"Fail to Plan...Plan to Fail"

Greetings! I hope you all are having a good semester thus far.  This week I add myself to the stressful group of students that tend to fall into the "unorganized" hole.  I like to say that I am very organized and stay on top all my "to do" lists but this week I slacked off.  I guess the constant struggle between preparing for a big murder trial at work, negotiating with vendors and caterers for my daughter's Quinceanera (Sweet 15), caring for a 4-month old with a bad cold, staying on top of my assignments, and caring for 4 other children was too much to deal with.  I failed to organize and prioritize the various roles in my life and as a result I ended up stressed and worse than when I started.

I am usually very organized and never procrastinate, but I guess everything hit me at the same time and I gave up.  Therefore, I have chosen to write about the importance of organizational skills and planning.  These skills aid in the ability to stay on task, manage tasks and events more easily, and be more productive.  Good organizational skills are needed to plan your day and prioritize projects.  Being effective and successful is a must in the education field.  As educators, we cannot and should not procrastinate or be unorganized.  Being an effective educator is a result of how well we prioritize and organize our lives.  Not only should we be able to organize but we should be able to manage our time.  Time management helps in managing our personal and professional lives.  I was sidetracked with all that I had to do so I became overwhelmed, stressed, and unorganized.  I did not manage my time by utilizing my calendar and planner the way I normally do and as a result, I missed some important tasks and became very stressed.  

It is very important to stay balanced and organized in everything you do.  Lack of organization leads to procrastination, stress, and even depression.  It is very easy to become stressed and overwhelmed when you are not achieving the results that you want so you then can become depressed and inefficient in life.  What are some things that you do to stay on task and organized? Is there a balance between work, rest, and play? Below are some tips to better manage your time and stay organized: 

• Plan each day.
• Prioritize your tasks
• Say no to non-essential tasks
• Delegate
• Take the time you need to perform a quality job
• Break large, time consuming tasks into smaller ones
• Practice the 10 minute rule which simply means you work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day until done
• Evaluate your time
• Limit distractions
• Get plenty of sleep
• NEVER forget to take a break

I know I will try to do these things and hope to become a better, more productive educator, mother, employee, and student.  I hope we all take the time we need to be better individuals and master the tasks that are set out for each of us.  Remember, "If you fail to plan then you plan to fail!"