GET HONEST WITH YOURSELF
As I was going through my email the other day, I realized that I had stored and stashed away ridiculous emails that I thought would benefit me – one day.
When you find many emails full of free resource links (that don’t even work anymore) saved in your email for 8 years – you need to update!! I had a reality check when I stumbled on these hoards of emails. These files and my bookmarks that I have been curating for years sadly became a graveyard of broken links and 404 error pages. Ugh! I get the basic idea of the article/resource from the title and jot down anything interesting.
I realized it was time for a change, so here I am committing to organizing my professional life as an educator. I will be switching grade levels at the end of this school year – from 1st to 4th. It was a voluntary change and one that I applied for, but now it comes with the realization that I have a ton of teaching materials that are no longer useful or meaningful. Some that aren’t even valid anymore!
JUST BREATHE!! 3 STEPS TO TAKING CONTROL
I am now in the process of starting to sort, organize, and throw away or delete all of my teaching materials. The past 10 years of stuff has become too much. I feel that I can simplify my planning process and implement more meaningful material if I take care to choose quality materials. Here are three tips to help you wrap your head around all that STUFF!
Create a toolbox of useful and meaningful resources.
Purge paper copies, digital files, and resources including professional development books.
Sort digital files and keep what you will really use.
CHALLENGE YOUR MINDSET
For this to work, you need to be real with yourself. All those procrastination thoughts and motivation killers need to be dealt with! Everyone is going to approach organization different, so it’s important you choose something that you know will work for you – not because someone else makes something look fabulous. Second, change it if it’s not working! Too often we get stuck in our routines because it is routine. However, we forget that we can also get stuck in a rut that way. If it doesn’t suit you or seems like “too much,” ditch it and try something else. Last, those paper piles! We all have them. Some of us stick them in filing cabinets, some in drawers, and some are just left out in the open for all to see. TAME THEM! You know you don’t need all of those copies of similar skills and strategy worksheets.
Choose an organizational style that works best for you.
Don't be afraid to change if it's not working!
Tame those paper piles!
RESOURCES
Teaching has become more digital and Google Drive is being used by more teachers as a way to streamline in-person, remote, and hybrid teaching. I have been following Kristen from Ladybug’s Teacher Files for about 10 years now and her organizational advice is extremely helpful; especially if you are tech savvy. Her blog post about organizing and color-coding your Google Drive was extremely helpful for me in getting organized.
Recently, I found myself looking to Angela Watson’s courses to regain control of my career. With the ever-changing demands of teaching, I had to do something before I hit burnout mode. I never felt like I could get caught up. Once I did, I could never maintain it. Her books and courses on conquering anxiety and overwhelm helped ground me. Her “Fewer Things Better Project” is a way for teachers to realize it’s okay to say no and take back your life. You shouldn’t feel guilty about self-care.
Another great resource I relied on was Core Inspiration by Laura Santos. She has an amazing library of classroom organization posts to help you tailor organization to support a self-directed learning environment. One MAJOR time saving resource that I found was Laura’s FREE digital lesson plan book template. I adapted it to fit my needs and reorganized it to match my preferences and includes the standards number for each lesson. One of the best parts of using a digital lesson plan book is that you can link your resources directly to your plans! I use this method all the time to quickly access lesson videos, Google Slides, Docs, websites, etc. By adapting this practice, that took time to get used to, I have cut hours off of my plan and prep time because I have been able to streamline everything.
Of course, none of these tips and strategies will help you if you don’t choose to put work, time, and energy into it. No one else can get you out of the rut that you might be in. There are a lot of resources to help you along your journey, but you have to reach out for help. That can take the form of self-discovered blog posts, websites, like-minded colleagues, organizational consultants, or therapists. Whatever path you choose; just start. Changing your mindset is none something you can check off a list. It’s a journey and is constantly changing. You will always need to learn new skills and adapt to changing situations.
Invest in yourself. It’s worth it.
