Of course, my calendar is not the only way I keep myself organized. I like to use lists. A lot of lists. If you could see my desk right now, it is littered with lined sticky notes with all kinds of lists on them. Work tasks to finish. Homework to complete. Topics to blog about. Christmas presents to buy (yes, I know that it's April!).
Not everyone writes down lists, and that's fine. My husband rarely writes down the chores he needs to accomplish at home; I suspect the idea of a "honey-do" list seems too much like me telling him what to do. Some people can just keep a running tab in their head, and that's great, as long as you're not as old and forgetful as I am. I find that if I don't write it down, it doesn't happen.
But what I'm discovering now is that making my lists as detailed as possible is helping me to feel accomplished and better plan my week. Here are two examples. Example A is what my lists used to look like. It got the job done, but it was pretty general. Now I really need to see that I've gotten something done. There's something about crossing items off my list that makes me feel empowered. Like I'm productive. And I really need to feel like that right now. So I'm using lists that look more like Example B.
Example B is exactly the same number of assignments that I need to complete as Example A, but I have a much clearer picture of what I've finished and what I actually still need to do. It helps me understand how much time I need to have set aside, and how many blocks I need to have available in the weekly calendar that you're already familiar with. I know it might seem silly, but if I say "finish book," and I've only read chapter one of twelve chapters, I don't necessarily compute that I need to allot time for eleven more chapters. This way, I know EXACTLY how much more reading I have to do, and I can do a much better job of making my schedule work the way I need.
Another strategy that people use is to prioritize their lists, either high priority items A, next highest priority items B, etc., or just numbering the list 1-10 in the order they need to be accomplished. If you have research or an outline to do before you write a paper, the second way might be helpful. If you have math to do and your list is for a certain number of chapters to tackle each day and you just naturally complete those in order, you might not need to prioritize.
And of course, you may want to put everything you need to get done - homework, chores, practicing the piano, etc., on one list, or you may want to use different lists for different types of goals. Sometimes I put my homework list and my home to-do list on the same sheet, but most of the time I divide them, because that's just how my brain works.
You may be saying to yourself, hey, I don't really have much of a schedule right now, I'm good. And you may be. Everyone has different styles. But if you're like me and occasionally think, "I have plenty of time to do... whatever," only to realize that you need three times as many hours as you anticipated, maybe you could give this a try. It might be better than having to stay up later than you had planned, or missing your families' Zoom Scattergories game because you've still got homework to do for class tomorrow.
What else are you all struggling with during this time? What could I talk about that might be helpful? Put your questions or concerns (students OR families) in the comment section, and I'll be sure to cover those.
Til later,
Ms. Nan
No comments:
Post a Comment