Time savers for handling two jobs at once.

At the beginning of my career in educational administration, the only advice I received was related to time management. It came from a veteran superintendent who told me to "only handle a sheet of paper once." This seemed like a sound recommendation at the time, but it came from a superintendent in a school district with fewer than 500 students, where no one seemed burdened by excessive paperwork.

Later in my career I accepted a position as assistant superintendent in a district with 15,000 students. Four days later, due to the unexpected resignation of the superintendent, I was appointed as the interim superintendent while continuing to fill my original position. I recalled the advice about paper handling, but after two weeks I couldn't even see some of the papers. Two secretaries were piling up my mail and other communications in very high stacks. I knew I had to get organized.

Organized Papers

I devised some time savers to help me do two jobs at once.

* Create a labeled in-basket system.

The labeled in-baskets in the superintendent's office were: URGENT, SIGNATURE, PARENTS, SCHOOL BOARD, PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS, DISTRICT STAFF, PTO-PTA, PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS and MISCELLANEOUS.

The labels in the assistant superintendent's office included most of the same, plus the following: TRANSPORTATION, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION, FOOD SERVICE, PRINTING and WAREHOUSE.

The secretaries put the in-basket system into operation, and I could glance at a category to address the papers. Those in the urgent category always were handled first, followed by the papers in the signature basket. The papers flowed to the secretaries and other staff rather than remaining stacked in my two offices. As a result, work was completed in a timely manner.

* Maintain telephone logs.

Separate logs were maintained for the incoming calls relating to each position. The date and time of my return call was entered as well. The log related to my position would serve me well in the future. Phone numbers were categorized in my office calendar for future reference. The log related to the interim superintendent position would assist the incoming superintendent with the current pattern of communication.

* Establish a top-drawer folder.

This folder is where I put the priority things that must be completed in a timely and/or systematic matter--for example, agenda items for board meetings. Keeping this information in one place allowed me quick access and kept these tasks at the forefront of my daily work.

* Maintain a desk calendar with all appointments.

A calendar on my desk with all appointments served as a constant reminder of the daily schedule. I was able to quickly determine optimum times for meetings and appointments, for returning phone calls and for conducting business. Additionally, this served as a record of what had been accomplished from one day to the next and as a resource for the formative and summative evaluation process.

Stress Reducer

These time savers worked for me, even while doing two high-level jobs. E-mail and voice mail did not make my system obsolete, but the system actually became a greater necessity in saving time to deal with even more communication.

Whether you do one job or two, this system may help modify your office habits. With the constant flow of communication in today's workplace, a time-saving framework can reduce stress and increase productivity (or at least let you see how far behind you are).

David Stanfield, a former superintendent in Texas and Illinois, is an assistant professor of educational administration at Texas A&M University-Commerce, 1705 CR 596, Nevada, TX 75173. E-mail: [e-mail]