Monday, November 7 -- Weeks 10 and 11 TRADITIONAL CALENDAR

Kudos to A'Diamond for putting academic success first and for sharing her leadership journey with me!  

 

Weeks 10 and 11 began last week.  Because we are learning about Stephen Covey's habits, the assignments are spread out over 2 weeks/modules.  Weeks 10 and 11 will be due together on Monday, November 14.  I recommend being done with Week 10 by today so that you are on schedule to finish Week 11 by next Monday.

I will be grading make-up work today so that the progress report grade I report tomorrow is accurate.  Please check your grade at the end of the day and let me know if something is missing.

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."  - Goethe

The 3rd habit is to Put First Things First.  To be effective, you must be a good manager of time.  You used a Covey Quadrant in Week 4 as a time management tool.  As you explore Habit #4, consider what worked for you in Week 4 and what did not? What can you do differently to be sure you are putting "first things first"?

How do you make the changes necessary to put things first?

Check out this info from behavior change specialist Judith Martin (Links to an external site.) is a behavior change specialist.  According to Martin, you should put the important and not the urgent things.  To do so, she recommends the following guidelines:

1. Coherence: Keep a list in your planner naming your short- and long-term goals, and the roles you have.
2. Balance: Your roles and goals, your health, family and development should be balanced in your schedule.
3. Focus: Organize on a weekly basis so you can check if all roles are included in your week. You can still shift some during your day or as the days pass. Weekly planning provides a better overview.
4. Subordinate schedules to people: When people and relationship come in play, you need to realize their importance over the scheduled activities.
5. Flexibility: “Your planning tool should be your servant, never your master,” says Covey. Plan as it suits you and how you are, not as you think you should.
6. Portable: Keep your schedule with you most of the time. You might want to check the schedule, or the goals on it. Or to compare what you planned with new opportunities.

How do you apply the six qualities into your week schedule?

Here are tips from Judith Martin to help you get started on applying Covey's ideas to your life:

• Define your roles. Think about your different roles during the upcoming week.
• Select your goals. Which goals do you want to accomplish within each of the roles you defined? Write down one or two as part of your schedule.
• Schedule your week. Start with filling those hours that can only be spent during office hours, or on Saturdays.
• Adapt daily. With your schedule written down, daily planning becomes daily adapting. Take a few minutes each morning to reconsider your current schedule.

For more information about this habit, go to a blog devoted to the 3rd Covey Habit at http://personalexcellence.co/blog/put-first-things-first/ (Links to an external site.)

Message me in the course (use the inbox or send me a message from the gradebook, text/call me outside of Canvas at 919-435-2008, email me at melissa.dettman@ncpublicschools.gov, or message me using Remind.  If I do not answer right away, I will answer as soon as I can and definitely within 24 hours.  You can also get help using the Peer Tutoring Center -- click on the PTC quick link on our homepage.