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It’s the beginning of a new school year and a perfect opportunity to organize your time for maximum effectiveness. Time is your greatest resource and, as a school professional, it is essential for achieving your goals.
Here are some tips on how to make the best use of your time this year.
- Set SMART goals.
- Specific: Be precise and clear.
- Meaningful: Ensure that your goals set a foundation for students’ yearlong learning.
- Achievable: Make targeted short-term and long-term goals.
- Relevant: Pick goals that reflect the needs of your students and your own values.
- Time-based: Use your smartphone to set dates to revisit your goals.
- Distinguish between personal and work time. While work preparation is important, a balance between work and personal time is essential for self-care. Making time for activities you enjoy will help deter burnout.
- Spend mornings doing your most important tasks. Create a list to keep yourself on task with your goals for the day.
- Cut back on time wasters. Time spent on things such as social media or television will leave less time for more active endeavors, such as seeing a friend or exercising.
- Take breaks. Even if school days are packed, make sure you take time for lunch and try to practice mindful moments throughout the day.
- Build a support system. Let friends and colleagues help you get organized when needed.
- Be flexible. You may be pulled in new directions. That’s OK. Give priority to what is important and remember that tomorrow brings a new opportunity to address your goals.
- Declutter and organize your space. Work and home environments influence what you can do with the resources you have. Ensure that both are conducive to achieving your goals.