A huge problem in the way many teachers approach their work is that they focus on what’s right in front of them, instead of what’s most important + impactful.

They’re rushing around trying to do everything that people are tossing at them, and so they never have the proper time and energy to accomplish tasks that would really make a difference for their students (or themselves).

They show up to work, and try to do as much as they can until they have to go home and tend to other obligations.

Meaning: the typical educator is trying to work until all the work is done … and there’s always something MORE they could be doing.

And as you've probably noticed, your workload will expand to however much time you allot to it.

So if you don’t want to just keep plugging away at a never-ending set of demands, checking off one task from your list and noticing three more getting added on … you have to be intentional with your time.

It’s a bit of a paradox, but the more effectively you structure your weekdays, the more freedom you have on nights and weekends.

Taking control of your time is essentially about these 3 steps ...

1. Set a target number of hours to work. Decide in advance how much time you are willing to dedicate to the job outside of your paid contractual hours. This target number will vary from week to week and is based on your obligations, workload, and preferences.
2. Determine how to allocate those hours throughout the week. If you’re okay with giving up 5 hours on your evenings and weekends, when exactly will you be working? Will you go to school an hour early on Tues/Thurs and spend 3 hours on Sunday afternoon working? Mark these times on your calendar and stick to them.
3. Use a prioritized weekly to-do list to decide what you can realistically accomplish and when each of your tasks will get done. If you’re going to work early on Tuesday morning, have a purpose: to plan for the week ahead, or grade the day prior’s classwork. Map out your tasks for the week so you know what you’re doing each day before school, during your prep time, and after school. This will keep you from getting distracted, help you ensure the most important things get done, and help you plan when you’re available to work on new tasks that pop up.

WARNING: Even with this process, you will still find that there are more tasks on your plate than can actually be done in your contractual work hours.

This is NOT because you are bad at managing your time.

It’s because schools are designed to rely upon the unpaid labor of educators. It’s expected that you will work on your own time for free, putting in as much time and money as necessary for the good of the kids.

So unless your school leadership has a focus on staff wellbeing and productivity, the responsibility will mostly be on YOU to figure out what’s best and highest use of your time.

When you identify what’s most important and most impactful for students, you can carve out dedicated time for those tasks, and streamline, simplify, or eliminate the rest. ​
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The good news is that you don’t have to undertake that process all by yourself.

I'll walk you step-by-step through an approach that has helped more than 65,000 educators. You can reduce your workload in just 6 weeks with this condensed version of the original 40 Hour Full Year program.

In 40 Hour Fast Track, we'll focus on just the key principles you need to trim hours off your workweek mid-school year:

1. Create a Sustainable Work Schedule: Choose a target number of hours to work and allocate those hours in a way that works for YOU.
2. Reduce and Prioritize Tasks: Experiment with personalizing a system for list-making so that your priorities get accomplished each week.
3. Get Papers, Digital Files, and Lesson Materials Organized: Discover easy systems that help you stay organized all year and reduce clutter.
4. Set Up Intuitive Systems for a Self-Running Classroom: Learn how to tweak your existing procedures to give kids more ownership, and make daily routines efficient and effective.
5. Simplify Your Lesson Planning Process: Stop spending hours reinventing the wheel: you’ll learn practical ways to create meaningful, creative lessons more quickly.
6. Streamline Grading and Assessment: Discover more productivity strategies that save you time, reduce grading, and provide better insight about student learning.

Learn more and enroll here:

Feel free to forward this email to a fellow educator who might be interested in joining you for this PD! And if you have questions, just reply to this message.

Angela

Angela Watson Stay connected on social media: ​​​​​​

P.O. Box 175, Bushkill, PA 18324
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