Prioritizing for Success: How I Manage My Camp Workload

I spent last week getting the 12 camps I oversee ACA accredited. It was a beast of a task, and I managed it while running my own camp with 450 campers each week. During the 3-day marathon of visits, I was asked about my time management and how I prioritize my workload.

My initial answer was, “I just do,” which wasn't particularly helpful. Partly because I don't actually consider myself that efficient, so the question caught me off guard, and partly because I had never really thought about it.

On the drive between two of the camps, I did think about it. My answer can be best described by the Peter Drucker quote: “Do first things first and second things not at all.”

Each day, I come to work and set a single goal. This is my priority. I then have two additional tasks I would like to accomplish, and I move three items from a to-do list I keep but generally ignore. So, I build a little mental pyramid with my priority on top, the two “wouldn't this be nice” items underneath, and three smaller tasks at the bottom.

It's the first item that gets my focus (though "focused" might be too strong a word as I am easily distracted). I choose this task by looking at what one thing will move the needle the most. What single task can I identify that has the highest impact on the goals I have set for the camp, my team, and myself? These high-impact tasks bring significant progress and value. Getting this right can actually eliminate the second-order things Drucker talks about. These tasks are never that much fun, certainly not glamorous, but they save time in the long run.

I also ensure I’m not only doing the right things but doing things right.

During camp, this priority is always emailing parents before 2 PM each day. It's almost an obsession because of how important it is to eliminating other tasks. The email we send out is basically a weather report, confirming that no one has died, and a link to our photos. But it’s so much more. It allows us to control the narrative of what is happening at camp. It allows us to explain in detail confusing elements of our program like swim testing or our lightning policy. We talk about mundane stuff like our lost property and theme days, but also important stuff like our values and our mission. We have refined these emails so that they have become a giant FAQ exercise. These emails have reduced the number of phone calls and emails we get, reduced our complaints, helped our NPS, and keep parents engaged in the day-to-day of camp.

They give camp both a voice and a face—in this case, both are mine—and we have achieved that by keeping them light and conversational, yet informative. It gives parents a single point of contact; they can just reply to the email. Because of the way we pull the email list, we know the recipient is the primary account holder, so we know any correspondence is authorized. This cuts down on having to verify who people are, a huge time suck on phone calls, for questions that are easily answerable. The benefits are almost endless.

Once my priority task is complete, I can then look at the other items on my list. Whether it's the two additional tasks or the smaller ones from my to-do list, I approach them knowing that my day has already been a success. By ensuring that I tackle the most impactful task first, I set the tone for a productive and effective day. Even things come up as they always do at camp, or if I don’t get to everything else, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I have accomplished something significant. This approach not only keeps me focused and productive but also ensures that I am continuously moving forward, one important task at a time.