Time is often thought to be the enemy of all teachers. Whether true or not, educators of every level still look for time management strategies that work for them. They are exploring ways to make the day less hectic and stressful, and there are lots of ideas on how to do this. After all, teachers and administrators alike face many of the same time management challenges.
You can’t always get everything done when you want to. For example, paperwork falls through the cracks, or you feel like you’re losing grip of at-risk students and wondering how to reign them back in. These are just a few of the things teachers can face when figuring out how to make the most of their hours on the clock.
In truth, teachers are as different as the subject matter they teach. What works for some might not work for others. So what are some top time management strategies that would work for pretty much every teacher?
As an educator you should never fear a challenge. If your challenge is time, you can make it work for you instead of against you. These suggestions below will help.
As you read the tips below, you’ll find some common ground between all educators. At one time or another, you have all faced these issues. You’re not alone, so do your best to support each other.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of doing the simple tasks because they’re, well, simple. The trouble is that time-sensitive and urgent tasks can fall by the wayside. Once that happens, we can end up with a lot of fires that need putting out.
Determining priorities beforehand is the best way to avoid this. It’s simpler than you think. These quick tips will help you get stuff done the right way.
Where would a list of time management strategies be without mentioning the productivity black hole that is email? It’s sad but true; our mailboxes overflow and can take up way too much of our time in the day. We can even end up sacrificing real work for pinning our time on scanning for messages we’re expecting.
We can avoid this with a few simple strategies that let us take charge. Put these into practice and keep that inbox under control.
Meetings are a part of every team’s communication practices. They offer places to express ideas, share achievements, and solve problems. But a poorly planned or managed meeting can quickly degenerate into time-wasting and finger-pointing.
Take charge and turn your meetings into positive circles where progress and efficiency are the norm.
As far as time management strategies go, this is perhaps the signature principle: Organize, organize, and organize more.
It’s hard to beat structure when you juggle as much as a teacher does in a day. Trying to focus or find important things in a mountain of mess can be stressful. Organization and order have a calming effect on mind and body. The idea here is to create as little of that as possible.
There’s plenty that you can’t control as an educator. The task of organization, however, you can control.
