Transcript Slide 1

Multitasking Is a Myth
"To do two things at once is to do neither."
Publilius Syrus, 100 A.D., Roman philosopher
About the Presenters
Jeromey Sheets, Ed.D.
Paul Young, Ph.D.
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15 year veteran principal
Has led four schools
Past President of OAESA
NAESP State Representative
Last school earned 8/8 on Ohio
Report Card
One OAESA Hall of Fame
School
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19 year veteran principal
Has led four schools
Past President of OAESA
Past President of NAESP
Last school earned highest
district scores in reading (Gr. 1,
4 & 6)
Two OAESA Hall of Fame
Schools
Retired CEO, National
AfterSchool Association
Principals face
NEW DEMANDS
but often with insufficient
resources
There appear to be no “edges” to the work
As a Result…
You May Have Hit a Brick Wall When You …
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dread Monday mornings
never seem to be able to catch up
always run behind schedule
overlook or forget obligations
lose energy and passion for work
feel stressed or depressed
can no longer balance work and family
obligations
• your office is always in a state of chaos
• fail to have fun
“You cannot be burned out unless you first have caught on fire!”
Presentation Goals
Review and further develop strategies that…
• improve a vision of time
management
• help principals reduce stress
and increase their productivity
• effectively organize a principal’s
work day
• rethink common practices
related to multitasking
If you continue to do what
you’ve already been doing,
don’t be surprised if you
continue to get the same
results –
and still feel stressed out!
Trying to
“Do It All”
Really Means
“Nothing Done Well”
Multitasking may seem to be
saving time, but psychologists,
neuroscientists, and other
researchers report that it
causes stress and makes us
less efficient
Multitasking Bans
Multitasking Bans
• College classrooms - students using laptops
inappropriately (e-mails, instant messages, Web
surfing, playing games)
• Airline industry - “Sterile cockpit” rule
• Hospitals – nurses’ administration of medication
• Cell phones usage while driving in most countries
• Nineteen states ban texting while driving
• Business - Quiet hours/days
With some simple tweaks in the environment,
positive behaviors can be developed.
What might look like a people problem
is more often a situation problem.
The Reality of Multitasking
• Humans multitask
• Decide when and when not
to multitask
• If you must multitask, the
focus on the primary task
must not be more important
than those that are
secondary
POLL
Which of these three 1. Time to read
job-related priorities do
2. Time to work
you think have been
with students
pushed aside in your
daily schedule because 3. Time for
of multitasking and/or
coaching staff
excessive demands on
members
your time?
Understand A Key
Differential in
Multitasking
Active switchtasking
Passive switchtasking
The Brain Cannot Toggle
Effectively
The Sample Test
W r i t e t h i s s e n t e n c e o n e l e t t e r a t a t i m e.
W________________________________________________.
1_________________________________________________.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
W________________________________________________.
1_________________________________________________.
Modified from The Myth of Multitasking, 2008, Dave Crenshaw, Jossey-Bass
Active and Passive Switchtasking
Cue/start at about 1:10 – end at approx. 3:00
Cue to approx. 1:06
1 to 1 Huddles - Switchbuster by Dave Crenshaw
Learn how “1 to 1 Huddles” could become
an effective strategy that leads to
effective communication and direction for
principals’ key staff
Typical Slice of Your Day?
10:00
10:10
10:11
10:16
10:17
10:18
10:20
10:22
10:25
10:30
research and write/type report (due after lunch)
respond to secretary, custodian, or staff question
return to writing/typing – must review
call from superintendent, change of meeting time
email inbox message sounded (ding!!)
read email, then catch up on others
reply to email from parent
return to writing/typing report – must proofread
staff member stop-in question “got a minute?”
call/question about intervention for a child
Private
Restroom for
a
Multitasking
Principal
Most Common Interruptions
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“Got a minute?”
walk-in visitors
e-mail audibly arriving in your inbox
land-phone calls
cell-phone calls
office noises; staff questions
voluntary switching between tasks
being called away for assistance
You can have several
programs and/or screens
open at once on your
desktop,
but you can only think about
one at a time
Despite what many of us
think, you cannot
simultaneously e-mail and
talk on the phone
Can you recognize the
“email voice”?
POLL
What distractor would
you most like to
address in order to
restructure your
workday, avoid
interruptions, and
avoid the dangers of
active switching
1. “Got a
minute?”
2. Office
referrals
(students)
3. Parent walkins
Multitasking Can Set a Poor Example
Does this ever happen in your school?
You may not have flagrant
examples of multitasking
addicts in your school, but you
may have…
• teachers/students using social media
during class time
• cell phone calls in classrooms
• hallway/outdoors distractions
• unstructured interruptions
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You need…
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uninterrupted work blocks
think time
self-awareness
awareness of others
clear communications
less stress
structure in your day
visibility
You Don’t Need More…
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iPads
iPods
iPhones
PDAs
Computers
Pagers
Fax machines
Email addresses
New methods, accessories, or tools
“The hurrier I go,
the behinder I get.”
--anonymous
A Dilemma for Leaders…
No matter how busy you think you
are, you must always take time to
make other people feel important
Create an expectation
of availability
Can You Categorize and
Quantify Your Daily Work?
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Talking
Listening
Walking
Typing/Writing
Reading
Thinking
Reacting
POLL
Of the categorical
tasks that comprise
principals’ daily
work, which do you
think consumes the
most of your time
each day?
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Talking
Listening
Walking
Typing/Writing
Reading
Thinking
Reacting
New Practices - New Realities
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Perfect the practice of visioning
Develop a comfortable work plan
Organize
Empower
Delegate
Know your facts – but drill them deeper
Keep the “Monkeys” Off Your Back
Keep the Monkeys Off Your Back
• “Monkeys” are problems
teachers deal with (student
behavior)
• Don’t take on problems that
should be handled at a lower
level of the school hierarchy
• Empower staff
• Be decisive
Improve Your Mental Health –
Simplify Your Work
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Set up to-do lists (calls, computer, errands, home, waiting-for, etc.)
Use a capture tool (such as a notes app or notebook)
Have one physical and one email inbox
Plan your day in blocks (work and miscellaneous tasks)
First thing in the morning, work on your Most Important Task
Turn off distractions (email, Internet, cell phone)
Train yourself to avoid the urge to check email or switch tasks
Train your secretary and staff when you MUST be interrupted
Process your email and other inboxes at regular and predetermined intervals
• Take breaks, enjoy life, go outside, exercise, and appreciate nature
What if your Principal
work day looked like this?
7:15
7:45
8:00
8:15
8:45
9:00
9:05
9:25
10:00
10:15
11:00
11:30
office (email; US mail; paperwork; planning)
meeting with custodian or secretary
meeting with secretary or custodian
open door time for staff
open door time for community
opening activities
open door time for community
walk-throughs
phone calls; email; note writing
Work Block – I
observations
lunch/playground
12:00
12:45
1:00
1:30
2:15
2:30
3:15
3:30
3:35
4:00
4:15
5:00
5:30
open office (teachers, staff, visitors)
phone calls; email; US Mail; office staff time
Work Block - II
observations
walk-throughs
scheduled meetings
open door time for community
dismissal
open door time for community; staff
phone calls; email; meetings
Work Block – III
home
exercise
Family Time
You must be able to envision your day before, not as, it unfolds
What if your Assistant Principal or
Afterschool Program Director days were synched?
10:00
10:15
10:20
10:30
11:30
11:45
12:00
12:15
12:45
1:00
2:00
3:00
3:30
4:00
4:30
4:45
5:30
6:00
6:30
office (email; US mail; paperwork; planning)
meeting with custodian or secretary
meeting with custodian or secretary
Work Block - I
office (email; US mail; paperwork; planning)
open door time for staff
open door time for community
lunch/conference time
office (email; US mail; paperwork; planning)
Work Block – II
program preparations
open time for after school staff
program supervision
collaboration with school staff
email; phone calls; planning
open time for parents
program wrap-up
home
exercise
Family Time
You must be able to envision your day before, not as, it unfolds.
Tips for the Road
• Set clear, attainable expectations
• Respect the time your key staff needs with you
• Always have your calendar with you and never
commit to a meeting or adjourn one without
scheduling all the stakeholders for the next one
• Always allow travel time between your activities
• Train your staff and community to work with your
schedule
• Learn to walk and talk – meeting in motion (perhaps
one multitasking activity we can do)
• Revise your schedule as needed
Slow and Steady
Wins the Race
Potential Achilles Heels
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Desire/Determination
Visionless culture
Calendar management
Coordinating
Clutter
Habits
Delegation
Empowerment
Recurring Meetings
Follow-up
Lack of Fitness
Always Saying Yes!
You can’t implement or achieve
any successful change process
without practice
What is Multitasking?
Just a polite way of
telling someone that
you haven’t heard a
word they said
The challenge to get things done
is yours
Only you can decide to commit
to a change process that will
improve your work habits
• Saturday, July 12, 10:15-11:45 a.m.
• Canal C – Gaylord Opryland Resort and
Convention Center
Meet Us In Nashville!!
Share your vision of positive school
culture with other principals
Suggested Readings
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Allen, D. (2001). Getting things done. New York: Viking Penguin Group.
Author (2004). We Weren't Made To Multitask. ScienceDaily. American Physiological
Society. June 8.
Blanchard, K. Oncken, W. & Burrows, H. (1989). The one minute manager meets the
monkey. New York: William Morrow and Company.
Crenshaw, D. (2008). The myth of multitasking. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Heath, C. & Heath, D. (2010). Switch. How to change things when change is hard.
New York, Broadway Books.
Lehrer, J. (2009). How we decide. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Linenberger, M. (2010). Master your workday now! San Ramon, CA: New Academy
Publishers.
Rosen, C. (2008) The Myth of Multitasking. The New Atlantis, Number 20, p. 105-110.
Rubinstein, J., Meyer, D., & Evans, J. (2001). Executive Control of Cognitive
Processes in Task Switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception
and Performance, 27 (4), 763-797.
Shellenbarger, S. (2003). Multitasking Makes You Stupid: Studies Show Pitfalls of
Doing Too Much at Once. Wall Street Journal; New York, 02-27-2003.
Weimer, M. (2012). Students Think They Can Multitask. Here’s Proof They Can’t.
www.facultyfocus.com
Presenter Contact Information
Jeromey M. Sheets, Ed.D.
2625 Wheeling Rd NE
Lancaster, OH 43130
740-503-0617 (C)
740-654-1820 (H)
[email protected]
www.lancaster.k12.oh.us
Paul G. Young, Ph.D.
485 Crestview Drive
Lancaster, OH 43130
614-296-4246 (C)
740-653-6553 (H)
[email protected]
www.youngprinciples.com