I recently read Justin Draeger’s  “The Multitasking Myth and How to Really Increase Productivity,”  which is part of NASFAA’s “Financial Aid Hack” Series.  The article discusses how college students listen to iPods, instant message their friends, and do their homework simultaneously and insist that “no matter what anyone says, doing two things at once is impossible.”

But the article adds that those who multitask “lose more time than they gain.” I remember when I read that sentence, I said out loud, “I wish I only had to do two things at once.” (Even as I write this, I am watching a movie, entertaining my two puppies, drying a load of wash and making dinner!) 

For me, multitasking seems to be a required skill for the survival of many financial aid administrators.  During job interviews for financial aid positions, there’s always the question, “How do you handle a high stress/high volume/high accountability environment and how are you with multitasking?”   (I can usually gauge how much “multitasking” I’ve done on a particular day by how long it takes me to find where I parked my car in the parking lot at the end of the work day!)

Justin’s article talks about the “prefrontal cortex of the brain…. the portion that establishes priorities among tasks and allocates the mind’s resources for them.” 

When the prefrontal cortex becomes overloaded we seem to create “piles” on our desks.  Whenever I visit the offices of my friends, the first thing many say is “before you ask, I know exactly where everything is in each of those piles!” (Frankly, people who do not have at least a few piles on their desk make me nervous!)

I’ve attended my share of “time management” seminars too, and they emphasize the importance of daily prioritizing.  I’m usually the one who asks the question, “What happens when you’re just getting to priority #1 at 5:00 pm?” (and the room usually erupts into nervous laughter) 

The analogy I use most often describing financial aid administrators is the one comparing us to “air traffic controllers.” We have lots of important decisions, and most are interrelated with unforgiving deadlines.  Many colleagues arrive at work each morning with carefully prioritized to-do lists, and then the work day “traffic” starts.  Whether it’s a phone call, an e-mail, or someone on campus bursting into your office with, “I just thought I’d drop by and (i.e. “Mind if I interrupt you for a second? (wink, wink”), there’s always something offering you a distraction from the things that deserve our full attention. 

My staff is great at trying to limit those interruptions for me and I appreciate their efforts that allow me to focus on directing.

“Remember when we used to meet off campus for a 2 hour lunch?” a friend recently asked. “Then it changed to an hour on campus, and now it’s let talk for 5 minutes while we both eat a sandwich at our desk!”

I’ve attended more than a few campus division meetings where “institutional” issues that touch on financial aid issues suddenly become the financial aid office’s sole responsibility.  The dean opens the meeting, “Today we will discuss a new f…” Simply pronouncing the letter “f” for “financial aid regulation” sends several hands into the air with shouts of, “I think since this is a financial aid program, financial aid staff should handle it!” 

All of these make multitasking a necessity.

Do you find yourself multitasking?  When you multitask, do you find you lose more time than you gain?  Is it difficult in financial aid to prioritize tasks each day?  What are your thoughts?   

As we begin a New Year, many of us may look back on the previous year and examine what worked well in our lives and what didn’t (and perhaps make a few “resolutions” that we may actually keep!). One resolution I’d ask my colleagues to consider is to “initiate some quality time with your boss.”

I am very lucky to have a boss that was a financial aid director for many years. I fondly remember watching him empty his desk when he left that position, gleefully chanting “I will never ever read another Federal Regulation again!” He then pointed to an unopened bottle of Jack Daniels in the bottom left drawer and said “The Jack Daniels is for you… just in case”

And we have done wonderful things together ever since because he “gets it!” He always puts students first, allows me to direct my area in a hands-off approach, and supports new ways of doing things. My staff shares those same qualities and our office is respected on campus and is given the resources to be successful.

I realize others aren’t as lucky.  Most may have bosses who do not have any background in financial aid and like most, struggle to understand it.  What our bosses do know is that they do not want “problems,” and problems can range from student/parent complaints, staffing issues (high pressure/high accountability area), institutional liabilities/audit findings, or bad press. 

So it becomes important for us to initiate some quality alone time with our bosses… to have a cup of coffee/lunch/drink and not have a crisis to deal with, to be able to talk with one another and say face to face what’s working well and what isn’t… all without an audience.  These steps help us build and maintain an important relationship for the tough times (and there will be tough times!). 

After that relationship is in place there is another resolution to make: “Promote the financial aid office and staff across campus”.

My feeling is in doing these things we remain more connected with key individuals and offices. Others begin to better understand and appreciate all we do for students and our institutions.

What do you do to establish/maintain a relationship with your boss?  What do we really expect from our boss? I’m interested in how you promote your office and staff on campus.