What I’ve been trying to do to reduce the number of “side projects that will just take a minute” is to prioritize them based on university priorities and the person who asks. As much as I want to please everyone, there just isn’t time. If the task is neither in support of a key priority nor requested by a VIP, then I forward it to the boss and ask whether we should fit it into our schedule or pass it along.

Of course helping campus Web maintainers is part of my job as well. Since I can’t meet with each person or fix all of their sites, I’ve taken to posting a lot of how-to advice on my blog. Now for recurring questions like “how do I upload a file to the server” or “how do I crop an image in Photoshop” I send them to the right entry on the blog. It’s much quicker to send someone instructions than to walk them through the process on the phone.

For other things, you know the techie fix-it things we’re all supposed to know because we work with computers, I try not to let on how much I know. If the copier is jammed I dare not unjam it until there are no witnesses around to see. The same goes for changing toner cartridges and anything involving cables. In my last position I got caught solving some problem with a printer and forever after all such problems became mine. It’s contrary to the desire to be helpful, but sometimes one just needs to draw the line.

Rob’s point about managing expectations is important too. I give people really long end dates because I know other things will come up and move the scheduled projects down the priority list. If you are clear about how much time it will take and let them know that unexpected priorities are likely to interfere with the schedule then they are usually pretty understanding.

That said, variety does keep the job interesting, but if I could remove the phone and ignore the email I’m pretty sure I’d have time to build some sites!

Sending people links to online directions for things is a godsend sometimes – they can refer back on how to do a mail merge in Word, for instance

Not everyone is understanding, of course, but some are. Choose your battles.

Other times you have to manage expectations. “I can get that done for you by Monday, lots of ‘gotta be done now’ projects in front of me, and this is how you could do it yourself and probably get it done today.”

In other words, try to cut the cord carefully before you become their lifeline.

On crazy busy days I don’t read blog posts, delete interesting but not critical e-mail newsletter and list postings…

A year later, I still have many day to day tasks that don’t directly meet my job description, but the University was always vague with the title “Internet Administrator” to begin with.

Instead, I house myself with our IT group, which serves as a filter for the technical issues, and work closely with my boss and team to prioritize the html newsletter, to grant project website redesign, to creating an InDesign mockup.

In the end, you still wear the hats – I prefer to put that hat rack on my door for all to see before they knock on it, so gives your peers some perspective and appreciation before they come through my door and gives your boss peace of mind on what your juggling.

This is so true. I have been put over our online store system, intranet portal, athletics posters, text messaging system, HTML emails, scholarship application/database, etc…

When is there time to be a designer? I feel like I have been comping the same site design for four years now to no avail.