Working as a teacher is challenging and requires a lot of effort, but it remains very rewarding. Planning, giving feedback on assignments, taking part in meetings, and helping students can make teachers feel like their days are never long enough.
For these reasons, time management for teachers is very important so they can be more organised, less stressed, and more productive.
Here, we’ll look at tips to help you regain your freedom during the school day and bring you 5 time management strategies that could change your routine.
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ToggleTime Management is Important for Teachers
There is a strong relationship between teachers and time management. Prioritizing and allocating your time effectively is what effective time management really means. Teachers who do not manage their time effectively can tire out, forget some of their duties, and be less effective with students.
On the other hand, teachers who use their time effectively tend to enjoy several benefits.
- Have a more relaxed mind.
- Handle their responsibilities all the time
- Gain more energy and attention for teaching
- Make sure a good place for students to learn
5 Time Management Tips
A simple but strong thought of the day on time management:
Since time is a teacher’s greatest resource, make sure to use it well to teach more than just skills.
1. Sort Your Tasks
When you start your day, decide which goals should have your attention first. Using a to-do list can assist you in focusing your effort on important things.
Tips:
- Sort your tasks into a matrix made up of importance and urgency to prioritize efficiently.
- Plan intervals or time frames for urgent and important tasks.
- Concentrate on one thing at a time for better success.
Having a detailed plan will help avoid being sidetracked and will assist in sticking to your work.
2. Set Limits and Say No to Things
A lot of teachers feel pressured to do more work, much of which cuts into their spare time. Recognising what you can and can’t handle is necessary.
How can I better manage my time?
Being able to say no to things that don’t match your goals is a good approach.
This doesn’t require you to be rude; it just means being fair and taking your time into account. Looking after your own well-being is important for your performance and your students’ achievements.
3. Use Every Opportunity
Time during the planning period should be managed correctly. During this time, try to avoid emails and chatting with colleagues and use them differently.
- Grade the essays and give the students useful suggestions.
- Revise your lesson plan for better performance
- Organize all the materials in the classroom.
4. Take Advantage of Technology
Managing one’s time can become much easier when teachers use digital tools. You can use tools such as Google Classroom, Trello, or Planboard to make your work easier.
Suggestions:
- Adopt templates that help you create lessons and assess the students
- Computers can easily handle repetitive jobs such as grading quizzes
- Keep business resources on computers so you can use them when needed.
Hence, having the correct tools can make your job much easier to handle and keep you well organized.
5. Reflect Your Improvements
After every week, give yourself 10–15 minutes to review the things that went well and the things that didn’t. Teaching time management starts with having students and yourself manage your time well.
Ask yourself:
- Did I follow the schedule I made for my day?
- Did you discover that some activities took more time than you had planned?
- What are some changes that I can make next week?
Passing on Time Management Skills to Students
How to teach time management?
Not only do teachers need good time management, but it’s a skill that helps students too. Tips on managing time can introduce new skills that last throughout a lifetime.
Teaching students about time management can be done with the following tips:
- Use a daily or weekly planner to make your timetable.
- Work on different steps of a big project separately
- Make sure you manage your own time well, since this sets a good example for others.
Customised Workshops on Better Time Management for Teachers
At times, getting advice from knowledgeable people is very effective in improving. If you want to get better at teaching and time management, we recommend joining one of our online customised workshops for teaching. These sessions have tools and strategies that are selected for teachers and educators exclusively.
You will see many ways of planning and optimizing your day at work, and hear advice on balancing your job and personal life.
Final Thoughts
The best time management strategies for teachers depend on each person. You build and fine-tune this habit as time goes by. If you sort your tasks, set some limits, make use of technology, and reflect often, you may notice big progress coming from these small steps.
When you want to manage your time more effectively, always remember that you’ve got everything you need. All you have to do is use the right strategies and decide to use your time efficiently.
Come and take part in the Ali Institute of Education online workshops to learn time management and make your teaching more effective.
