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The latest in a series of guest blog posts from students in the GCCUT program course GRAD 599. GRAD 599 is a self-directed learning experience, providing structure and context for professional development opportunities in teaching, such as workshops, seminars, webinars, symposia, and other relevant programming.

By Theresa Harper

If you are anything like me, you’ve thought “I don’t have enough time!” at least once this week (or maybe today, or in the last five minutes.) My name is Theresa Harper, and I’ve come to think I should list “priorities juggler” on my resume. I’m a mom of two with a third coming soon, have a full-time job, teach an online class, and am in the Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching program at OSU. I feel busy. I AM busy! So, I get it when my students come to me feeling frazzled or overwhelmed, or wondering how they can get it all done.

The truth is, sometimes you can’t get “it all” done. Time is limited. 24 hours in a day, that’s all you get. However, I am a big fan of the idea that although there isn’t time for everything (until I get my hands on one of those Harry Potter Time-Turners), there is time for the most important thing each day.

Steven Covey wrote “the 7 habits of highly effective people” back in 1989 and talked about a demonstration that involved filling a jar with big rocks, smaller rocks, sand, and water. Each of these Covey said could represent different priorities of things in life. Some things are urgent, some are important, some are both, and some are neither. (Where does checking Facebook fall for you?) The visual is worth watching, but the takeaway is that if you fill your day first with the unimportant or non-urgent, your jar will get filled up, and not all of the big important rocks will find a spot.

I think this applies to students as well. Some things are important (studying for tests); some are urgent (that discussion board due today); and some are just not (ahem, my Facebook habit.) If faculty and teaching assistants are intentional about communicating the important and urgent about our courses, it can help students prioritize effectively. Give students an accurate course calendar that includes the hard deadlines as well as recommendations for time for reading, projects, and study each week. Remind students that this course is a big (and expensive) rock, and deserves prioritization if learning the material (and getting that good grade) is important to them.

If faculty and teaching assistants are intentional about communicating the important and urgent about our courses, it can help students prioritize effectively.

Most of the time, I teach online to adult learners. I accept that my courses are not always the biggest rocks my students have in their life. That discussion board post might not make it to this week’s “important” list. I can support and remind and maybe even be flexible, but I also have to trust the student to know their values and priorities and schedule accordingly, just like I do.

I like sharing the “7 big rocks” video with students and encourage them to think about what makes it onto their important list. What happens if they don’t pay attention to their list? And what does it mean for their goals if education doesn’t make the cut right now? I also like this Lifehacker article about how to prioritize when everything is important, which starts with the thought provoking question “Is everything really important?” which can help filter the rocks from the sand of a student’s life.