SUMMER SERIES EP 7 — Two-Hour Deadlines?

We tackle a question from an instructional coach who wants to know how to handle a complex problem when the deadline is only two hours away. We share a minimalist way to respond that protects your time, clarifies expectations, and challenges “emergency” thinking in schools. 
• defining the minimum viable product for the deadline 
• agreeing on the scope in writing to avoid moving goalposts 
• naming why two-hour deadlines are unrealistic in school settings 
• asking context questions to test whether it’s a true emergency 
• requesting coverage or support when the work must happen fast 
Now go and enjoy the rest of your break. 

Transcript

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Summer Series Setup

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Hey there, and welcome back to the Minimalist Educator Podcast. The podcast that fits perfectly into your summer break. Over the next few weeks, the Minimalist Educator Podcast is keeping it short and sweet. Just quick answers to the questions you've been wondering about. Perfect for however much summer break you've got left today. A coffee break, a pool lounge, or those first few minutes before you remember you don't have to lesson plan. So relax, you've earned it. Quick questions, quick answers, all summer long. Let's dive in to today's question.

The Two-Hour Deadline Question

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Hello and welcome back to our seventh and final episode of our summer series. Tell me, what question are we working on today?

SPEAKER_00 0:56

We have a question from an instructional coach. She listened to Fred's episode and his tip about stepping away for 24 hours before tackling a complex problem, which we definitely agree with. But she says, What

Minimum Viable Product And Written Agreement

SPEAKER_00 1:14

do you do when the problem has a deadline in two hours? And we had words to say about that. But anyway, can we still apply a minimalist type of approach, or do we need some kind of other tools or strategies or something for that? So what do you think?

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Well, yes, we we did have words when we saw this question. Because I mean, maybe in a different field or something, a line manager can come in and say, drop what you're doing, you've got to do this in the next two hours. But if you're in a classroom teaching and you have kids, I'm not quite sure how you're supposed to work on a two-hour deadline. That doesn't seem super realistic. So I think my first feeling would be to think about what is the minimum viable product that you can do within

Push Back With Context And Questions

SPEAKER_01 2:01

this deadline? What is the the quickest, the fastest way to get this deadline completed? And I would just to back yourself up, I would agree on what that minimum viable product looks like with this line manager in writing. So, like, is it okay if I do X, Y, and Z within this deadline so that it's in writing just to back yourself up?

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Yes. And I hope that it's not something that happens often to people, maybe as an instructional coach, maybe because they're not in front of front of students all the time, but they would be in classrooms a lot of the time and in meetings a lot of the time. So to expect someone to drop their meeting, you know, there's people in there that you have scheduled to be with you. And so it just doesn't seem reasonable. However, I did have this experience when I taught in New York with kids in front of me telling me I had to get paperwork done by the end of the day. And I was, I was the person who was like, I'm not gonna do it until I absolutely have to, because I have students in front of me, unless you're going to find me a way and find me some time and space to get this done for you that is completely redundant. I, you know, like it's just not possible. But I think if yeah, and I think my idea is is very similar to yours, where but almost like can we buy a little bit more time? And what is the purpose behind this such this crazy deadline and who's it coming from? So I think the context is really important to understand because it depends to me who it's coming from and why it's a thing. And so I can see if it's a true emergency, but in schools, what are the true emergencies? Is my question because a lot of things get treated that way, but there aren't a lot of real emergencies that happen on a daily basis. So at least in my experience, yes, there was some for sure. But I think realistically we're going to be able to buy a little bit more time than just those two hours by asking some purposeful questions.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Yeah. And as you say, a lot of things are emergencies. So that implies to me that this get it done in two hours might be someone has forgotten to do something. Yeah. In which case are we really transferring that onto somebody else? That doesn't seem quite right, does it? So yeah, ask some questions, make a plan, ask them to step in and cover if you need to. But yeah, that's a that's a tough situation to be

Keep The 24-Hour Rule

SPEAKER_01 4:55

put into. So we still agree with Fred. Take 24 hours to tackle complex problems, definitely. And that's today's question answered. Thanks for spending a few minutes of your summer with us. Remember, quick questions, quick answers all summer long. We'll see you next time on the Minimalist Educator Podcast. Now go and enjoy the rest of your break.