During the working day, we add things to our Ticklist, with a space or circle to tick. We carry our Ticklist with us at all times - ideally in a hard-backed A4 notebook, with a new page for each day, using only the recto (front) side of the page.
We add 'things' - everything we have to do, or think about - to our Ticklist. 'Things' includes actions, issues, or ideas. We jot down things that the deputy head asks us to do, classroom displays that need updating, documents we need to read, everything; from the banal ("buy socks") to the strategic ("think about doing a Masters") goes on our Ticklist. This is what makes the Ticklist different to an Action list or To-Do list. It contains everything. The Ticklist is a fundamental tool of time-management and it represents the ultimate 'stuff-bucket'. A stuff bucket is any tool which enables you to get ideas, actions, and issues out of your head (where they rattle round and rust) and onto paper (where you can plan to tackle them). This is sometimes known as an inventory list - a simple supplement to memory and a proven way to reduce the likelihood of stress.
This document is for your eyes only, so you should jot things down in shorthand - almost code. Write 'M's Mum' - not 'Phone Moira's mum about exam entries for statemented students'. Do this immediately, as soon as the task, action, issue or idea appears. Write it down - and forget about it. You are going to get into the habit of dealing with the tick-list every single day, so convince yourself that something WILL happen - it is one less thing to worry about.
There are two important exceptions to this 'everything on the Ticklist' rule:
- a lot of the tasks which arise during a teacher's life are not surprises. They have been on the school timetable for up to a year. Don't re-record things to do if they are already on the radar. You will already have scheduled significant tasks on your Yearly Plan at the beginning of the year. Just because the Headteacher mentions it in her briefing, it doesn't mean you need to write it down.
- do not store up very small tasks to do later. The key test is this: can an action be completed in one minute or less? If so, do it now; if not, add it to your Ticklist. One minute - no more. In TM4T, most of the number-rules are only guidelines - this one isn't. One minute means one minute or less. Only one minute tasks get done NOW. If a task looks like it will take 61 seconds, it goes on the Ticklist.
Observant readers may have noticed the 'T' next to some items on the Ticklist example above. This stands for Tens, which are explained here.
On a daily basis, we should review our Ticklist and take action - we call this processing our Ticklist. This is explained here.