ARE YOU WORKING STRATEGICALLY?
Time management is a critical issue for busy professionals, and approaching responsibilities in a strategic manner is critical to feeling and being successful. But what does that really mean?
All environments have aspects of the job that require you to perform functions that are routine or systematic, such as responding to emails or checking for student attendance. Similarly, there are opportunities to be proactive in an effort to reduce problems or avoid issues that occur in the work environment. Lastly, there will always be unplanned activities that will require your attention.
If you are working strategically you are working in a way that there is some degree of balance between actions that are systematic, proactive and reactive. To assess your approach you need to consider the three types of actions you take when performing your responsibilities and determine if you are optimizing each to their greatest potential.
SYSTEMATIC ACTIONS: These are actions that you plan and carry out regularly as part of your routine.
Ask yourself: How successful are you to keeping to your routine? (Do you have a routine?)
PROACTIVE ACTIONS: These are actions that you take to avoid problems with students or help them in understanding course topics or requirements.
Ask yourself: How successful are these actions in reducing student issues?
REACTIVE ACTIONS: These are actions that are unplanned and are in response to requests for support.
Ask yourself: How often is routine interrupted by reacting to student emergencies? How often are these emergencies something that could be avoided? How often are these emergencies common across several students?
If any one of these are “controlling” your life, consider where changes can be made, and address them, working towards a more strategic approach to accomplishing your job.
