Author: Jill Harris
Planning Unit: Todd County CES
Major Program: Staff Development
Plan of Work: Improving Economic and Social Well-Being of Individuals and Families
Outcome: Initial Outcome
If we’re honest with ourselves, one of the biggest obstacles to improving our programs and ourselves is due to our perceived lack of time. We have filled our schedules with so many activities that we are constantly struggling to balance our work, our family, and our selves.
To help extension agents for Family and Consumer Sciences learn how to better prioritize what needs to get done so not everything is a “crisis,” Jones Loflin, co-author of the award-winning book, Juggling Elephants, and the recently released book Always Growing, taught 104 FCS personnel during the KEAFCS annual meeting how to :
An evaluation completed by 52 agents approximately one month after the program showed that 100% of the FCS Agents said attending the KEAFCS Annual meeting was moderately, very, or extremely effective in their professional development; 73% planned to use and 27% might use information from Jones Loflin’s sessions in their county. When asked to name one change they had planned to or had already made:
15 responded they had learned to prioritize better;
7 were managing email more effectively;
2 had delegated tasks to others;
6 were trying to take better care of their self to avoid burnout;
2 had used the “focus on one project” technique.
One person said, “I plan on checking the climate before introducing a new idea to my CEC, Homemaker Council, and any other council or coalition I serve on. This was helpful in understanding how to bring an idea full circle from start to finish.” Another person said, “…tried shutting the door and taking 15 minutes to complete an item.It worked!!!”
Whether email, interruptions, ineffective communication, our unwillingness to say “No,” or simply poor time management is to blame, FCS Agents all left with ways to improve our programs and get better results.
The Todd County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences program hosted Super Star Chef camp in June. ... Read More
According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines, about half of all American adults—117 million individ... Read More
Cooking with DadThe Todd County Nutrition Education Program paraprofessional partnered with the Todd... Read More
The Todd County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and NEP Assistant teach nutrition each year at th... Read More
I completed the Cooperative Extension Mentorship Program this past year with my mentor, Elizabeth Co... Read More
As I often say, numbers alone do not exist in a vacuum. They are part of a much larger landscape of ... Read More