When I think about putting first things first I think about one of the many to-do lists I’ve written for myself. It’s a simple strategy that’s handed down from generation to generation. Making a list in one thing, however, adhering to it is another. Yet, the when I check off a task is gratifying. So what causes me to get project completed? What causes a task to be put off? I see motivation and imperativeness as key factors. When we viewed the quadrant diagrams in Dr. Pumpian’s lecture this hunch was reaffirmed. When people see a task as critical it gets completed, when they do not see it as critical they put it off. I really liked the Time Quadrant Implications diagram. This really brought the message of the importance of putting first things first into perspective. Reflecting on how much time I spend in each quadrant was also good exercise. I do think that it is normal for everyone to spend a little time in each quadrant. There are times where pressing problems, deadline driven projects and crisis are present in our lives. Everyone (ok almost everyone) has been in quadrant 3 and 4 at some point. It just happens sometimes. I think the key is to make a conscious effort to not dwell in those states for long and to put your efforts into quadrant 2. I liked the point Dr. Pumpian made when he said that most people think good leaders spend their time being in quadrant 1, when in truth they spend more time in quadrant 2 planning so that there will be time to actually handle those quadrant 1 incidents that arise spontaneously. Spending the time preparing, planning/preventing, building relationships will support you when you drift into the other quadrants.
Commitment:
I want to commit to setting a good example for my family on putting first things first. I am notorious for starting one task only to take a detour to complete another before completing what I initially set out to do. My dear husband is very kind to gently remind me to stay focused. While both tasks are completed he asserts that it would be more efficient to do one then the other. I don’t know if this is always true, but there are probably times when my attention would be better undivided than split between multiple tasks. At school, I want to model this for my students. My students have a To-Do-List that is ever changing as assignments are completed and assigned. At the beginning of the year I spent a lot of time practicing this with my class so that they can manage their own time and still complete their work. After returning from winter break I’ve noticed an increase in unfinished work at the end of the week when we do work-check conferences. I think it is time to revisit the expectations for using the To-Do List (which has Must Assignments, Catch-up Tasks, and May Do Activities). This week I will commit to dedicate re-teaching time to this.
Plan:
Last week my small group of students developed their understanding of how to set goals and plan out the steps they needed to take to reach that goal. This week I hope to help them make a connection between these steps and putting first things first. I also want to them to be sure they fully understand the re-teaching I will do with the entire class that I mentioned above. This group of students has had many incomplete assignments and I’d like them to brainstorm some ideas of ways to help solve this problem. I had them view the Thomas Suarez Ted Talk video and then discuss ways they thought he exhibited the habits we have discussed so far. Even though this video does not directly address the 7 Habits the student in the video clearly has a grasp of these habits. They were highly engaged in this discussion and I think seeing another kid being successful really helped them see the purpose of learning these habits.