“Get. Things. Done.” with Day Kibilds
Day Kibilds is the manager of undergraduate recruitment at Western University. Prior to this role in Canada, she was a digital strategist at Cornell and a business analyst at Penn State. She is a double recipient of the coveted HighEdWeb Red Stapler award and received Best In Conference for her 2017 presentation on the Art of Collaboration. In her most recent presentation, she shared her tips on how to “Get. Things. Done.” even when dealing with the bureaucracy and miscommunication so many of us face in higher ed.
We recently asked Day to share a few thoughts on her daily routine and some of the tools she uses to stay productive.
Name: Day Kibilds
Twitter Handle: @kibilds
School: Western University
Job Title: Undergraduate Recruitment Manager
Department Housed: Office of the Registrar
Current mobile device: iPhone X
Current computer: MacBook Pro
In 280 characters or less, describe your work philosophy.
In one word: service. If I can help it, I won’t let colleagues wait on me for anything. I always answer emails fast. I always have time for everyone. I always deliver to others before doing my own work. Whatever time is left is for the stuff I lead, and it’s always been enough.
Other than your phone or laptop, what’s the one tool you can’t possibly live without?
My glasses. I started getting headaches every day while at my computer and could not figure out why. It was my vision. Now everything is better again.
What is your biggest email pet peeve?
I have so many. But my biggest is sender entitlement, which is the idea that just because you sent it, the receiver should understand and act on the information. Others include:
Subject lines that have nothing to do with the content
Emails to schedule or cancel meetings (instead of calendar invitations)
Using email to edit copy back and forth
Emails that should be instant messages or texts (short, immediate) or training sessions (long, that you need to learn something from)
In your #heweb19 presentation, you stated to great applause: “If people don’t read your emails, it is 100% your fault.” Could you please elaborate on this?
This goes back to the sender entitlement I mentioned above. Senders have a responsibility to write clearly and in a logical order, and to make actions obvious. And if they don’t, they should waive their rights to all outrage at their email not being read or no action being taken on their words.
What does your workspace look like?
What’s on your phone’s homescreen? Any method of organization?
I started organizing by colors about a year and a half ago, and I love it! Though it generates total chaos if anyone else tries to use my phone. Looking at these screenshots is making me wonder why I have the calling app as one of the bottom four… I use it less than Messenger or even the Weather. I may have to change this now.
What’s in your everyday carry? What items do you keep in your bag at times that you just can’t live without?
The most important thing is my phone (which I’m using to take this picture).
Next, my metal straws which I’ve been using for 3 years now.
And, I would not say that I am a risk-averse person, but still I always carry an umbrella.
What are you reading and/or listening to? Do you have any book or podcast recommendations?
Since I have a 1-year-old, I can’t find time to read books so I’ve started listening instead. I’m currently listening to Becoming by Michelle Obama, and I’m connecting with her on a level I never expected. I’m learning more about Barack than I ever knew, and I’m starting to feel inspired to tell my own immigrant, mixed-background story.
Do you have any daily habits that make you more productive?
I started blocking Wednesdays as no-meeting-days and I’m getting a lot more stuff done during the workweek. I keep to-dos only in two places: my Wunderlist and my Outlook flagged items. If the task is coming in through email, I flag it there. If the task comes up outside of email, I add it to my Wunderlist. I always carry my phone or computer while I’m working so I can add tasks as soon as they come up and I don’t lose track of them. I check both lists multiple times throughout the day. I do the things I can do very quickly first, and then block bigger chunks of uninterrupted time for the more complex things.
Do you have any higher ed social media professionals that you would like to see interviewed here? Let us know! Please leave a comment or send an email to jsstansel@gmail.com