Getting Things Done

I organized my process with a pencil and paper to begin. (A sticky note to be exact!) I realized after going through the process for the first time I already do most of the steps described. The part for me that felt the most time consuming was organizing the tasks. I think I would like to combine the organize and review steps. I do think this process works electronically for some people, but for me I like jotting things down on sticky notes.

I believe the process I use is very similar to the one described in the lecture. I use a sticky note and pen because as a first grade teacher I often don’t have enough time to type anything on my computer during the school day. I simply jot a quick note to myself to look at later. I collect all my tasks on the same sticky note throughout the day. I complete the processing and organizing steps at the same time. During those steps I often will send out emails to ask for help or delegate tasks to others, often parent volunteers. After I am left with several items on the list, I get to work. I typically do the tasks that need to be completed immediately. These tasks are often items I need to collect or make for teaching later in the day or the next day. Then I move on to tasks that I will need accomplished later in the week. The review process is something I do not typically do. I typically complete my tasks in 1-2 days and remove them from the list. I would say generally speaking, long-term projects do not make it onto my lists. This does not mean that I do not add additional items to the list, but on average my list gets smaller each day as I accomplish tasks. If all items are crossed off on the list, it goes in the garbage and a new list will begin.

This process helps to keep me organized and allows me to remember everything I want to accomplish. I can’t imagine the number of things I would forget if I did not write them down.