Do you ever feel stretched, rushed or overwhelmed by everything that’s expected of you? As a teacher you are in such a vital role and while you love connecting with your students and seeing them thrive and achieve, sometimes it can feel like the work is never ending.With demands ranging from lesson planning and creating resources to attending meetings, from marking and reporting to communicating with parents, and from completing paperwork and creating a tidy, visually appealing environment and to actually delivering your lessons themselves, there is so much to juggle!
Then there is your overall life balance, having time for yourself, for fun, for family and to make the most of life. With so much going on, how can you regain control, restore calm and experience more joy in teaching?The following five steps are some of the most important foundations I share with individuals and groups to help people overcome stress and the feeling of overwhelm and move toward feeling more relaxed, productive and organised.
1. Prioritise the Important Over the Urgent
The biggest mistake people make that massively reduces their productivity is to get caught up in things that appear ‘URGENT,’ using up their precious time, rather than focusing on the things that are important. It would seem logical that we would focus on the important things, but it wasn’t until I discovered the Eisenhower Matrix that I learnt how to easily distinguish between the two and why this is so vital.President Eisenhower came up with this matrix comparing urgent and important things with less urgent and less important things.
Urgent and Important: Do now!
These are the vital tasks like report deadlines, difficult yet important conversations or key decision making that must be done now.
Less Urgent and Important: Schedule!
These are often the most beneficial tasks such as personal development, relationship building, effective planning and maintaining our health and wellbeing. They need to be scheduled in, otherwise they tend to get missed until they cause urgent problems.
Less Important and Urgent: Delegate or Systemise!
These things can take up a lot of our time if we’re not careful. They can include being called into meetings where our presence is not needed, non-essential phone calls and emails or social conversations that aren’t real work.
Less Important and Less Urgent: Eliminate!
There are time wasters which are best avoided. Sometimes they are things we like to tick off our list to give a false sense of achievement. They can be quick and easy to complete but don’t add any real value and are often a form of procrastination.
Understanding this powerful model and applying it to your daily decision making can transform your life. It allows you to quickly assess items on your to-do list, interruptions and requests from others and effortlessly know whether to do it now, schedule it for later, delegate it or avoid it.Picture how your day is spent. If you manage to prioritise scheduling regular blocks of time for the less urgent, yet important things, you will enjoy a better quality of life. It’s never urgent to eat a carrot or go for a run, to have a date with your spouse or child, to creatively problem-solve a long-term issue or plan ahead, yet these activities make such the difference. I’ve had clients that have said this one concept has transformed how they approach their days and totally reduced the overwhelm they used to feel when looking at their to-do list.When you have clearly defined your goals, pictured how you would like life to be and how you would like your classroom to be, you will have a clearer idea of where you really want to head, making it easier to assess what’s important and make decisions in line with that. Next time you write a to-do list, picture which of the four quadrants the items fit into and be sure to focus on the important things first. Focus on the top priorities and don’t allow yourself to get distracted until they are complete for the day. Schedule the less urgent important things and delegate the things that you can.
2. Prioritise You First (Guilt Free)
Often people associate taking time out for themselves as selfish and feel guilty when they do so. I invite you to flip this attitude on its head and consider what it would be like if you never took time out to do the things that charge you up and make you feel great. How can you ever have the energy, attention and love to give out to others around you if you’re not refilling your own cup? You can only perform as your best self and give out to others if you’re taking care of yourself first. Whether it’s hiking in nature, having a massage, practising a hobby you love, learning, reading, creating or whatever best grounds you, schedule time for it regularly.I firmly believe that not doing so is actually highly selfish. If you allow yourself to become tired, frustrated and worn out, that leaves your students, friends and family with a version of yourself they don’t deserve. It starts with switching the way you frame it in your own mind to believe that, “Me time is essential,” rather than, “Me time is selfish.” Recently, a client shared how amazing it is to finish a hot cup of tea, read her book uninterrupted and feel totally guilt free for doing so. As a busy mum, this one, small, regular practice helps her keep everything else in balance.
3. Start Right
The way you start your day largely determines the course of your entire day. The most successful people in the world have regular morning rituals and routines that set them up to perform at their best.Brainstorm a list of the things you’d like to do to start your day right and try them out to create your own ideal morning routine. This could include listening to uplifting music, practising mindful movement, getting outdoors or getting sunlight into the retina of your eyes, focusing on a positive intention for the day, thinking of one thing you’re grateful for, breathing diaphragmatically or having a nutritious breakfast. Many of these things can be done simultaneously. It is ideal to wake and get up at the same time each day. This helps your body’s endocrine system to regular your hormones to make you feel most alert and refreshed upon waking. I recommend setting an alarm across the room so you are forced to get out of bed immediately. Get in the habit of opening the blinds or putting the lights on straight away. Perhaps turn on your favourite music shortly after waking (rather than hitting the snooze button, which leaves you feeling more groggy). You can treat your routine like an accordion: depending on the time you have, you might consider adding more in or shortening things down. My own routine is generally four minutes long, about the length of a song and I then go down for my nutritious breakfast before I wake my children. It has transformed our mornings from what used to routinely descend into shouting and tears from everyone, including me. Instead, I feel calm, centred and upbeat, which sets the tone and flows onto everyone around me. I encourage you to try it out for yourself and see how powerful this is!
4. Set Boundaries
People will always treat you the way that you allow them to treat you. Often setting up clear boundaries and expectations is the biggest key to maintaining balance in our lives. Saying no to tasks that are not important to you is one of the best time management strategies available. As a teacher you will know that what might appear quicker and easier to do yourself, is in the long term, better to train others to do, even if it takes them a little longer. You have likely created routines that your students follow. Maintain those expectations so they don’t dump their responsibilities onto you. With students, parents, colleagues and in fact, virtually everyone you interact with, it’s helpful to learn to use assertive communication to clearly express what you want or need in a positive and firm manner. If something is an ongoing problem and needs to be discussed, prior to having a difficult conversation, consider things from the other person’s point of view and what their wants and needs are. Look for the benefit for them in what you are asking. Then explain clearly, stating exactly what you want or need, including the when, where, how and most of all, the why: what the benefit will be both for you and them. I call this ‘complete communication,’ where you don’t assume they will understand your motives and desires but you clearly spell them out, which will result in much more positive outcomes for everyone. When you are clear and consistent in your communication, it will transform the way people treat you.
5. Declutter
When your physical environment is cluttered, not only does it hinder you on a practical level, it weighs you down with mental clutter as well. Every unfinished task, every piece of paperwork and each item that is left lying around calls out to you, drawing your attention, overwhelming your brain. So many people have told me that nagging pile of ‘stuff’ in the corner of the kitchen weighs them down. They have told me how they avoid the spare room because it’s turned into a general dumping ground. They have told me how they can’t stand seeing the ever growing number of emails in their inbox. Setting aside time periodically to declutter spaces both at home and work, as well as your digital files and emails is time well spent.
These tips are a general catch-all to help you get things back into good shape:
•Before you start, rather than picturing the task itself, first picture what I call ‘the satisfied feeling of completion.’ Imagine how great it will be once the space is clear and clutter free and how energising that will feel!
•Plan sufficient time ahead and gather everything you will need, whether that is help from others, snacks, boxes or new storage items. Have it all on hand so you are not hindered in your task.
•Remove everything for the area you plan to clear. For example, put all the files or paperwork out on desks or in piles on the floor, put all your clothes onto your bed, empty the entire pantry, remove everything from the shed or get all the boxes down from the storage space. •Thoroughly clean the area and let it air out.
•Do an initial sort without going into detail. Have fast paced music on, set a timer and focus on quick decisions, sorting things into key piles. Label the piles ‘Definitely Keep,’ ‘Maybe Keep’ and ‘Definitely Discard.’ Having the ‘Maybe’ pile allows you to work quickly in this initial sort.
•Immediately remove the items you plan to discard by moving them to their new location or bagging them up and putting them in the car to donate.
•Next go through the ‘Maybe’ pile, being as ruthless as you can and let go of things that don’t bring you joy or aren’t of real use.
•Once you’ve got everything you want to keep laid out, you can now put things back in a logical order, labelling everything as you go. If you require extra storage items such as vertical files, holders or stackable storage containers, go out and purchase them as soon as possible and get the job complete.
•Lastly, step back and reflect on how you feel with the finished product. Set up systems to keep it clutter free so you can make the most of your time and space.
These five points have given you just a quick overview of some strategies to use to regain control. Most of all, the key is not just to read about them but to pick one and try it out for yourself this week. If you need further assistance, get a coach or an accountability buddy to help you make these strategies a permanent part of your routine.As you get clearer about your goals, more focused on what’s important, firmer in saying no to things that aren’t necessary, you’ll create more clarity and space. As you start your day right, have spaces and systems that support you, and perhaps most of all, schedule time for things that refill your own cup. You will discover that even with the same workload and demands, you can sail through your days and truly thrive.