3 Habits to Develop to Know How to Time Management at Work

Time Management in Teaching Series Part 1

Have you ever asked yourself this seemingly impossible, unsolvable question for teachers- “How to time management at work?”  I feel you my fellow teacher.  We have a TON to do and there just doesn’t seem like enough time at work right?  Do you often find yourself bringing work home and either not doing it all, or working to the late hours of the night?  I used to do that!  For me, my bag of work was my workout for “lifting” to and from school.  Those were the days before I actually started going to the gym.  

But let me tell you, working AT work is totally possible!  I have been trying to figure this out for most of my career (As I write this, I’m in my 16th year of teaching), and it is now one of my top goals this school year.  I practice these habits DAILY and I reflect.  It’s been working very well, but yes, I have my days when one thing may not get done.  But, heck that’s better than wondering what I did with my time and bringing work home!  

It is not something that happens quickly.  And you need to give yourself some grace if you don’t accomplish this every day.  Just don’t give up!  Let’s get started!

In this post

In this first of three time management posts, I will be sharing three characteristics or habits that you can start practicing now to complete your work AT work.  I will share how I use these each day to help me improve time management at work.  And in life.  These characteristics can be applied to anything in your life, so why not start with our jobs? 

And no matter what you are teaching in class, be sure you are using the strategies in 5 Daily Must-Do Routines to Run Your Classroom Like a Pro. Get your guide now by clicking this link or entering your email address to the right.

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What is Time Management?

So, what is time management anyway?  According to the Cambridge dictionary, time management is “the practice of using the time that you have available in a useful and effective way, especially in your work.”  

Let’s break that definition down.  

Practice.  So, time management is something that takes practice and work.  Time management may seem natural for some, but what’s really happening is those people, those time managers, have developed and practice certain characteristics.

Time that you have available.  We all have 24 hours a day, just like everyone else on our planet.  So, how much time do you have available at work?  We are contracted to work about 7 ½ to 8 hours a day, minus lunch.  So, roughly 7-7 ½ hours a day is actual “work” time that we are getting paid for.  

We’re not going to include our time that we’re teaching students, since our time management focus needs to be on tasks like grading, meetings, planning, prepping, etc.  Hopefully you have a prep period.  Let’s say that’s anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour.  Now let’s look at before and after school.  We’ll add another 30 minutes total.  So, our time available is about 1 ½ hours each day.  

Useful and effective way.  This is the struggle!  We know we have about an hour and a half each day to work on tasks.  Now we have to find out how to manage that time in a useful and effective way.  I will share tips in the next blog post about how I do this at school!

Especially in your work.  We spend so much time at work, so why would you want to bring it home with you?  This is the most important place for us to focus our time management skills.  But, it is also helpful at home too!  As we work through these characteristics and tips, you can apply it anywhere in your life.  But we are starting with work so you have more time freedom in your personal life!

Habits and Characteristics of Effective Time Management

Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran teacher, this is something that you may be struggling with.  As teachers, we have been conditioned to work all day with our students and the tasks that need to be accomplished, attend meetings, events, and join committees.  All of those duties has caused us to feel like there is not enough time during our contracted hours, so we take work home.  We work nights and weekends, and hardly have time for ourselves or our families and friends.  This is all about to change!

First, we need to develop and practice some characteristics for this to work.  These characteristics that I’m sharing with you are a compilation of strategies from people with books and podcasts.  These habits were written and spoken to people starting businesses.  I decided to take those and apply them to my teaching.  And OH MY GOODNESS, what a difference!  You may have already mastered these characteristics in other areas of life, so now it’s time to transfer that to managing your time.  

Read more about positive habits to develop in this blog post.

Habit 1: Be Intentional

I have to-do lists, and I bet you do too.  I am a list person.  I have learned to be intentional with those to-do lists and my time. Knowing that I have a one-hour prep period each day and about 30 minutes before and after school, I have to be focused and intentional with time.  If not, I risk procrastination, adding more to my to-list, or worse, taking work home that night.  

Here’s what I have been doing that works for me.  Each day, I plan ahead.  I look at my (messy) master to-do list and schedule tasks.  My master to-do list has two columns- one for “one time” things and the other for my repeated weekly items. 

On Sundays, I schedule my Monday tasks.  I reflect at the end of Monday, and schedule Tuesday’s tasks.  I put items from my to-do list and schedule them in my planner.  Please note that you can choose whatever planner you like!  I am a paper-Flair pen kinda girl, and I know that digital planners don’t work for me.  But, if they work for you, use it!  

During my 1 ½ hours of available work time each day, I complete items from my to-do list.  I am realistic with what needs to get done during that hour.  I list them in order of importance, and add a couple of extra things in case I finish them.  That way, I’m not wasting any time.   This leads me to Characteristic 2.

Habit 2:  Prioritize

I love Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.  This one has to do with Putting First Things First.   Prioritizing what is most important, so you complete those tasks is key.  It’s like “work before play”.  

When I schedule those tasks from my long and ever-growing to-do list, I prioritize them.  When I get meeting notifications, I write them in my planner.  When I look at my to-do list, I schedule items with approaching deadlines as priority.  I schedule grading, planning, and prep.  If I finish the task during my prep hour, then I have small things I can do like clean my desk, check emails, write a newsletter, or hang up kids’ work on the walls.  

With prioritizing, you are making sure the bigger and more important things get done first.  Then you can tackle the other items one at a time.  And as you know, when you get those big things done, you don’t have to lug them home and work on it!  

Habit 3: Be Consistent

Scheduling your tasks may be a new concept for some.  It can be challenging to start, but it’s so worth it.  Find a way that this can work for you.  Start small.  What task do you often take home at night?  For me, it was grading or planning.  Start with one task, schedule it in  your day, work on it, and DO NOT take it home! 

For example, I grade twice a week.  I scheduled my grading for Tuesdays and Fridays.  I am being consistent with making sure I grade twice a week.  I may need to switch days one week, but as long as I am consistent with twice a week, I will not have to bring home grading. 

And guess what?  If you don’t finish all of that grading, you can do it later.  The key is to reflect, and do better the next day or week.  Just don’t bring it home, and don’t stress about it.  It will get done!  

Wrap Up

We uncovered a lot about characteristics of effective time management!  This is just the beginning to help you learn how to time management at work!  We broke down the definition of time management and learned that it is a practice!  We must work on it daily.  We learned the characteristics to be an effective time manager.  We must be intentional, prioritize, and be consistent.  This is a daily thing.

Your Turn

I want you to choose a task to start with, such as grading.  Be intentional and schedule it in your week.  Work on it during those times.  Then choose another task.  If you’re really ready, dive all in and just schedule as much as you can on your to-do list!  Just be realistic with the time you have available so you can achieve your goal! Let me know how it’s going by emailing me or connecting with me on Facebook or Instagram! I want to be here with you on your journey!

Read More

Read Part 2, for 5 tips on how to complete the tasks at work. 

Read Part 3, for ideas about time management while you are teaching.

Read Why Build Positive Personal Habits to Help You Develop as a Teacher and Person? to help develop more positive habits so you can be intentional

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