The autumn semester is busy every year, but this year it really is crazy busy. I can count on one hand the number of days I have had without meetings, lectures etc. Don`t get me wrong, I love the pace and the steady stream of emails, phone calls and students waiting in line outside my office, I really do, but the problem is that I never have time to read up, get back to people and I feel like I am behind on all my projects.
I realise that there will always be some stressful semesters, but I am wondering: am I working slower or is the workload increasing by the hour? Judging by my “to do” list (see picture:-) it is the latter. I now have to keep that list with me at all times to make sure that it gets done. I seem to spend more and more time adding printers, fixing paper jams, setting up proxy, formatting Word documents and so on – in addition to the usual: how do I find..? How do I do..? questions related to searching and citing and writing.
I am just wondering – what can I do to make my work hours more efficient? Make more tutorials and put them up on YouTube? Make every student with a IT related question visit the IT department? Saying no to projects? (Stop blogging, you say? .. OK:)
The potential demand for ICT assistance is infinite. In the short run, it is easier to ask for help than to spend time looking for solutions.
The answer is tough loving.
Collaborate with the ICT dept. on a brief problem-solving manual. Include “read the instructions”, search the web for answers. Ask them to come back in thirty minutes if they haven’t solved the answer by then.
Check that they have actually tried their best.
They will hate you today and love you in five years.
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This is a real problem. I would suggest the phrase “I’m sorry, I don’t have the time now – could you try the IT-helpdesk?”
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