Ensure that the clock doesn’t become your enemy by following these strategies for time management.
by David Coley and Chris Hitch
Principal, September/October 2010
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Successful sports coaches are effective clock managers. When a team is ahead and time is running down, a coach will tell players, “The clock is your friend.” The coach directs the players to protect the ball by making smart decisions, not rushing, and slowing down the tempo of the game. If the team is behind, however, the clock becomes the team’s enemy, and the coach pushes the team to speed up, take risks, and when necessary, allows one player to take more shots.

Just like winning coaches, busy school leaders must also learn to effectively manage the clock. With the pressure of rising expectations for improved performance—but the constraints of smaller budgets and fewer resources—it is understandable if you feel like you lose more often than you win. Pressure and stress can lead you to make decisions too quickly and reduce the appropriate level of staff involvement and collaboration. Here are some practical tips on how to manage the clock by taking control, involving others, and making smarter decisions.

Get Organized

The typical principal has more than 500 daily interactions, most of which last only a few seconds. These interactions include conversations in the parking lot, phone calls, e-mail exchanges, and brief chats with staff and parents. Many administrators have numerous collec­tion points for these interactions, such as notes on scraps of paper, Post-its, and legal pads. But if you have to look in multiple places to remember what you wrote down, you increase the likelihood of wasting time or forgetting something. Reduce the number of collection points so you spend less time looking for your notes and more time processing the information and getting it off your desk. You can use paper-based or digital tools; each has advantages.

Paper Tools. Paper is convenient, especially when you are writing short notes. Unfortunately, paper-based col­lection is not easily searchable.

Small note cards are the perfect tool for jotting down notes. They are large enough for one complete thought and work well for collecting information from multiple interactions during the day. Put a dozen or so in your pocket as you make your rounds. When you see a maintenance problem, jot the item down to pass on to the custodian or a secretary to complete a work order. Questions for follow-up can go on a card for you to respond to by e-mail, or record the decision on the card to respond at a later time. You can also write quick notes to teachers as you do classroom walkthroughs.

Deal with all the paper and reports on your desk by using 43 file folders. Thirty-one of the folders are numbered 1-31, one for each day of the month; the other 12 are for each month of the year. Simply drop papers and lists of tasks that need to get done on a particular day into the appropriate file. When you come in each morning, select the file folder for that date and work through the tasks intended for that day. As you receive mail or reports that require you to respond, high­light the date and place it in the corresponding day or month the report is due. On the last day of the month, move the stored documents to the day folders for the next month.

Digital Tools. The advantage of digital-based notes—using the notes or voice memo capabilities of a smart­phone or PDA—is that they are easily searchable by using keywords. You can also use transcription services that convert voicemail messages to e-mails, then edit the text and place it in a file. Look for the following features when choosing a note-taking application.

• Ability to synch with your computer and to multiple Internet browsers;
• Quick loading from the Internet to your smartphone; and
• Import and export capabilities.

Conquering E-mails. Now that you have cleaned off your desk and devel­oped a method for collecting infor­mation, you need to get a handle on e-mails. You probably receive 70 to 90 e-mail messages a day. You can respond to some of these immediately and others you can’t. We suggest the two-minute rule: If you can process it in two minutes, do it now.

Most e-mail programs allow you to create multiple folders for storing and retrieving messages. Create three folders labeled Follow Up, Reference, and Action to store e-mails requiring responses that take longer than two minutes. Set aside time at the end of the day to process the most urgent e-mail messages in your action folder.

After you have set up the proper e-mail fold­ers, use the D4 method: delete, delegate, do, or defer. Two of your best allies in time management are the delete key and the trash can. Your first move when dealing with new information is to trash the junk, wheth­er it is electronic or paper. Ask your sec­retary to filter out all of the junk mail to free you to do more important tasks.

The next step is to decide whether to delegate the task or do it yourself. If you decide to delegate, forward the e-mail or write the person’s name on the docu­ment to hand over later.

The last step is to either complete the task immediately or defer it to another time. This requires some judgment. If you can complete the task quickly (remember the two-minute rule), do so. If you suspect that the task will take longer, defer it to another time. Place the e-mail in the follow-up e-mail folder or put the document in one of the 43 file folders.

Involve the Team

Teamwork often suffers when you are in a hurry, which—ironically—is when teamwork is needed most. Deciding when and how to involve others is one of the most important decisions a principal makes. Some administrators are reluctant to delegate tasks because they want things done a certain way.

Failure to delegate, however, will result in an overdependence on you and the underutilization of other staff members. Developing and stretching the capac­ity of people around you will free you to focus on things that matter most— teaching and learning. In contrast, del­egation without proper monitoring and support is also poor management. Here are three systems for involving your team to get tasks done correctly.

Key Individual File Folders. Cre­ate a file folder for key individuals and groups with which you frequently interact. For example, these folders might be labeled assistant principals, lead secretary, counselors, department or grade-level chairs, parent organiza­tions, or athletic department. Each time you record an issue that needs to be addressed (remember the note cards), place the note in the appropriate file. When you meet with that individual, pull the file and refer to the topics on the cards. This process has the advan­tage of creating an instant agenda and saving time by batching conversations.

Delegation Tracking Sheet. Next, you need a process for tracking what you have delegated and when the task should be completed. A written record, such as a task tracker, can provide con­firmation of what you assigned to key individuals. Create a sheet for each per­son and staple it inside the file folder for that person. The sheet has a column for the action item, date assigned, date due, and a revised due date when needed. When you meet with the indi­vidual, determine the due date and record it on the task tracker. The simple act of writing the date down while you are meeting with someone increases the likelihood that the person will get the job done. When the sheet is full, remove it from the file and put it in the appropriate personnel file for reference when you begin work on his or her performance review.

Calendar. Your calendar helps you anticipate upcoming events, activities, and due dates and prevents you from dropping the ball on important items. Once you delegate a task, write the task and due date on your daily calendar, then record the item and the initials of the person who is supposed to complete the project at the top of the day it is due. Two or three days before the due date, remind the responsible person about the deadline and ask if he or she needs additional information from you to complete the task. If you use an elec­tronic calendar, you can put comments in the notes section of the calendar item and flag it for importance.

Make the Most of Meetings

Preparing a tight and focused agenda is the single most important way to increase the productivity of time spent in meetings. There are a number of ways to craft a useful agenda, but it will help to have a template that you use each time. Using a standard format helps staff members know what to expect and provides a sense of continu­ity. Decide on a format that fits your needs and use it for several months. Have all the teams in your school adopt a similar format for their meet­ings as well.

Determine one or two desired out­comes of the meeting. Disseminating information is not an objective. That kind of task is best handled through e-mail or posting announcements on an electronic bulletin board. If you are having trouble coming up with a solid objective, ask your team for input or feedback. Once an agenda is pre­pared, distribute a draft copy and ask if additional items need to be added. If you don’t have specific objectives, don’t meet.

Meetings are opportunities to involve others in visible roles as facilitators. This also gives you the chance to listen, observe, and participate as a member of the team. Ask someone to facilitate one of the desired outcomes well in advance of the meeting. With his or her help, determine the process for reach­ing the outcome for that agenda item. The facilitator might need to present new information or review notes from a previous meeting. The group might want to discuss their impressions and concerns or need more clarification before moving to agreement. A specific amount of time should be assigned for each agenda item. That will help keep the meeting moving and finish on time. Take notes and record next steps and action items as a result of the decisions made.

Call Timeout

Many administrators believe an open door policy means that their office door must be open at all times. This is a misunderstanding of an otherwise well-intended idea. One principal said, “Just because my door is open doesn’t mean that I want folks to come in.” If that is what you are thinking, then staff members will quickly recognize that they are not really welcome. A few strategic timeouts each day will make you more productive, reduce the number of interruptions, and help you become a better communicator when people drop in. It’s OK to call a timeout and close your door to return phone calls, respond to e-mails, or finish a report. Staff members prefer that you be fully present when they share a concern or seek advice.

These strategies will help you manage the clock and get more done as a result. Implemented with a little thought and preparation, they will make an imme­diate impact on how you use time, which is one of your most important resources.

David Coley, a former principal, is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

Chris Hitch, a former principal, is program director for government executives at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

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