STUDY SKILLS TIME MANAGEMENT Top 10 resources to help teachers manage

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Teacher's Help Sheet - Procrastination

This Teachers Help Sheet

is part of a TM4T series of supplementary Time Management advice for teachers. The whole series Barriers to Success is online. Ctrl-Click here if you're web-connected.

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Teachers understand procrastination well enough: "putting off till tomorrow what could be done today", but they don't always appreciate that it comes in many forms and that - frequently - it is absolutely the right thing to do.

Teachers need to differentiate between False Procrastination, Logical Procrastination and Emotional Procrastination. Each requires a different response.

False Procrastination is a mis-diagnosis common to all busy professionals, not just teachers. They set themselves eleven tasks to do in a day, but only do ten of them. Then they beat themselves up over the one task which they didn't have time to do. This one deferral does not indicate a deeply-seated flaw in your personality, it's just nature's way of telling you that you're kind of busy. Next time just plan to do ten tasks.

Logical Procrastination and Emotional Procrastination are more difficult to tease apart, and we'll discuss them together, but first of all let's re-visit the 'logical' bit:

In order to be efficient, we need to respond to disruptions, not react to them. This means deciding, logically, when to do our work. Problem arise when we do not apply simple logic, but instead substitute emotion. These emotional responses generally falls into one of the categories below, and for most of us, the simple act of categorisation will enable us to identify and remove the barrier. For others... well, if there is a serious emotional blockage or phobia involved, more specialist professional help may be needed.

a) Activities that we simply dislike doing, even though we recognize that they are necessary or valuable, and they can be done quickly. In this case, dear reader, the answer is simple but unpleasant: you need to toughen up, overcome inertia, and simply do it. Move it up your priority-list. Take confidence and pride in having done it once, then do it again next time.

b) Fear of failure, or a subconscious fear of success. Often, small tasks are merely steps towards some greater goal. In this situation, we inevitably encounter risk. If we e-mail that job application, what might be the outcome? Rejection? Or a situation with which we cannot cope? The answer is to be logical, not emotional, in assessing your underlying reasons for delay, while acknowledging the emotions themselves.

c) Stubborn assertiveness, or a reluctance to respond immediately, fearing that it may be interpreted as weakness or inferiority. In this case, the answer is to mentally dissociate the task from any status-related issues and to deal with them separately. If you are asked to crunch some numbers for a picky school leader, then dragging your heels achieves nothing. Do the task promptly, and then debate the importance and urgency of the work later.

d) Reluctance to defer pleasure. Teachers recognize this tendency in their students - "I'm having too much fun to study tonight, I'll do it tomorrow" - but they often fail to recognize the identical trait in themselves. For a teacher, the "pleasure" is frequently well-hidden. It may be an intellectually interesting problem, or a productive theoretical debate with a colleague. We sometimes don't want to stop, especially if the next thing on our to-do list is a piece of mundane administration. You need to assess whether this is logical (maybe you need to finish what you've started) or emotional (maybe you just don't like admin).

e) Elements of confrontation. Many administration tasks involve inter-personal communication, and this inevitably introduces the risk of conflict - an e-mail which might cause offence, a set of statistics which will provoke criticism. Frequently, we subconsciously prioritise our work using our emotional intelligence, deferring those tasks which imply confrontation.

If this is the reason for your procrastination, your course of action is simple: stop doing this subconsciously and start doing it consciously. It's usually absolutely the right thing to do: always pause and consider before you cause offence. Then do it.

f) A child-like yearning for perfection. Frequently teachers resent doing things 'in a rush' because it compromises their sense of achievement. It's like getting 7/10 in a test where you could have got ten marks if you'd just spent a bit more time... This is sensible in some contexts, not in others - you need to separate the two. The all-embracing rules of opportunity cost dictate that some tasks only demand 7/10. The time you save can be used more effectively on other things.

[ I will include the last four for completeness, though they rarely apply to teachers, and I'm sure, dear reader, they do not apply to you...]

g) Sod it, can't be bothered. This requires no explanation, but if it applies to you, then it requires some reflection. Why do you feel like this? Are you really being asked (told?) to do something with no value? Can't you ask for an explanation? Can't you refuse? Can you justify the wasted effort? Is this really the best job for you?

h) Dithering. Well, it happens to all of us sometimes: do I or I don't I? Should I or shouldn't I? Oh, it's too difficult, I'll decide tomorrow. Well, again, this isn't such a bad idea. If it is a trivial decision, then tackle it in the old school way: chin up, shoulders back, and make that decision. If it is a big decision, though, choose the best time to make it. Not when you're tired, that's for sure. Think it through when you are clear-headed and decisive and make a decision that you can live with later.

i) Inability to commit. A fiendish blend of (d) fear of failure and (h) dithering. Some decisions are big decisions and require real commitment. Choose your time to make these decisions, and choose a time when you have time - not just five minutes - to think the consequences through. Then: take that first step with a commitment to follow through.

j) Nervous insecurity based on lack of information. A specific breed of dithering - a feeling that nothing should be done too soon, that some consultation is necessary, that it would be better to wait for more clarity. This is, of course, sometimes valid, but if you suspect that it is a subconscious delaying tactic - a symptom of insecurity - then it probably is. Again, this is only a reason to defer action if a really big decision or commitment is involved, with significant consequences. If not, you are entitled to take action today based on what you know today.

TIME TO STOP GROUP TASK GIVE EXAMPLES AND DISCUSS, remember to include it in your journal or diary, this could give ideas for the final essay

All of the reasons above may, in some situations, represent a valid reason for delaying action and procrastinating. The important thing is to be aware of instances where we use these valid reasons inappropriately. If we are aware of our own shortcomings - the tricks that we use to deceive ourselves - we are much more likely to avoid these pitfalls in future.

Unless there are grave consequences involved, it is usually better to do something rather than nothing - inertia is to be avoided at all costs. If now is not the time to do something or decide something, then decide now when is a Teacher's Help Sheet - The Great Escape: How to Leave on Time

This Teachers Help Sheet is part of a TM4T series of supplementary Time Management advice for teachers. The whole series Barriers to Success is online. Ctrl-Click here if you're web-connected.

So. You've had a busy day and now it's time to leave. But... the department meeting over-ran. Again. Then you realised that you haven't prepared that marksheet that you promised. What else have you forgotten? Better check your e-mails to be sure. And before you know it, you're stuck at your desk again, when you should be half-way home.

For busy teachers, the route from their teaching room to the car-park can be an obstacle course lined with distractions, disruptions and delays. All the good intentions that you made - cooking the tea, going to the gym, a bit of reading - are often undone right at the end of the day. One thing leads to another, and before you know it, the school caretaker is starting to lock up and you're still there...If this has happened once too often, then you need some advice on the simple art of leaving work on time. Here's the key TM4T tips for making the Great Escape.Analyse before action. Before doing anything, figure out exactly what the problem is. On which days do you get stuck? Are other people disrupting your planned departure? Is some scheduled event (like a meandering meeting) spoiling your exit? Or are you yourself the cause of your own discomfort? One useful approach is to keep a simple tally list to suss out the scale and pattern of the problem:

Depending on the answers, some or all of the following ideas may be relevant.

Choose Route One. This doesn't mean avoid the staffroom or hide from your students, it just means choose the most practical and direct route between your place of work and your means of transport. Don't feel obliged to say 'goodnight' to everyone - at least one person will want your opinion on something.

Establish a routine. This means that you have a standard time of departure, and a standard set of activities leading up to that departure time. Don't do anything new, demanding or different at the last minute - just standard stuff like marking, lesson preparation, preparing to-do lists - activities whose durations you can predict.

Set time-shift deadlines. Time-shift deadlines are set before any last-minute rush. If you are leaving school at 17:30, stop what you are doing at 17:00 sharp, shut down your e-mail and review what needs to be done before you leave. This should ensure 'no surprises'.

Get tough. Tell people in advance - especially your Head of Department, mentor, and anyone else with work-authority - that you will be leaving at a particular time each day. It sometimes helps if you make it an unusual time: 16:50 instead of 5 o'clock. Make sure expectations are clear by using formal language: you have 'appointments' and 'commitments' which require you to leave on time. The fact that the appointment is with your family and the commitment is to cook tea is no-one's business but yours.

Get mean. Prepare yourself in advance to be assertive; to excuse yourself from badly-chaired meeting, interrupt meandering discussions, re-prioritise over-running tasks. Rehearse in advance what you need to say.

No actually... Wow, those last two sound great, don't they? Get tough!! Get mean!! Well, a preferable approach is not to do either, but to discuss your problems openly with your colleagues and explain that you'd appreciate any help or advice they can offer. Only do the tough-guy/girl routine if all else fails.

Confront problems. Be prepared to discuss real problems with the people involved or the people responsible. The most common example of this is the over-running meeting which disrupts everyone's plans and mealtimes.

Schedule a different meeting. This means that you treat your journey home as an important meeting, including it on your timetable, preparing for it in advance, and reviewing afterwards how it went. Punctual? Productive?

Get in early. If working late is a problem, make sure you start early, and that your Head of Department knows you start early. You can vacuum up as much work as you can before school starts, and automatically claim the moral high ground, in leaving 'on-time'

Be realistic. Leaving school on time may be important, but it is rarely the most important thing in a teacher's life. As long as your rights and needs are being respected, you should be prepared to be flexible and work later than your standard time if asked.. The main issue involving a teacher's work-life balance is rarely working late at school; it is doing so routinely without any acknowledgement or appreciation.. good time, and keep to that deadline.

Teachers Help Sheet - Sleep

There is probably already too much advice already available about 'How to Sleep Well' and some teachers have tried everything from herbal tea to hypnotherapy. But since you've asked...

Our advice is (a) have a look at some general purpose checklists and cherry pick anything that appeals to you - see end of sheet for examples (b) consider our following teacher-specific tips and (c) talk to your GP if you are worried that your sleep is affecting your health

Teachers frequently have sleep-problems. Firstly because they work past sensible bed-times, but also because - when they finish the after-hours work - their minds are racing; either whizzing through what they've done today, what they didn't do today, or what they have to do tomorrow (oh, no; 10C again and I haven't marked their tests)... sometimes you just can't stop the day you've had coming back to you, or the day ahead rushing towards you. How can you sleep through this? Here are our specific tips for teachers:

1. Know how much sleep you need and when your bed-time is

You should have your own school night standard. This doesn't mean you have the same amount of sleep each night or go to bed at the same time. That is silly: you will sometimes have to, or choose to, stay up late or go to bed early, but when that happens you need to be aware of it, and ideally in control of it.2. Turn of the computer 30 minutes before "bed-time"

This means PC, laptop, i-Phone; anything that might alert you to e-mails, text messages, posts, prompts, prods or pokes. Check your mail, have the last word, then switch it off. Some teachers disconnect from the Web and keep typing but we say 'No', switch everything off.

Yes, yes, I knew you were going to say that: you can't turn off your smart-phone, what about an emergency? Well, this means you need to change your lifestyle a little. If you haven't got a land-line telephone, buy a cheap pay-as-you go handset and use it as your 'emergency' phone. Make sure your loved ones know that you have a night-time phone for emergencies only, and that your regular device will be switched off. You may also need to buy an alarm clock. And a torch. Whatever apps you use at bed-time, find a substitute.

3. And Finally...

Make a mini-mental-list of things you need to do before you go to bed. Then do them. Put that text book in your bag and choose tomorrow's trousers. Done. 4.1 And Then...

On your Ticklist if you have one, or in your Notebook or Planner, or just on a piece of paper, write down things you want/need to do tomorrow. If they're already written down, asterisk them. If they're already asterisked, asterisk them twice. Then put your Ticklist, Notebook, Planner, or piece of paper away, in your work-bag, along with any marking, reports, or anything else you've brought from school. Now put your work-bag as far away from your bedroom as you can, without actually going out into the street. Ideally you should have two closed doors between your bedroom and your work.

4.2 Find someone to talk to.

Not as easy as it sounds. In order to qualify as 'someone' a person has to match these criteria: a nice person, someone who cares about you, a good listener, not employed in education. The Samaritans don't count. Now talk to them. Don't try and be constructive, just let it all out. Don't ask for advice on what to do about 10C, just tell your someone what little shits they are.

5. Pen and paper

If anything else occurs to you, you need to write it down. Not using your i-Phone. Not on your Ticklist. Just a bit of paper next to our bed, where you will see it in the morning. As you write, tell yourself what you are doing: you are getting it OUT of your head and dumping it onto the paper. It will be added to the Ticklist tomorrow and it will be dealt with, so you don't need to think about it now. Tell yourself: this is a GOOD thing, especially if it is a lesson idea, or something that needs doing. Now you can sleep.

6. Relax

Mindfulness techniques may not be specifically aimed at sending you to sleep, but they do help to calm a racing mind. By focusing on yourself, your own body and breathing, you can help to pre-empt the onset of the racing mind.

Sleep well.

This Teachers Help Sheet is part of a TM4T series of supplementary Time Management advice for teachers. The whole series Barriers to Success is online. Ctrl-Click here if you're web-connected.

Some general sleep advice can be found here and here. (Ctrl-Click to open)DO YOU SLEEP WELL? YES O NO WHY? BE READY TO MAKE QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

VIDEO 1

VIDEO 2

VIDEO 3

Sample exercises for TMThis is an interesting part to support your time management study skiill with several techniques within 2 power points and web access.

Remember your diary or journal/either team and indivdual while bearing in mind the questions that arised in class. Any question on Wednesday or by mail. If you could not see the videos I include them in a separate format. ENJOY!