What advice do you have for early career teachers on time management?

Profile image for Brian Lassiter Profile image for Brandie Loomis Ed.S Profile image for Gina Pepin, Ed.D.
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Set boundaries and prioritize tasks. Identify what’s most important and tackle those tasks first. Decide your work hours and stick to them. If you work outside of contract hours, set clear limits and don’t compromise. Work-life balance is crucial to avoid burnout.

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I agree. Setting boundaries is extremely important. Knowing your limits and being aware of what you can do. Setting priorities to help stay focused will guide your actions. Also, keep the first couple of years simple. Many times it can be overwhelming looking next door. Focus on the students first. As you become more comfortable then add to your repertoire. It is a long process and can end in burnout if you try to put too much on your plate.

Prioritize - and find a paper version and/or app that works for you so you can balance work and life intentionally.
I use Cozi (color coded app for my family and professional), sticky notes, and paper calendars!

Read and answer your inbox each day before leaving. A lot of emails contain information, school tasks, parent requests, etc. and can pile up quickly. Even reading through all of your emails daily can keep you up to date with school and classroom information.

However, my advice for parent emails is to not answer immediately. Allow yourself time to think through their questions/ concerns and craft a reponse, or give yourself time to have a teacher friend read your response for a different perspective. Just like the other responses, not responding immediately sets a boundary for yourself that you will communicate in a timely manner but you are not on call 24 hours a day.

You cannot do it all. Definitely set time limits and boundaries for yourself. Give yourself plenty of grace because it’s a learning curve (and one I’m still on in year 14). I would set an hour timer and see how much I can get done in that time. Rely on experienced teachers to show you ways to make things easier and/or faster.

I use a calendar to help me plan what needs to get done first. I also make good use of my plan time both as a professional learning community and individual plan time.