This is part two of a long post about how I’m trying to survive a super busy season of the year. Part 1 of this post is here.
1 – Hopefully, your school (or work) “things to do” list is falling into a routine.If not, here are some tips:
~what has to be done daily? Make a list.
Here are some of my examples:
*write daily plans/reminders
*change objective statements/essential questions
*make charts
*check student work
*email tasks
*planning with PLC
~when is the best time to do each of these tasks? When you arrive at school in the morning? During your planning/prep period? At lunch? After school? In the evening?
~make a specific task list for your work blocks of time.
*during specials/prep period
*during recess/lunch break
*after school
*evening (although I continually work to limit evening work at home)
~what has to be done weekly? Make a list.
Here are a few examples:
*planning with PLC
*prep work for plans
*collect materials
*grade papers
*record grades
~when do each of these tasks need to be done? On certain days? Or could they be completed as time allows?
~make a specific task list for your days.
Here is a “Monday list” as an example:
*write Tuesday plans
*change content area charts
*check off math work
*plan literacy with PLC
*prep work for literacy
2 – Also think about your life “things to do” list. Follow the same steps above if needed, but create a routine schedule that works for your life outside of school.
3 – Think about your own self-care and set goals for that as well! Make sure that you intentionally plan time for yourself every single day. This doesn’t have to be a big chunk of time. Come up with ways to remind yourself to take a few minutes to do something that energizes or relaxes you. Here is my post about self-care while you’re at work and my post about battling burnout and exhaustion.
“To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” ~Mother Teresa
4 – Use the techniques of pulsing and phasing. Several years ago I read a great book called Coming Up for Air: How to Build a Balanced LIfe in a Workaholic World by Beth Sawi.
One chapter in her book is called “Two Approaches for Especially Busy Times”. I return to this chapter every year during the busy August/September back to school madness. (Of course these tips also work for any job outside the home, not just teaching.) She describes the two approaches as “pulsing” and “phasing.”
*Pulsing – this involves scheduling one or two days a week to work late or come in early. This gives you time to catch up on all those work tasks that have to be done. But on the other days — the ones that are not “scheduled” for staying late or leaving early — you leave at an earlier time.
Beth describes this technique as being helpful for reducing those feelings of “not doing enough” or “not working hard enough”. Having done this before, I can attest that you can get an amazing amount of stuff done when you schedule this time and make a list of what you want to accomplish during the work session..
One way that I have used this technique with my teaching or coaching jobs has been to work at school for a couple of hours on a weekend.
The weekend technique worked especially well for me when I had young children. While working later or coming in earlier was not always possible (due to childcare schedules and my husband’s travel schedule), finding a couple of hours on a weekend worked for me.
*Phasing — this involves committing to lengthy workdays for several days (or weeks), but scheduling a definite time when you will return to normal hours.
For teachers, it might be helpful to think of the first month of school (starting with workdays) as being a busy phase. Make your peace with the fact that you will be working longer hours and will not have as much time for activities outside of school. I also think of first-quarter report card time and parent conferences as being another busy phase.
Even when you’re in a heavy work phase, it’s still important to think about which personal priorities matter most to you. Which priorities are non-negotiable? Which priorities could wait until another time?
For example, let’s say that your priorities include:
~self-care of working out and healthy eating meals
~family time
~keeping your home somewhat orderly.
Then all of your time spent outside of school would go to these priorities.
Priorities that could wait until another time might include: *self-care tasks that take a longer amount of time
*time with friends
*church or community commitments
*decorating or organizing projects at home.
You’re not saying that those priorities don’t matter. You’re simply saying that right now you have a limited amount of time and that limited time needs to be focused on your non-negotiables.
Another idea is to identify your non-negotiables but plan for smaller amounts of time to do them.
Here’s an example:
*daily movement/exercise – instead of a 45-60 minute workout, you might do 15-30 minutes of exercise or movement (maybe even broken down into smaller segments);
*family time – instead of a more elaborate outing, you might spend time over family dinner, doing homework together or spending time with your spouse or partner before bed;
*creative work – for me, it’s writing. For you, it might be something else. I may not be able to write for 30 minutes on these busy days, but I can fit in five minutes. And that is better than nothing!
*reading – I might cut down on the time amount or cut down on the number of things I read, but daily reading for 5-15 minutes stays on my list;
*rest & relaxation – setting a “bedtime” or planning for nap time or some other form of rest and relaxation needs to make the list. Confession time: I would love to get eight hours of sleep every night, but during this busy phase it becomes more like six hours. When possible, I take short naps on some days or plan to sleep later on Saturday or Sunday. I get back to longer overnight sleep sessions as soon as possible.
Keep in mind: doing something is better than doing nothing! Consistency counts, even if the amount of time is not what you would prefer.
One more way to stay balanced while phasing: list your priorities but think about smaller tasks you could do. For example: could you do shorter workouts? Plan simpler healthy meals? Spend a smaller amount of time with your family but spend it doing what matters most to them? Do the bare minimum you need to do to keep your home orderly? Text friends to catch up instead of having dinner together?
This one may be difficult, but try to set an “end date” for your heavy work phase. For example: from the date I first start teacher workdays at the beginning of the school year, I block off four straight weeks. I know, from hard experience, that those four weeks will be work-heavy and I need to give myself grace when it comes to other priorities and areas of my life.
For those four weeks: I try to avoid scheduling any medical appointments or other appointments that can wait. I do daily straightening up and weekly light cleaning around my house. Paying for a cleaning service might be another option. I plan simple meals that don’t take long to prepare (and will provide left-overs for another meal). I attend to only the most vital church and friend commitments. After those four weeks, I am in more of a routine with school commitments and can adjust my schedule to fit in other priorities.
Getting through especially busy times — so much to do and limited time to do it all — is always a challenge. I’m still learning how to do that best. Please share any tips or ideas you have!