Sunday, October 2, 2011

Getting Things Done; argh!

In order to complete the Getting Things Done project, I used the "Stickies" on my laptop.  I am a big fan of "To Do" lists; I like the satisfaction of crossing off or erasing completed tasks.  Since I am still overwhelmed with the process of my move to Germany, I have many things that need to get done.  It would be easy if I had arrived here before the school year started because I may have been able to get a few of these tasks done before the actual teaching and lesson planning began.  Maybe I'd feel more in control of the situation, but that's life.  As I glance at my list, I realize that none of the projects I want to complete with my classes using all the new Google apps is even on there!  How terrible.

Going through this process for the first time was overwhelming...I know I used that word above, and it pertains to this process as well.  Even as I'm typing this, more and more tasks are coming into my head that need to be completed in the next week or so.  It's lending some stress to my brain right now.  Organizing the list into what seemed like more manageable components helped a little bit until I got to the "Waiting for" section.  Once I'd filled out that section, I become very stressed out again because those are the situations or tasks that I am unable to control until someone else does their job.  I expect people to do their jobs, just like others expect me to do mine.  Sometimes this means there are times I need to "let it go" and relax, and put my trust in others.  I'm learning how to do that. 

However, upon completion of the process, I realized there were a couple of tasks that I could get done immediately, so I completed them, but I still have many to get done.  One of the major things I want to get done is developing a Google Calendar for my class website.  Most of my students have access to the internet at home, and so do their parents, so I'd like to create this as a pathway to communication between home and school.  It may eliminate unnecessary confusion as to what assignments are due when, and make both students and parents aware of important dates such as projects, quizzes, and tests.

I'm not sure that I'll continue this process.  Like I said above, it made me worry more than feel organized.  I'm going to try it a couple of other times; perhaps it will grow on me, and I'll begin to feel more confident with doing it this way.  If, after the next couple of times, it hasn't gotten easier, I will return to having tasks and alerts set into my iCal to help me get everything done on time.

1 comment:

  1. Boy, that Waiting For piece seems to generate a lot of stress for people. Yes, waiting for others to do their part before your work can be completed must be nerve wracking. Maybe a modified version of GTD is what you need. ^o^

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