselves, as well as help their faculty members work through. We’ve published tips for stress management and the negative impact stress can have on your school community.
For more tips on stress management, attend our upcoming webinar, Time Management for Administrators. It will be held on Wednesday, September 25, at 3 PM ET. We’ll highlight how to develop time-management strategies by setting achievable goals, prioritizing tasks, delegating responsibilities, and avoiding unnecessary interruptions and time-wasting activities.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Academic Leadership Vol. 13 No. 6 13 Ways to Stay Sane and Relieve Stress
The Source for Academic Leadership Vol. 17 No. 2 Stress Is Contagious: Don’t Let It Spread in Your School
Additional ISM resources for members:
I&P Vol. 33 No. 9 The Allocation of Time and Your Faculty's Professional Growth
