Managing Workflow
I have been doing quite a bit of thinking recently about managing workflow. All school leaders have an infinite amount of work to do. There is always the tension between the important and the urgent.
But once you get down to it there are things I have found help me to actually get the work done. I am predominantly digital and much of my professional life is on my Mac laptop:
1. I keep as much of my work digital as I can. I email a lot. My calendar is iCal and a key tool to my organisation of what I am doing.
2. I use Growl – with lots of extensions installed – to let me know when new messages come in, when I have a new message on Skype, etc. I then get to read mail messages without flicking to the programme itself.
3. Adium is a neat wee application that pulls iChat etc into one small window. Skype and Adium are on all the time and I use them in very transactional ways to connect with the people that I need to anywhere in the world.
4. My Mail only checks once an hour to reduce distractions.
5. My inbox is a sort of ‘to do’ list. I use a Mail extension called Letterbox to change how Mail looks – into two columns – so I can read the message in one screen full for most messages. This saves a lot of scrolling and flicking around the screen.
6. I have a notebook. A good old spiral bound analogue notebook. And I use this to keep all the business cards, notes, scribbles, etc that I need to keep track of. Lots of stuff glued in.
7. I run a 20″ monitor plugged into my laptop with a nice set of speakers. I have music going most of the time and work on the big screen with mail open on my laptop. Two screens is great!
8. ByteController runs my iTunes – a small application that sits in my taskbar, is easily accessed and enables me to mute, jump around or stop what is playing. Music helps me concentrate.
9. I TRY to keep my desk as clear as possible. Vain hope most of the time, but it is a goal.
10. I have a meeting table in my office and a toybox to keep wee people amused if I am needing to have a conversation with their parents. ….
11. I tweak stuff. I have quite a list of Firefox extensions running as well as specific software installed that modify things to make them look and feel how I want.
12. I have a palm Treo 650 phone that syncs to my laptop with its calendar etc using Missing Sync software. My pocket buzzes when I am supposed to be remembering things.
13. LOTS of things go into my iCal – I link to emails and paste in documents etc as well so all the information is in one place. I keep meeting notes in particular events too.
14. I try hard to keep only current stuff on the desktop of my computer. Keeping files organised is a key part of being able to find them again when I need to.
So these are some of the tricks and tweaks I use that have fallen together over the years. They work for me. I have other stuff on my blog too that I have found helpful (http://blog.core-ed.net/greg)
Anyway ....what things do you do to manage your workflow? Lets share in the comments so we can all find out what others have found successful ...
cheers
Greg
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Managing Workflow
by S. Green
Posted on 28/9/2009 9:05am
Thanks for that excellent post Greg - heaps of good ideas there. I've been battling to get effective systems in place - far too many exciting distractions around me!
Like you, I rely heavily on iCal. My secretary, DP (and wife!) are all synched so they know what I am up to. I also have the school events separate on iCal - keeps things all in one place and easy to link to the school website.
I'm always hesitant to add too many plug ins and 3rd party apps on my Mac - but am keen to have a look at the ones you have suggested.
I tend to use stickies or the Mail 'Notes' rather than a physical notebook. Just gotta make sure backups are maintained every day! Like you, I aim for a clear desk. I make sure it is clear at the end of each day, ready for a tidy start the following day. Nothing more demoralising than arriving in the morning to a pile of work scattered all over the place. Keeping the computer desktop clear is always a challenge though!
Music is essential - I have my iPhone docked to a little sound system on my desk. Of course shutting the door is always the best way to ensure work gets done - but never easy to keep shut for long in our job!