| As an educator, regardless of whether you use a | | | | classroom teacher, avoid using your planning period to |
| paper or an electronic planner, there are several | | | | respond to email or voice mail. Generally, you are |
| aspects that you need to attend to if you want to be | | | | rushed and you would be better off to use that time |
| productive (in a peaceful manner, that is). This article | | | | on higher priority projects. |
| has some specific ways to use your planner to help | | | | 5. Schedule project time. Essentially all professionals |
| this happen. | | | | have projects to work on as part of their |
| | | | responsibilities. We imagine that we will work on that |
| 1. Block time for re-entry. If you have been out of the | | | | project 'as we have a chance.' Good grief. Doesn't |
| classroom (and/or home), you need time to "re-enter" | | | | work too well, does it? Trying to do unit planning in little |
| or "re-cover." Whenever you are planning a | | | | snitches and snatches is counterproductive. Schedule |
| professional trip, a vacation, or surgery, block out time | | | | time to work on that project just like you'd schedule a |
| on your planner for "re-entry." This allows you to | | | | meeting or some other type of appointment. And then |
| process the email, voice mail, and paperwork that | | | | keep that scheduled time sacrosanct. |
| have accumulated during your absence. | | | | 6. Keep a running list of tasks in your planner. David |
| 2. Use a month-at-a-glance calendar or view. Any | | | | Allen, author of Getting Things Done, recommends that |
| good planner is going to give you a way of seeing | | | | these tasks be divided up by what type of tasks (e.g., |
| your month at a glance. This feature gives you a | | | | phone, at computer, errands, etc.) Regardless of |
| "storyboard" of your month. You can keep chaos at | | | | whether you follow that advice, do keep a list of things |
| bay by making sure that the month itself is reasonably | | | | that you need to do in your planner. It's a great place |
| balanced, even if particular days or weeks are not. As | | | | to capture the idea and then you can always refer to |
| an educator, you could (potentially) avail yourself of a | | | | your planner to see what else you need to/could be |
| game, meeting, or other event every evening of the | | | | working on. |
| week. Take a look at your month-at-a-glance calendar | | | | 7. Make notes during meetings or other appointments. |
| to see whether you have already committed to | | | | There's no sense in trying to "remember" what was |
| enough (or too many) evening/weekend events | | | | said. Write it down. If you never need it, then no |
| before adding another one. | | | | problem, but if you do, it's captured and you have a |
| 3. Use a week-at-a-glance calendar or view. | | | | written record of what was said, decided, etc. There |
| Depending on your position, you may need to also | | | | are times when the notes you made during a parent |
| have a week-at-a-glance page view so you know | | | | meeting will come in handy later. This is an |
| what is in the offing for the week. Most planners offer | | | | understatement. |
| this feature as one of the options and some of them | | | | 8. Keep your planner with you at all times. It's difficult to |
| design their whole system around the weekly calendar, | | | | follow any of these suggestions if your planner is |
| (e.g., Planner Pad). | | | | nowhere to be found (or if it's at work when you're at |
| 4. Schedule time to answer emails and voice mails | | | | home, or vice versa). |
| phone messages. If you try to do a "catch as catch | | | | I've been a planner hound for over half my life. I've tried |
| can" approach to handling emails and voice mails, | | | | most every kind and am always looking for new and |
| you're always feeling out of control and "behind.". So | | | | better ways of using a planner (whether it's paper or |
| schedule 30 minutes, 60 minutes, or whatever number | | | | electronic). Try at least one of the ideas from the list |
| of minutes you need to once or twice a day and | | | | above that you've never tried before. See how it |
| handle the electronic messages that you need to. The | | | | works, and then try another one when you're ready. |
| key here is "schedule" that time. If you are a | | | | |