49 Best time management tips for teachers

What is the one thing teacher’s never have enough of? Time. Well also pay – but let’s not go there right now. The importance of time management is not to be underestimated or undervalued as a teacher. Managing your time as a teacher is an essential skill to ensure the longevity of your career and the protection of your mental and physical health. If you have the right time management tips for teachers, then you can ensure your own well-being is not sacrificed by your job.

Teaching is a demanding profession that requires educators to wear many hats. From lesson planning and grading to engaging with students and collaborating with colleagues, managing time effectively is crucial for success in the classroom. There is never enough time, and often it is hard to determine what the best use of time is at any given moment. Good time management is essential for teachers to be able to cope with the demands of the job and find a work-life balance that suits each individual.

The beginning of the school year is a great time to reflect on your processes and determine how you might be able to set clear goals in terms of time management so that your school day doesn’t bleed into your personal life. 

So grab a coffee and sit back and relax while we explore 49 time management tips for teachers.

Time management tips for teachers

Effective time management tips for teachers

As school teachers, we know the work day doesn’t have enough hours in it to get everything done. So it is even more important that you build your practical time management skills to ensure the effective use of your time. Here are 49 time management tips for teachers:

1. Prioritize Tasks: Identify the most important tasks and prioritize them. Focus on essential tasks first to ensure essential responsibilities are met.
2. Create a To-Do List: Develop a daily or weekly to-do list to keep track of tasks and stay organized. Check off items as you complete them.
3. Set Realistic Goals: Establish achievable goals for each day, week, and month. Realistic goals prevent overwhelm and boost productivity.
4. Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time to different tasks. This helps create a structured routine and prevents multitasking.
5. Limit Multitasking: Multitasking can decrease overall efficiency. Concentrate on one task at a time to improve focus and quality of work. There is a lot of time lost in the process of task switching constantly and the mental load is also greater than just focusing on one task at a time.
6. Use Technology Wisely: Leverage technology tools for lesson planning, grading, and communication. Platforms like Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams can streamline tasks. Utilize it to schedule out emails and class tasks so you can do them when suits you without disrupting others at an inconvenient time.
7. Automate Repetitive Tasks: Identify tasks that can be automated, such as sending regular updates or setting recurring reminders.
8. Utilize Planning Periods: Maximize planning periods for lesson preparation and grading. Use this time efficiently to reduce workload after school hours.
9. Batch Similar Tasks: Group similar or specific tasks together to streamline efficiency. For instance, grade papers in one sitting or plan lessons for the week in a single session. This limits the amount of time wasted by switching between tasks and helps you get things done in less time. Time management tips for teachers
10. Learn to Say No: Recognize your limits and politely decline additional responsibilities when necessary. Prioritize your well-being. Yes of course you need to meet your contractual obligations, but if you are asked to go above and beyond that – it is ok to say no or ‘not at this time’.
11. Delegate When Possible: If you have support staff or can collaborate with colleagues, delegate tasks to share the workload. This could even include students if it includes keeping your classroom organised etc.
12. Effective Communication: Clearly communicate expectations and deadlines to students and colleagues. This helps everyone stay on the same page.
13. Take your Breaks: Use your breaks to actually have a break. It is important that you eat through the day and have some time to recharge.
14. Reflect and Evaluate: Regularly assess your time management strategies. Identify what works well and make adjustments as needed.
15. Set Boundaries: Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life. Avoid taking work home at the end of the day whenever possible.
16. Use Templates: Develop templates for lesson plans, assessments, report writing, and other documents to save time on repetitive tasks. Even email responses to parents you can simplify by having some templates available.  You may also like this blog post ‘11 FREE editable templates for teachers‘.
17. Limit Email Time: Allocate specific time slots for checking and responding to emails. Avoid constant interruptions throughout the day by turning off your email notifications.
18. Invest in Professional Development: Stay updated on the latest teaching methods and tools. Continuous learning can enhance your efficiency in the long run and keep you motivated in the profession.
19. Collaborate with Colleagues: Share resources and collaborate with fellow teachers. Working together can save time and improve the quality of teaching and share resources so you aren’t all wasting time creating the same thing.
20. Embrace Technology-Free Zones: Designate specific times or areas where technology is not allowed to encourage focused work or relaxation. This could be done during class time or your own personal time. Time management tips for teachers

Time management tips for teachers continued…

21. Use Reminders: Set reminders for important deadlines and tasks. This can help prevent last-minute rushes.

22. Encourage Student Independence: Foster a sense of responsibility in students, encouraging them to take ownership of their learning, which can reduce your workload.

23. Don’t set homework: It is not always necessary and setting homework assignments only adds to your workload. Don’t set it to save you time by not needing to check or mark it.

24. Stay Healthy: Prioritize self-care, including regular exercise, a balanced diet, and sufficient sleep. A healthy teacher is a more effective teacher.

25. Mindfulness and Meditation:Incorporate mindfulness practices into your routine to reduce stress and improve focus.

26. Use Visual Aids: Visual tools like calendars, charts, sticky note, and planners can enhance organization and time management.

27. Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate achievements, no matter how small. Positive reinforcement can boost motivation.

28. Utilize a Centralized Calendar: Maintain a single calendar for all your appointments, deadlines, and events. This prevents scheduling conflicts and helps you stay organized.

29. Use color-coding: In calendars and to-do lists it can be very helpful to have a color coding system to help you prioritise and organise your events and tasks.

30. Create a Grading System: Develop a consistent and efficient grading system. This could include using rubrics or providing feedback during specific time slots.

31. Use Checklists for Routine Tasks: For routine tasks like setting up the classroom or collecting homework, create checklists to ensure nothing is overlooked.

32. Implement a two-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. This prevents small tasks from piling up.

33. Establish a Morning Routine: Develop a consistent morning routine to set a positive tone for the day. This could include reviewing the day’s schedule, checking emails and setting priorities.

34. Schedule Buffer Time: Allow for buffer time between tasks to account for unexpected interruptions or delays.

35. Use headphones: Block out interruption in the staff room by using noise cancelling headphones.

36. Adopt a Growth Mindset: Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. A positive mindset can contribute to better time management.

37. Explore Time-Tracking Apps: Use time-tracking apps to monitor how you spend your time. This awareness can lead to more informed adjustments in your schedule.

38. Set Personal Deadlines: Establish personal deadlines ahead of official ones. This creates a buffer for unforeseen circumstances.

39. Create a Resource Library: Develop a digital or physical resource library with materials and lesson plans that can be reused or adapted in the future.

40. Engage in Physical Activity: Incorporate short bursts of physical activity into your day to boost energy levels and focus. Time management tips for teachers

Time management tips for teachers

More time management tips for teachers…

41. Limit Social Media Use: Set specific times for checking social media to prevent it from becoming a constant distraction.

42. Establish a Homework Collection System: Streamline the process of collecting and returning homework to save time and maintain organization.

43. Use Mind Mapping for Planning: Visualize your lesson plans and ideas using mind maps. This can enhance creativity and clarity in your teaching approach.

44. Set Clear Learning Objectives: Clearly define learning objectives for each lesson to stay focused on essential content and activities. This helps you decide quickly whether activities are going to be helpful in a lesson or just be busy work.

45. Rotate Classroom Responsibilities: Share classroom responsibilities with students to foster a sense of community and lighten your workload.

46. Designate a Clean-Up Routine: Allocate time at the end of each day for a quick clean-up of your workspace and classroom to start the next day with a fresh slate.

47. Develop a System for Paperwork: Establish a system for managing paperwork efficiently, such as color-coded folders or digital filing. If you prefer digital systems then look at using a note-taking app and organise your Google drive folders to streamline your online filing.

48. Collaborate on Lesson Planning: Collaborate with fellow teachers to share lesson planning responsibilities, allowing for diverse perspectives and shared workload.

49. Have a daily routine: know exactly what you are going to do and when you are going to do it. Are you going to check your emails first thing in the morning? Or after the day? When are you going to do photocopying? Having a set time for your daily habits is helpful so you don’t waste time figuring out what to do next – its already decided for you! This also helps remove some of the mental fatigue as it becomes repetitive practice you won’t need to think about it.

Time management tips for teachers

Conclusion

Working towards developing excellent time management skills as a teacher is a great way to back yourself. It will have long-term gains for you and ensure you are able to tackle the day to day without being in constant fight or flight mode.

Make sure you share these time management tips for teachers with your teaching bestie!

Time management tips for teachers

classroom management strategies for high school

Katrina is a multi-award winning educator from Sydney, Australia who specialises in creating resources that support teachers and engage students.

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