Whether you’re a Type A or Type B teacher, whether you qualify as one of those “Pinterest PerfectTeachers” or are lucky to remember to even change the date, this blog is for you. When it comes to time management we could all use a little help. There is simply too much to do and not enough contractual hours in the day to do it all.

I believe that the key to becoming better at anything, in this case managing our time, begins with self awareness and acceptance.

What’s most important is for you to become more self aware and tune into what isn’t working and why, whether or not you want and are willing to change, and then implement strategies that will specifically address your bad habits and help you improve.

Let’s dive into 4 teacher profiles that each depict their own unique struggles with time management. See which one you most identify with and then click on the image to learn some specific strategies that address that type’s time management issues.

Disclaimer: At any time on our teaching journey, depending on what is happening in our personal and work lives, we may identify with more than one of these at the same time. That is perfectly fine! Feel free to click on multiple profiles to learn even more strategies to help you manage your time more effectively. The most important step is becoming self aware.

In finding ourselves in these characters and in learning strategies that help us manage our time better, our goal should be to become more self aware and work towards positive growth. There is no immediate reversal to these pitfalls and there are many honorable and good things about each one of these characters.

We are simply identifying where we may be slipping and how we can find even more balance and joy in our work. With that in mind, take a look at our “Self Aware” character.

Sometimes I struggle sharing with this platform, worried that I’ve lost any credibility because I’m no longer actively teaching alongside you in that same capacity anymore. But then I remember that I have experience and things to share. Things that I’ve learned through many triumphs and also through many setbacks. I’m glad I can learn from my own failures and have more time to be able to share these strategies with you.

I was this “self aware” character for a few weeks at a time and with a few classes early on, but struggled to find her again as time went on. At one particularly difficult time, I felt I was all of the first 4. I was staying late talking to friends because I lacked any social outlet, I was overwhelmed and putting off necessary tasks, I was signing up for any and everything to feel important and to fill a void, and I ultimately found myself standing at the edge of the canyon of bitterness, frustrated that I couldn’t do it all.

To those of you that resonate with that particular narrative, all I can say is have compassion for yourself.

We are all on a journey. Let’s honor that journey and encourage each other along the way, because we are worth it.

-Erin