Step 2 of Becoming a Better educator for yourself Time - management for work

How many of us feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done? Do you feel as though you could never get all of your work done?  Are you spreading yourself thin with projects that have nothing to do with your actual work? Are there not enough hours or are you not using your time wisely?  Combination of both?

Time- management is the biggest thing we struggle with as educators.  We need to get everything done in a time-span of 6.5 hours.  I struggled with this the most.  It would be 12pm, I didn’t eat any breakfast and had to cancel my session once again because I needed to deal with something that honestly had nothing to do with me.  So I stopped… Yes I stopped, said no to things, and took control of my time.

How?

I don’t come to work on time, I come early.

My work day technically starts at 7:15am even though the students don’t come in till 8am.  I came in early due to parking restraints in the neighborhood that my school is located in.  But the earlier I came in the more work I got done and the more organized I became.  That extra 30-40min allowed me to decompress in my car, set intentions for my day, get paperwork done in my office, and organize a schedule of the days task.  I started to see how much more focused I became.

Setting an Schedule for Students and Parent Engagement

Im pretty fortunate as a counselor that I can make my own schedule.  After doing this for about 7years I have made a schedule that best fits my needs.  I try not to schedule any students during the first and last periods of the day.  This can get tricky after I change my schedule for the 10th time due to other service providers and I’m very lenient with my colleagues.  Not scheduling students first and last periods has worked out best because something always happens in the beginning of the day and the end.  It allows me to still see my mandated students and give me wiggle room.

I meal prep

This is my game changer.  I meal prep breakfast and lunch for the week every Sunday.  This helps me with more than one thing.

1. I don’t have to think about what I’m going to eat the day of

2. Food is already made so it’s one less thing I have to worry about when I wake up

3. I don’t have to order and wait for food at work so I can actually take a lunch break

4. I save money

5. Keeps me consistent with my fitness goals

Breakfast: overnight oats, boiled eggs with avocado, scrambled eggs, and oatmeal

Lunch: quinoa with chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, feta, red onion or kale salad with chicken

Lastly

I iron my clothes for the week

Yes, I know this sounds absurd.  My co-workers are like “that’s so much work”, “how do you know if thats what you want to wear”, “what about the weather?”  Well, I look at the weather in advance and I pick my clothes and don’t look back.  I iron on Sunday for the week and it’s one less thing I have to worry about in the morning.

I know this may not work for everyone but its all trial and error.  Finding a schedule that works for you will change your life.  It will keep you focused and will give you extra time that you didn’t think you had.

I hope what helps me can help you.

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