I am aware of the irony here, as I type this post while avoiding to finish my portfolio for annual Faculty Evaluation and Third Year Review.
Today, I would like to discuss how to manage prioritize your time. My students often ask me "how do you manage everything." Currently I juggle two jobs, a family, and MBA program. As a naturally anxious person and a multi-tasker, I always get things done. I love crossing things off my "to do" list. So, you would assume that my life is in order. NOPE! If you have seen my office or visited our home, you know that it's disorderly, to put it mildly. I stopped using the word "time management" a few years ago, because I realized we don't really manage time. Our actions are based on priority, and having a clear understanding of your values and preferences, and setting goals and concrete action plan along the way, will definitely help you prioritize your time.
So here are some tips on how to prioritize your time.
First, make a list of things that matter to you in order of importance. This list will change as you go through life. For example, when I was a students, it was:
1. School; 2. Anything conducting related; 3. Health; 4. Socializing
As a classic introvert, I never had a need to socialize, so that freed up a lot of my time. When I was a young(er) professional, my list was same as above, except #1 became "Career advancement."
As a middle-aged, mid-career conductor/educator with a family, my current priority is
1. Family; 2. Health; 3. Anything teaching/conducting/work related; 4. Socializing
Once you have your list, start putting together a calendar.
For example, I enter performance dates in my calendar first, as those are planned months in advance. If I have any important family events, I enter those next. I now make medical appoints months in advance. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I would forego doctor's or dentist's visits for years because something always came up. I register for races (10K or sprint Tri) so I have a motivation to get out and run jog regularly. Then when an offer to guest conduct comes in, I put those in my calendar as well. After being in the field for 2 decades, I don't feel the urge to fill up my calendar with every opportunity that comes into my inbox. When I say health, I mean both physical AND mental health. I try to give myself at least one, preferably two, days of rest per week to recharge. As an introvert, it takes a lot of energy to be around people, and I need time alone in order to be engaging on and off the podium.
As a music student, you should put your performance dates in your calendar, then due dates for major projects for classes. From there, start constructing a timeline with incremental goals. For example, if you have your solo recital scheduled in mid-April, set goals along the way in reverse order. (disclaimer: I just made up this arbitrary goals to support my explanation. I realize this isn't a practical planning for a recital prep.)
-end of March- run-through of the program at 100% tempo
-end of February- Music learned at 90% or tempo
-end of January- find pianist, music learned at 80% tempo.
From this, you can assign smaller milestones along the way. It can be daunting to look at the list of things you have to accomplish in a given amount of time. If you break down into smaller steps, it feels manageable and gives you a sense of accomplishment when you complete each task.
Each person is allotted 24 hours a day, so it's up to you to prioritize your own time. My suggestion is to make sure that your basic needs are met first: food, sleep, safety. Some people need full 8 hours of sleep. Some can function well with less hours. Clearly I never prioritized cleaning (my husband and my former roommates can attest to this), my appearance, or socializing, but most people need to attend to these to live an orderly and sane life. Everyone has their own set of values, thank goodness, otherwise the entire world would be a pigsty and most apparel industries would go bankrupt. As a student, I would dedicate100% effort into classes that mattered to me, but 80% or less to classes I cared less (Astronomy and Texas History, for example). Not many people can put their 100% effort into everything they do. That's why we need to prioritize.
Lastly, having a support system is immensely important. As a graduate student, I had very patient and caring roommates who took care of me and my dog Maggie Moo. They dealt with my mess and fed me when I was finishing up my degree. Now, I have a husband who supports me and my neurosis. Out of all the mess, approximately 70% are mine and 30% are our son's. He also manages most of our son's school and sports activities, freeing up my mental real estate to attend to other things. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. If your weakness takes up too much time and energy, and if it is possible to delegate, go ahead and delegate! It's ok to ask for help.
I will now get off my high horse and go back to editing my portfolio. Wish me luck!
