Teachers usually have a lot on their plate at all times. There’s the teaching, the note-making, the student support, academic research, assessments, data management, planning, clerical tasks, the list is practically endless. So beyond discussing teaching strategies and technology solutions to improve the education quality and the lives of teachers, we have come up with some very efficient productivity hacks for teachers to thrive in the workday. Reclaim your time and streamline the entire process with these and spend the time you get to learn.
We have previously written about some techniques to be more productive as a teacher, so consider this a follow-up on that. You can check out our other blogs for teachers here too. So let’s be the most productive as we can and get straight into the topic.
Productivity hack 1: Simplify and clear your working environment.
Organization is the best way to improve productivity in any circumstance. The better planned you are, the better you can deal with things as they come along. So no matter if you are working from home or the institution has opened up, take some time to reduce the clutter in your workspace. It will literally have a positive effect on your mindset. Also, a well-organized workspace also makes everything easier to access and find. So it will also save you a lot of time searching for papers or things that you need.
Productivity hack 2: Reduce the size of your to-do list.
On any given day, there could be a lot to do. But the key to optimizing your productivity is to focus on 2-3 really important things that you must accomplish and make that your day’s to-do list. This will allow you to prioritize and plan your day efficiently. Oftentimes, the most time is spent on those small mundane tasks that you could’ve done anytime. These small things eventually add up and take away the most time. So prioritizing the key tasks and making sure that those get done will greatly improve your productivity and the mental satisfaction that you got things done.
Productivity hack 3: Schedule the important tasks of your day.
Trailing from the earlier point, schedule these most important tasks ahead of the day. Since it’s only the crucial ones, it won’t take long. But you will also have that in your mind at all times while coming across the small and meaningless tasks that you can maybe do later or finish early. Scheduling also means you can take the printouts to distribute the day before or read the answer sheets for assessments from home. Pre-planning such small things give you a lot of flexibility during the workday to push around those important things that you have to do.
Productivity hack 4: Balance between perfection and optimal.
This is also great advice to always bear in mind. Not that perfection is anything less, but then you also have to consider the situation. If you are already struggling with a lot of balls in the air and barely completing tasks on time, it may not be the ideal time to aim for perfection in everything you do. You can go for it nonetheless, however, your prime focus should be on getting it done in the best possible way.
Productivity hack 5: It’s not always about reinventing the wheel but making it better.
We have come across several teachers who thinks creating a new classroom order, or trying out a different teaching technique is all about rebuilding the entire education system. That’s not the case though. You can still do a lot without changing the basic foundation or structure. Progress, even if it’s slow, amounts to something. You can start by trying out a simple change of pace in interacting with your students. If it works, try out any blended learning model that more or less gives you the same amount of time with your students without losing anything. Bit by bit, you can change your teaching style to become the best. So don’t worry that change is always rapid and chaotic. There are small changes too, and they add up to make a big difference in the long term.
We also publish articles on learning theories, online learning, education management, teaching techniques, and more. Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive our latest content in your inbox every week.
Also published on Medium.
