Procrastination Confabulation

I just finished reading a book called The On-Time, On-Target Manager. It was sub-titled "How a 'Last Minute Manager' Conquered Procrastination". I knew when I read the sub-title that this book was for me, and besides, it was co-written by one of my favorite self-help authors, Ken Blanchard. When I was trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, after seven years teaching in Missouri and a year as a stay-at-home Mom, I stumbled upon The One Minute Manager and have been a fan ever since. For a while, I read anything I could get my hands on by this guy. His style of teaching a lesson through telling a story makes important ideas not only easy to read, but fun and memorable too. I followed the first book with Leadership and the One Minute Manager and was glad to find a book written in a similar style, co-authored by Blanchard's co-author, Spencer Johnson, (The One Minute Teacher) when I decided teaching was truly what I wanted to do after all. This summer I read Gung Ho! and my library bag currently holds The Heart of a Leader.

Wow! This was not supposed to be a post for the One Minute Fan Club, but I'm easily side-tracked, unfortunately. I think this is part of why I appear to be such a procrastinator in the first place. But then again, that may be where the "confabulation" part comes in. As I was pondering a title for this post, I ran across this word and immediately thought "That's it!" The definition:

Confabulation: The unconscious filling of gaps in one's memory by fabrications that one accepts as facts.

I think I lose track of what to do, then fill in the gaps with other things that I know are every bit as important--those fabrications accepted as facts. The book outlines a great plan to conquer the demon procrastination, but it won't be easy for me. It all revolves around priority, propriety and commitment.

The tips about priorities involve how to "triage" the four categories of activities we are faced with every day:

1. The things we want to do and have to do.
2. The things we have to do but don't want to do.
3. The things we want to do but don't have to do.
4. The things we don't want to do and don't have to do.

Propriety is about rights:

• Do the right thing.
• Do it for the right reason.
• Do it with the right people.
• Do it at the right time.
• Do it in the right order.
• Do it with intensity.
• Do it for the right results.

Commitment is summed up with the phrase "Ya' gotta' wanna'," or What do you want to do? and Why do you want to do it?

I guess a big reason people procrastinate is confusing being busy with being productive. We fill up our time with loads of little, unimportant things, while neglecting the really necessary things we should be working on. For me, this maybe goes back to being somewhat of a perfectionist as well. If I can't do something the exact way I want it done, I just usually don't do it.

In the sidebar, where I've shared a bit about myself, I tell how I start things, but don't finish. Part of my current confabulation is that I am a procrastinating perfectionist. I'm determined to get my priorities in line, somehow though, and will address my progress in future posts.

Some of the material for this post is from Blanchard, Ken et.al. The on-Time, on-Target Manager. New York: William Morrow, 2004.

Advisory advice?

This is the article I wrote for the school website about our new advisory program. I am trying to get the word out to the community about the benefits of advisory, so they won’t just hear complaints. We have some students, substitutes, and yes, even a few teachers, who wish advisories would just disappear, so the “talk around town”, if any, may not be as positive as I’d like. Friday, when I spoke to a class about the reasons for the program, I was told that “everyone I’ve talked to says the same thing. All anyone does in advisory is sit around and do nothing, except maybe complain about advisory. Even the teachers make fun of it.” Sometimes it is hard to keep working toward a goal, or even keep believing in it when so few share the same vision.

High School Adds Building Wide Advisory Program
Building Relationships for Building Success

The mission of the Riverside Community School District is to prepare students to meet the challenges of the future as responsible citizens in a global society. That is a lofty goal when the careers of the future haven’t even been dreamed of today. With more and more jobs being outsourced to other countries, and the needs of businesses everywhere changing practically daily, it becomes even more important for our schools to help students succeed in as many ways as possible.Several recent research studies have pointed out that students are more likely to succeed when they feel connected to school. One of the ways more and more high schools are attempting to make this connection is by implementing building-wide advisory programs. In an advisory program, students spend time each week with the same advisor and group of students throughout high school. Learning and career plans are made and students are able to take an active role in choices related to their learning experiences.

Riverside High School has joined this reform effort so our students can also have greater chances of success. Fifteen minute advisory periods meet daily, in groups ranging from eight to fourteen students, and cover topics in the areas of relationships, citizenship, academic success and career/future success. The idea is to personalize the learning atmosphere to help ALL students have the greatest chance to fulfill their learning needs.

Along with greater chances of academic success, research also shows that students are less likely to engage in drug use, violence, and early sexual activity when they attend schools with caring teachers. Likewise, similar research has shown that students not engaged in school are more at risk of disruptive behavior, absenteeism and dropping out of school.

The goal of the Riverside High School advisory program is to provide each student an adult advocate to help him/her personalize the educational experience while working toward the school’s mission. The advisor will be a parent and student’s first stop in problem-solving as our high school moves toward helping all students reach for success.

Guilty As Charged...

Yesterday, I read a blog post by Christian Long about why people blog and what sacrifices they may make for blogging to be such a significant part of their lives. I guess I fit into his last group:

Some are still figuring where they stand in the aforementioned mix. They have a blog. Sometimes they actually use it. Or they are still wondering if this blogging-business needs to take up precious time otherwise spent with their families and friends and hammocks. They might be in your audience, in your faculty room, or reading your blog right now. They may be looking for Google Juice by linking to you so that you'll link to them, if they're clever (he smiles).

I have a blog. I have had one for a few years. I documented some personal ramblings and saved some pictures on another "blogger" page. I was using it as a kind of "therapy" for that mystical experience of figuring out who I am and what I want to be when I grow up. I wasn't really sure I wanted anyone else to read it, yet I really did want someone else to read it and respond...maybe. But was I up for criticism of my writing?

Now, through a few serendipitous clicks of the mouse, I have discovered a fountain of "Google Juice" inspiration. I am totally guilty as charged of linking to someone, hoping they'll link back to me, creating a network of "experts" that I can learn from. In my mind, anyway, this may be the antidote for feelings of isolation during the school year.

I had a recent discussion with someone not in education about blogging, and why anyone would want to do it. He said he was a private person, to which I responded "Don't you ever want to share ideas with someone?" His answer, of course, was that he would much rather do that face to face with someone he knows. I can understand that, but I have identified a particular character flaw in myself. I can't get past a need for affirmation--someone, anyone, saying "YES! Exactly!" or "I think you're on the right track" or even "You might want to rethink that one." I have a limited number of people in my school that I feel I can turn to without being tiresome.

Perhaps, even if I am tiresome here in my own little blogworld, someone I don't have to face on a day to day basis might have an easier time telling me to stop whining. I think I can be more open to criticism in writing because I have more time to reflect on it before responding. Whatever the case, because of this whole "new world" that has opened up on my screen, I am almost looking forward to getting back to school, collaborating with colleagues, and helping to create the kind of school I envision.

Making Connections

The internet never ceases to fascinate and amaze me. When I first entered a chat room on Christmas break in 2000, it was because my kids were driving me crazy and I hoped for some adult conversation. What followed was a whirlwind of time-sucking, often inappropriate, but ego-boosting conversations with people from all over the world. While the addiction eventually threatened my marriage, and MSN has since closed it's chat rooms, I have pleasant memories of stimulating conversations with a DJ from Italy, and English professor living in Spain, a Harvard law criminal investigator and a pro golfer. When we were building our new house, I had conversations with a roofer, a framer and a well-driller. I know that people aren't always honest about themselves online, but I was able to ask enough questions that I was satisfied that I was being spoken to truthfully.

Truthfully or not, I was talking to these people to fill a void, or at least a perceived void in my personal life. Much soul-searching and a renewed commitment to my marriage and my career led me away from the social networking aspects of chat rooms, but the desire to connect with others of similar interests never really disappeared. Don't get me wrong--I'm not a troll who has trouble making friends. It just seems that life is so busy between my school activities and my sons' school activities, and everything else that goes along with a marriage and maintaining a home. "Friends" end up being other parents at the same ballgames, or other teachers in the three buildings I work in, but even then, the kind of knowledge-sharing I crave just isn't there.

This spring I added Google Reader to my iGoogle page and subscribed to updates from several educational bloggers. Through their posts, a whole new world has opened up. There are actually others out there excited about what they do and enjoy learning knew things as much, or even more than I do. They also seem to thrive on sharing what they discover with others! I have been introduced to Second Life, Ning, Scratch, PBWiki and most recently, Twitter.

Twitter didn't seem like so much at first, but I was led to it through a post on Moving at the Speed of Creativity, so I looked up the author of that great blog to see who he was "following". From there, I added other educators, reading their blogs as I did, then seeing who they were following. Needless to say, it has once again been sucking up a lot of my time, but it's much more intellectually stimulating than my earlier "What are you wearing?" chat room days. Although I haven't personally corresponded with any of the great colleagues I have become fans of, I feel like I have a support network when I do get ready to ask questions.

It's a great feeling to be heading into a new school year knowing that a whole virtual network of inspired educators is only a click away. As the summer ends, I raise my glass to all who have inspired and continue to motivate me. Cheers!