It’s About Time: How touse it Effectively. By Tony Smith. Elliot Right Way Books, pound;9.99
This is a curiously old-fashioned book, brimming with worthy quotations about time. Of course, Shakespeare is here - a man who wrote so many plays must have been an impressive time manager - as well as John Dryden, Joseph Heller, Rudyard Kipling and dozens more.
The book could save you time using a dictionary of quotations but I can’t see the point. We know that time is important, constantly moving and in short supply, so it’s no good telling me that “the more we prepare for a meeting, the shorter it should be”. Tell me how!
What I wanted from the book was some really useful, time-saving advice. Many of us need to change our working habits and our mind-set, but that won’t happen without some practical guidance.
The layout of the book is that of an old-fashioned self-help manual, full of reassuring homilies and quotations. But this is not a working manual or set of practical hints, so I wouldn’t recommend it for a busy teacher’s Christmas list - unless you’ve got time to burn. Instead, why not try the following: l Keep a tiny pocket exercise book with you and keep a list of tasks you need to get done today. There’s real satisfaction in being able to tick them off. It brings a sense of control to the unpredictability of school life
* Know your own learning habits. I work better in the early mornings (I’m writing this review at 5.30am on a Saturday, with no shame or guilt). If you’re an early-morning person, build your work routines around that, but don’t force yourself to work late because, inevitably, you’ll end up being unproductive.
* Throw away unnecessary papers once you’ve dealt with them. Time management is about control; you need to signal when something has been dealt with - by getting rid of it.
* Group your tasks. In this way, you can deal with paperwork at one brisk sitting; then change to a different activity - say, planning or marking.
* Be more productive in marking by using a proforma that gives students feedback on their strengths, weaknesses and targets. Your feedback will prove more effective and you’ll feel that your advice might be acted upon rather than ignored in favour of the overall grade.
Geoff Barton
The reviewer is deputy head of Thurston community college, Suffolk
