Time and priorities management
your_dreamguy said:
Anyone have advice on how to get back on schedule or even ahead of the game ( not just in the aviation aspect )? Just want things to return to "normal".
Surprisingly, pilots and paralegals face many of the same time and priorities management problems, so, coming from both perspectives, I understand how you feel. Learning a new job compounds the situation. Repetition, and knowing and understanding the job and its normal routines well will cause you to devise coping strategies which will greatly alleviate the situation and your stress.
It was the same way for me when I left my probate and elder law firm for my current litigation and workers' comp shop. Although it still was law, I didn't know much about litigation and nothing at all about workers' comp. There was far more to do in seemingly less time, which was compounded by deadlines, interruptions and a demanding attorney. It didn't help that I was learning new areas of the law but had to produce work, which I didn't quite understand, on time.
Several things helped me and the same concepts might help you.
I learned to anticipate. The biggest thing was to learn and understand the big picture and to think ahead as many steps as possible instead of concentrating on only the next step. I learned after a while that my work follows patterns. I realized I could do much of my work ahead of time when I was less stressed and complete the rest of it later. In other words, instead of following everything step-by-step and waiting for what I needed to do the next step, I could complete the subsequent steps now and the missing step later. (Checklists would be exempt from this idea.)
Most of the work I do is driven by deadlines. It goes out the door by mail and is usually accompanied by a cover letter. I used to just turn in a draft and wait (and wait) for the corrected draft to be returned for me to put it in final form. I would then rush around like crazy preparing the cover letter and envelopes. While I was doing that I invariably would have to take an unrelated phone call on something about which I knew nothing or otherwise be diverted. It drove me insane.
What I later realized is I knew I would need a cover letter and addressed envelopes. So, I started preparing the letter and envelopes and would lay the envelopes aside
before turning in the work. After the work was signed, all I had to do was print the letter, make copies, and assemble everything. By doing as much as I could ahead of time, I worked smarter, could handle interruptions better, and had less stress.
You will find that there are patterns and routines to your job. Once you understand the patterns and routines, you'll know what tasks can be finished during quiet time so only a few things have to be done when you're more stressed. Perhaps some of the paperwork can be done sooner instead of later. I realize that a weight and balance could come at the last minute, which could throw off all your other paperwork. But you should be able to handle it better when you know that nothing else need be done.
One other thing that helped me was to develop a reliable reminder system. For years, I had relied primarily on memory to do things. That can be fatal in a law office. By turning reminders over to my computer calendar and setting it up to nag me, I found I could concentrate more on the actual work while complying with deadlines more efficiently and with less stress. It was almost as good as having a personal assistant. To give you an idea of how important my computerized suspense system is to me, our office just got new computers. I was nearly panicking that my reminder system might not be transferred to my new machine. Thank G-d it could be with few glitches.
Finally, once you've established plans and procedures, stick by them religiously. Do things the same way every time - just as you tell your students.
To sum it up, learn the job well, determine the patterns of your work, do as much of it as you can ahead of time, stay ahead of your tasks as much as possible to leave time to accomplish uncompleted tasks, stick by your procedures, and get organized.
Hope this helps some more.
