13 Productivity Tips to Make 2015 Your Best Year Yet. With the New Year right around the corner, it’s a good time to evaluate your work habits (yes, in addition to your fitness routine and maybe even your haircut). Especially for you creative freelancers out there, productivity often equals money, happiness and general well-being. We found 13 tips that are sure to revamp your working style, allowing you to spend more time doing the things you love. 1. Hours Time Tracking App: The first step to maximizing your productivity potential is tracking how much time it takes you to do things now, at a normal pace. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 15 Minute Music Breaks: If you’re lucky enough to spend your days working with your headphones on, you’ve probably figured out that it’s difficult to concentrate when a song you love comes on. 11. 12. 13.
How do you plan to stay productive in the New Year? Amanda is a freelance writer and graphic designer who blogs about living a stylishly nerdy life at The Spendicate. 10 things parents should unlearn. “We need to educate the parents.” I’ve heard that statement three times in the past week alone. Once was while discussing the purpose of student portfolios. The second was in the context of making our PYP exhibition more student led, focusing more on the learning than the presentation. The third related to student led conferences.
Apparently most parents want time to discuss their children’s learning without the learner present. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming the parents. 10 things I think (some) parents should unlearn… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 1o. I won’t elaborate at the moment, as I’d rather have your input. One of the most visited posts on this blog was 10 things TEACHERS should unlearn. Like this: Like Loading... Want to be successful? Be a sponge. Cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo shared by George Couros I have worked with some brilliant leaders and educators and I have noticed the same things about all of them. They listen. No matter their position, they are successful because they see every opportunity as an opportunity to learn. Even when they are in a higher position than myself, they see an interaction with myself and others as an opportunity for them to always stay on top of their game.
The other things that I notice is that although they know they do not have all of the answer, they sure have a lot of questions. Leaders continue to ask questions. When I think of thought leaders in my school district, I think of people like Jesse McLean and Travis McNaughton, and the amazing ability they have as well as their insights regarding education. “Every change requires effort, and the decision to make that effort is a social process…human interaction is the key force in overcoming resistance and speeding change.” Is a School Awards Ceremony the BEST We Can Do? This I Believe. I wanted to think about my own “Educational Leadership Philosophy” and put it into words as I come into the new school year. As I write this down, I love the picture below that reminds me it is not only what we say, but what we do that matters. cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo shared by Soliya Education and school have traditionally been the hub of our communities.
Not only for the wisdom and knowledge that they create for our present and future, but for the connections that they create amongst a community. As a leader, I believe in bringing a community together to share leadership in many different avenues. Through this value on developing leadership, our schools are more open not only to navigate but to lead change as well. One of those changes in our world is a shift to an open and transparent environment. To be successful, people must have a purpose within our organization. 3 Conversation Starters for the School Year. Last year, as I documented some of the crucial things that we needed to discuss to further innovative practices in our school, I feel more prepared to have some crucial conversations in my role this year.
I wrote a few blog posts to help guide my own learning but I wanted to put them on one post as a focus for next year. Below are some posts that I am hoping others can use as conversation starters with staff as they prepare for the 2013-2014 school year. 1. Is your digital citizenship practice a pass or fail? Several schools are looking at improving the opportunities for “digital citizenship” in schools, yet are sometimes missing crucial elements. Hopefully, this rubrics is beneficial to see where your school is at, while also sparking some necessary conversations. 2. 4 Guiding questions for your IT department I love the following quote from Harriet Rubin: “Freedom is actually a bigger game than power.
How does this improve learning? 3. Does Your School Have a Culture of Curiosity and Trust? Time Brown, CEO of Ideo: Any organization that wants to innovate, wants to be prepared to innovate, I think, has to have a few things in place. One is-and perhaps the most important thing is-methods for having an open mind. A sense of inquiry, of curiosity is essential for innovation. And the quickest way for removing curiosity in my opinion is to have organizations that are too inward-facing, that don’t spend enough time out in the world, particularly with their customers or the people they would like to have as customers or the parts of the world that they would like to have customers in. But a sense of curiosity, an openness, a sense of empathy for the world, for people whose problems they might be trying to solve-that’s essential.A second thing that’s important is an ability to create spaces where trust can happen, where risks can get taken.
Schools are by and large incurious and risk averse. Teachers: Finished products or works in progress? Top performers in any field have one common characteristic: they are always trying to get better. If given a box to check on whether they are “finished products” or “works in progress,” they would check the latter. Carol Dweck’s research would refer to this difference as a fixed and growth mindset. These top performers accept and embrace performing before an audience because most of their real work is not done in the spotlight; it is done in practice and rehearsal.
These top performers are able make sure they are ready and prepared before they step into the spotlight of a performance or event. These top performers persist in their efforts to get better, even in the face of criticism and failure. Teaching is another field of endeavor where the top performers view themselves as “works in progress.” There are several other reasons why the teaching profession doesn’t always receive respect from the general public: Practice talking about practice.
Don't Be Afraid to Give Direct Feedback. Until several years ago, I had a hard time confronting my subordinates with direct, straight-up critical feedback. I didn't want the awkwardness I thought would come from telling someone he wasn't doing his job correctly. However, I grew out of this feeling over time and found constructive, professional ways to provide critical feedback.
Starting the Conversation A New York Times interview with Karen May, Vice President for People Development at Google, got me thinking anew about my period of feedback insecurity. Below is an excerpt from the article: Q: Many CEOs I've interviewed talk about how hard it is for people to give direct feedback. A: Absolutely. Q: If you've identified something that isn't going well, then you're likely to be asked, "How do I fix it?
" A: As a coach, I was often in the position of giving people feedback they hadn't heard before, after I interviewed a bunch of people they work with. Ask Reflective Questions see more see less. Ignoring the Status Quo. Cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo shared by Steve Worsethandetroit “Innovation has an inherent distaste for best practices because it is about new solutions, not copying existing solutions.” Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant Two years ago, I wrote a post as I attended the 2011 Canadian Association of School Administrators entitled, “This is not optional anymore”. In the post, I was quite concerned about what I was seeing many “leaders” model at the conference in the use of technology to improve learning through the effective use of technology and how they were pushing this notion forward: Our educational administrators however really need to get going on this.
Now attending the same conference two years later, I was dismayed at the opening speaker really focusing on how we shouldn’t jump in and almost making technology seem like a fad. Not an inspiring way to start a conference where the focus is technology on improving learning. “Learning and innovation go hand in hand. If You Aren’t Scared, You Aren’t Leading. Do you find leadership daunting? Even scary? I do. Frankly, I think we should. Leading others carries a huge responsibility. It is not for the faint of heart, for those afraid of being wrong, for those who want comfort and stability, or for those who need external affirmation. I’ve been doing more mentoring lately of C-suiters, those in line for the C-suite and entrepreneurs (serial, new, aspiring). When you’re a leader, people look to you for direction, discernment and hope.
That’s why I think the best leaders are humble and vulnerable with a quiet confidence…enough confidence to ask “Why” and “Why not”, to say, “I don’t know” and “Will you help me?” You build trust because you know your stuff very well but not flawlessly;You are competent because, aside from ‘book knowledge’ and experience, you are willing to learn, listen, be open-minded and trust other opinions as well as your own. So, what about you and the leaders around you – who you work for, with and nurture.
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