I stressed all day yesterday about planning for the week ahead. My plan was to go to school, take down the tree, clean off my desk, and have all my lessons planned for the whole week. I will be out of the classroom on Thursday and Friday and I don’t want to pull another all nighter. However, my kids were all home and that doesn’t happen very often. I didn’t want to leave, so I compromised. I stayed with the family but spent much of the day on my computer. So, basically I was there, but I wasn’t there. I wish I was more efficient and routine oriented! Why does it take me so much longer to get things done than my peers?
After signing up for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge, I checked my email and saw A.J. had sent me something about a webinar from Angela Watson. It was called “How to Trim an Hour or More from Your Work Week.” I chuckled. A.J. must really have my number! I signed up for the webinar, but wasn’t actually sure I’d be able to fit it into my schedule.
I took the opportunity to watch the webinar and I’m really glad I did. Apparently there are many teachers feeling as overwhelmed as I am these days. These are the things I’m going to work on to try to free up an hour or more from my work week.
Now I’m considering signing up for Angela Watson’s 40 Hour Teacher Work Week Club. You can read more about it at https://join.40htw.com/40htw-2/.
After signing up for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge, I checked my email and saw A.J. had sent me something about a webinar from Angela Watson. It was called “How to Trim an Hour or More from Your Work Week.” I chuckled. A.J. must really have my number! I signed up for the webinar, but wasn’t actually sure I’d be able to fit it into my schedule.
I took the opportunity to watch the webinar and I’m really glad I did. Apparently there are many teachers feeling as overwhelmed as I am these days. These are the things I’m going to work on to try to free up an hour or more from my work week.
- Reduce my workload by relaxing my standards and plan less. I cannot give 100% to every task. More importantly, not every task is worth it. Over planning can cause unnecessary stress. I hoping to cut down planning for my absences on Thursday and Friday in half.
- Increase my efficiency by tossing out unneeded stuff as I come across it. Don’t let artwork from students pile up. Let them hang it up around the room. Don’t make extra copies of worksheets.
- Manage my time effectively by prioritizing to-do lists so I know what I have to work on during each block of time. “The purpose of list making is not to get every item done. The purpose is to be intentional with my time.” I also want to work on setting a schedule to limit how long I will work, but I seriously struggle with keeping regular routines. Apparently “normal” people have routines. I never do things the same way twice. Even my morning routine varies from day to day. Do you think it’s even possible to change this?
- To alleviate the stress in my life I’m going to cut myself some slack. I’m a perfectionist that never feels like I measure up to my own high expectations. I’m also going to start taking care of myself by exercising at least 5 days per week for 30 minutes.
Now I’m considering signing up for Angela Watson’s 40 Hour Teacher Work Week Club. You can read more about it at https://join.40htw.com/40htw-2/.