As much as I take pride in all my technology wisdom sometimes there are just old tools that work better.:):):)
Take my chicken time for example. This sits under my desk and is used frequently….
You now how you walk into your office or classroom and you know you are supposed to be somewhere in 10 min., 20 min. 1 hour etc.??? I just set my chicken timer. Then I tell my secretary what I set the timer for and if I leave my office and she hears it go off, she finds me and reminds me. Isn’t that a great system?!!! I have $500 iPhone and use a $1 chicken timer for reminders. Here is a list of times I set the chicken timer:
- Teacher observation in 45 min. ….set the timer!
- Recess “doodie” favor for a teacher in 10 min. ….set the timer!
- Lunch “doodie” in 20 min. …set the timer!
- Conference call in 10 min. …set the timer!
- Have my secretary interrupt a long and drawn out parent conference …set the timer!
- Be at Admin. meeting by 9AM …set the timer!
Now, how many of you are going bring your chicken timer to school? Come on, you know this is an easy and cheap reminder system.
…and you spent all that money on an iPhone…
I am currently taking a course through Missouri State University toward my Masters degree in Administration. One of our recent assignments was called Time Management and dealt with either interviewing a principal or thinking of ways a principal could better manage his/her time during the course of the school year. I came up with ideas such as ways to better handle paperwork—forms, reports, etc., what to do with email overload, how to delegate phone calls, and dealing with deadlines and navigating through bureaucracy.
I also wrote of technologies that can be used in scheduling which include electronic planners, scheduling software and in-house Student Information Systems. Little did I know that the secret lies in the “chicken timer.” I will need to pass this on to my professor.
By the way, do today’s chicken timers tick as loudly as those I remember from my childhood?
Oh my gosh you guys are cracking me up! Yes, my timer is pretty loud but that is the point! It has become a joke that every time the chicken timer goes off you have to find Melinda because she set it for something:):):) Been pretty effective actually. As far as all the other time-management tools I use here goes……..google calendars “busy-synced” to my iCal for my iPhone, gmail, google reader, You have to read Getting Things Done. I’ll try to write more later but have to get back to work. Chicken timer just went off!!!!