The usage of time in a productive way is known as time management. In today’s busy schedule, time management is the basic tool to properly sequence your professional and personal chores. Being busy the whole day does not mean you are effective. With good time management skills, you work smarter, not harder, by completing your task with minimal effort and time. Time management skills are a must for teachers as the amount of work they do with the responsibility of hundreds of tasks to cover.
We know that classroom management is very difficult as the teacher needs to cover so many things in a few hours, but with effective time management skills, a teacher can increase their productivity and provide better education to their students. A teacher teaching needs to balance the long-term goals of the classroom. They also need to manage the large volume of paperwork that comes with assignments. So, time management in a teacher’s life is very important.
A teacher’s time management can be broken into two parts:
- Fixed hours that need to be spent in the classroom in which the teacher is teaching.
- 1-3 hours a day that needs to be spent outside the class, in which you need to make routine tasks for the next day, prepare lesson plans and make phone calls.
Many teachers also have to take work home and grade papers at night by giving up their weekends which usually hinders their work-life balance. This is one of the reasons why often most teachers are stressed out. So, if time management is followed by teachers, they will be stress-free, and there will be greater job satisfaction. It will also increase your effectiveness and efficiency in the classroom. Lastly, it will give you more time to improve the quality of your lessons.
Time management, if followed properly, can help you in many ways:
- It helps in making you organized
Being organized is one thing that needs to be followed by everyone. It will keep you updated about all your tasks. It will also help you to prioritize your routine systematically. It will reduce the burden of work, and everything will run smoothly.
- You will be more productive.
By proper planning of the tasks, you can boost your confidence and make yourself prepared for the entire day. There is a drastic change in your procrastination, and you become more energetic toward your assignments.
- It helps in creating a balance between professional and personal life.
You can enjoy your work more if you know how to manage your time. Professionalism is just a part of life, and hence, by scheduling it appropriately, you can have a perfect work-life balance.
- It helps in controlling stress and anxiety.
We all know that mental health is equally important as physical health, so by following time management, one can control their mental stress. By balancing your mental health, you can bring peace and comfort to yourself.
- Efficient results are visible.
A systematic approach to your tasks can never fail to bring futile results. It gives fast and efficient results. Also, it will help in progressing your personal growth.
Some teaching tips need to be followed for effective time management:
- Set your priorities right and organize your day. This will help you to be on track throughout the day. Prioritizing should be done by arranging workload based on both the importance of the task as well as the resulting impact of the task.
- The homework and assignments should be planned strategically. Assignments that require repetitive practice must be assigned for home as they unnecessarily consume class time.
- Break up your grading material into small groups instead of grading the work of the entire class on the same day. A small pile each day is easier to manage. It allows the teacher to properly evaluate the assignment and offer feedback to students too.
- Do not try to multitask. Take one step at a time. Try to cover one assignment at a time. Multitasking may help you to finish your work earlier, but it is least beneficial in terms of productivity.
- Always try to set aside some personal time. When you are exhausted due to a lack of personal care and time, it is very much possible that the classroom becomes less effective and efficient. Setting out some personal time will make you energetic, healthy, and refreshed.
Time management is an important tool that, if not followed, can lead to distress and can delay your work more than usual. Teaching time management skills to adults is not easy as adults are less prone to adapting to new mechanisms. This requires proper effort and consistency. To give out 100% results and bring out efficiency in work, time management skills must be followed by teachers. If you are still facing difficulty in managing your work, then you should try connecting to Classplus, a platform for teachers to manage their works in an app with their own name and own brand. Here you can take classes and even sell your courses.
