3 Simple Steps to Managing Your Limited Prep Time

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DID YOU KNOW THAT TEACHERS MAKE HUNDREDS OF SPONTANEOUS DECISIONS ON A DAILY BASIS? 

What am I thinking?! Of course, you know that. 

The thing is, though, making many spontaneous decisions in such a short amount of time can lead to decision fatigue. 

Decision fatigue is when your brain is so exhausted from making in-the-moment decisions, that it literally hits a mental wall. This is the exact reason you feel like all you want to do during your planning time is color an anchor chart or scroll on social. 

So now you’re wondering – what’s the solution to this? And is there even a doable solution?? My prep time is so limited. Why even bother?

(I’ve been there). 

But the answer is – it’s absolutely possible to make your quick prep time more manageable. And it’s not even as difficult as you might be thinking. 

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS?

You and I both know that while lesson planning, making copies, and prepping for centers might not be the most fun part of our job, it is an important part of our job. Unfortunately, no one taught us how to do this efficiently within the lightning fast prep time that we have. 

But allowing your teacher to-do list to control your life is detrimental to the sustainability and effectiveness of your teaching. 

Here’s the good news though. There are 3 super simple steps you can take RIGHT NOW to make managing your prep time easier. 

This is also going to limit the decision fatigue you feel in a snap! 

STEP 1: NAME YOUR MUST-DOS

Be really clear on what must get done. And I’m not talking about what you think must get done .. but truly, what is urgent and important. What NEEDS to be done during your next prep time? Write those 2-3 things down. Yes, just a few. 

I know you might be thinking: 

• “My to-do list can never have an end because there’s always something to do.” 

I’m not going to argue that there isn’t more to do. But, that doesn’t mean your to-do list can’t have a stopping point. It absolutely can.

Setting a boundary around what you “must do” each day is going to give you more focus. And walking away from teaching at the end of the school day is beneficial to your mental and emotional wellbeing, which also translates into your effectiveness as a teacher. See how this is all connected here? 

STEP 2: NAME YOUR MAY-DOS

You do have more on your to-do list than just 2-3 tasks. So here’s the plan. Once you finish those “must-do” items, have a plan for what you’ll work on next. 

What we don’t want to do is just finish some must-do tasks and then wing the rest of our prep time. When we wing it, we: 

• end up working on things that don’t really matter
• and then leave ourselves open to feeling like we have to bring work home

We really want to make sure that we’re using that time wisely and working on important things.

RINSE AND REPEAT

When you know your must-do and may-do tasks for one day, you can go through and repeat this process for the following days. You’re going to be amazed at how much more doable your planning time feels when you know what you’re going to work on ahead of time.

Operating on a more focused to-do list and routine is key to being productive during your limited prep time. 

HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR TEACHER PREP TIME RIGHT NOW

Here’s what to do RIGHT NOW. Write down your 2-3 must-dos for your next prep time. Wondering where to write them?? 

I’ve got a super simple, free to-do list to help with that! Download it now!