The High-Performance Administrator - April 2011

Justin Baeder

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashawolff/3222809122/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsuph001/2613804125/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elwillo/4509654631/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/denverjeffrey/1950409800/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/msstewart/4272079103/

1. Never has anything on it, except what I’m working on right now

2. Messy sometimes, but I try to leave it clean at the end of the day

3. Piles of paper are bar graphs showing my importance

4. I haven’t seen it in a while

Rate Your Desk

http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/2122108119/http://www.flickr.com/photos/titanas/3576536370/

“A _____ for __________ and

__________ in its _____.”

FebJan

DecNov

OctSept

Aug

JulyJune

MayApril

109

87

65

4

Mar31

3029

2827

2625

2423

2221

2019

18

1615

1413

1211

today

Feb 2012

Tickler File

17

42

1

3

• Trash or forward• Next Action Stickies To-Do List• Tickler File• Reference File• To Read• Log & file

Paper Workflow

•Get out conference handouts & other papers in your bag

•Add sticky note: file, recycle, copy for ___, read later, add to agenda/to-do list, etc.

•Don’t deal with it now – just make a decision

Next Action Stickies

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwalsh_/2448345334/

Writeeverything

down.

• Handle each item as few times as possible

• Separate actionable & non-actionable items

• Create the destinations you need• “Hide” things you aren’t ready to

work on yet

To-Do Listhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/robandstephanielevy/4668030838/

To-Do List Owner’s Guide

• Write everything down• Process inbox regularly (to empty)• Create new agendas/contexts• Work by agenda/context• Purge items with < 100% commitment• Keep a separate “maybe” list

OmniFocus (iPad)

OmniFocus (iPhone)

Remember The Milk

Remember The Milk

Communication

• Push not post

• Assume disinterest

• Eliminate friction

• Don’t write Sunday night

Agendas

Calendarhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/katietegtmeyer/124315323/

Organization≠

Motivation

•Deadline-driven tasks and appointments only

•Alerts/reminders on phone or computer

•Recurring time-sensitive tasks (e.g. take out trash)

Calendar

http://www.flickr.com/photos/esparta/1609874001/

• Keep status accurate (read/unread)

• Postpone: NudgeMail• Goal: Inbox Zero

• Recurring situations standard responses

• PhraseExpress, TextExpander, or text file

•Brainstorm categories, e.g. spam

•Compare with someone else•Useful boilerplate

• Unsubscribe• Read FYIs on phone;

mark others as unread• Add tasks to to-do list• Use PhraseExpress

(Win) or TextExpander (Mac)

• Use keyboard shortcuts

• Keep Outlook closed(at least turn off alerts)

• Handle email at your convenience

• Save & add keywords for search

• Don’t over-file• Set the example

Email Tips

Instructional leaders influenceteachers, who influence

students, who are the bottom line.

Our effectiveness directly impacts the lives of students.

Thank you for all you do each day.

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Handouts: Write email address on sheet