Organization...not my strong suit!

Beth Maffei

Organization is something I struggle with EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!  I start out every school year with the thought in mind that this will be the year that I am super organized.  Papers from meetings will be filed. Student papers will be assessed and commentary done in a timely manner.  When copies are made, hard copies will be immediately filed.  There won't be stacks of paper, books, folders, etc. just laying around. I have a plan and I start out strong.  But then reality sets in and by October the classroom looks like a war room! I know where everything is but it looks like a disaster!  And it drives me crazy.

I also have plans for organizing my time in a more efficient manner. I have a paper calendar, an online school calendar and a google calendar.  I won't double book. I won't be late. I won't forget that something is due.  I start out strong and then it's October and I'm consistently checking calendars and/or double booking.  I'll be honest and say what I am always most focused on is my students and what we're doing and/or learning. County and school wide "stuff" takes a back seat and I need to prioritize better.

Grad school has thrown even more into the realm of "being organized" because there is a lot to do and not a lot of time to get it done.  This has put my stress level into hyper-gear and the lack of sleep it is causing is becoming an issue.

As I've been working with several principals and leaders within the county it has opened my eyes to aspects of the job I had never even considered and made me really think about the best ways to get organized and STAY organized.  There are so many "irons in the fire" if you will that it makes me wonder about the best ways our leaders keep it all together and maintain a functional level of organization....

So what do you do to stay organized? How do you manage it all in a way that you can sustain throughout the busy year? I'd love to hear (read) your thoughts on this!

Comments

  1. Nick SauersJune 13, 2017 at 4:55 AM

    Beth,

    Thanks for such an honest reflection. When you make your transition to leadership, organization will be even more important. Here are a few thoughts I have on the topic.

    1) Prioritize! Prioritize the focus of your work AND your time. You can't do everything well. Good leaders are able to say no to things that aren't top priorities. The book we are reading this summer (Essentialism) really helps with this message.

    2) . Carefully consider the message your behaviors will send. What message does it send if an administrator is late to committee work or professional development? Commit to the things that are most important to you (see point 1) and TRULY commit to those things!

    I was a principal with 1000 students and no assistant principals. I had to totally reprioritize my work. Although it was difficult, we were able to make things work well. In some ways, I would say I was a better principal in that environment because I was forced to focus only on the things that were most important.

    Dr. Sauers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJune 13, 2017 at 12:21 PM

      Thanks for your response! I am excited to read the book we have for this summer. I actually shouted "YES" when it arrived and I read the table of contents. I learn a lot by reading these types of books so I'm looking forward to it! I read The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst after some tragic events in my life a few years ago. I should probably reread after I am done with the one for class. Thanks for your feedback. I will be setting some goals and perameters for this coming school year that will help me be better organized.

      Delete

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