Time and Priority #SAVMP

Google Calendar is a contact- and time-management web application offered by Google. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Again as part of the SAVMP, George wrote:

As time management is a crucial part of leadership, I would love if others shared some advice on “time management.” I have some big beliefs on time management in schools:

1. If it is important (priority), you will make time for it.
2. You should never look at doing more, but doing things better.
3. For every thing you are willing to “add” to your plate, you need to take something off.

What are some of your thoughts/suggestions on effectively managing your time and the time of others in your school/organization?

Time management, who has time for that? Well, I guess that I do. You see, I have been refining my time management skills for years. Here are a few of my practices, in no particular order, that seem to reap the most benefits.

1. Everything goes into google calendar.
2. My administrative assistant does almost all of my scheduling.
3. Every appointment is set to give me an alert five minutes in advance. My phone beeps for each appointment (as long as I remembered to turn on the volume).
4. I am learning to say no.
5. I am learning to stay out of the things that I like, but are not Important. For example, when there is an exciting tech problem, I work hard to stay out of it. The IT/TI guy at school understands, when he starts to go into detail I give him the signal. Since we have talked about this at length, he understsands that this is not an insult - it is the opposite.
6. Trust others to do their jobs. (See #5 above)
7. Frequent reviews of my todo list. I can't follow GTD systems, but many of the precepts are helpful.
8. I schedule things like visiting classrooms so that they happen more. I usually do the things on my calendar.
9. I get tips and ideas about principal productivity from Justin Baeder at the Principal Center
10. I spend a fair amount of energy creating and tweaking systems so that I do not have to do everything myself. Fortunately, the admin assistant at my school is awesome. She gets it.

Well, that is all that I have time for on this topic (joke intended ;).