The Time Management Workbook

A Comprehensive Workbook of Strategies, Advice and Tools to Support Effective Workload, Task, and Time Management

Maximize your time, manage your tasks and workload effectively, and feel more in control with effective task management strategies and time management tools for teachers. Featuring goal-setting theories, practical time and task management tips, handy theory-based templates, and support for managing change, this workbook provides actionable ideas and strategies that truly do help teachers make more of their time.

Managing your time effectively and balancing your workload are essential skills and an important aspect of teacher self-care. This workbook features as part of our self-care offer to support teachers with balancing their time effectively. Explore more of our self-care guides and other useful resources in our dedicated Self-Care Hub. 

What’s Included in the Time Management Workbook?

• Goal-setting theories, advice and templates, including SMART goals and the BHAG approach

• Tips for effective time management, including ways to make non-contact time and lunch times more efficient and useful

• Helpful strategies for beating procrastination and prioritizing your workload effectively, plus ready-to-use templates for putting the strategies into action

• Advice, strategies, and printable templates to support dealing with, and planning for, change at work and at home

• Dedicated section for new teachers with ideas for reducing your workload, advice on getting support from colleagues and managers, and tips for a good work-life balance.

How to Use the Time Management Workbook

The workbook is divided into three main sections - Time and Task Management Strategies, Change Management Strategies and Workload Management Tips for New Teachers. We’ve designed the workbook so that it’s easy to navigate, with teachers either working through it in order, or dipping in and out of the sections they want to target, going back to learn more about certain time management and prioritization strategies, or to print the handy, ready-to-use templates.

Effective Time and Task Management

From goal-setting strategies like SMART Goals and BHAG to time-saving ideas for planning ahead and beating procrastination, like Sunday Sit-Downs or the Eat the Frog strategy, to a wide variety of prioritization strategies, the workbook guides you through well-researched, evidence-based strategies that work for any number of situations and teaching pressures.

For each strategy identified in the book, we explain some background to the theory, method or technique and summarize using a quick, easy-to-digest format:

• What is the Strategy or Method?

• When Should I Use It?

• Where Should I Use It?

These summaries are perfect for when you’re strapped for time and need to get to the key information quickly and easily. The workbook includes a diverse range of theories, methods and strategies so that there’s something for everyone - glance through and find the strategy that works for you and your situation.

Every time or task management strategy featured has a no-prep, ready-to-use template for you to use. So once you find a technique or strategy you think might be helpful, simply print off the accompanying template and start reaping the benefits.

Don’t forget to review and monitor your progress once you’ve started using a goal-setting technique, or prioritization strategy, so you can be confident that it works for you - let’s not forget that saving and making the most of your time is the end goal here!

Change Management for at Work and at Home

With a whole section dedicated to how you can best deal with, and plan for, change in your work or home life, you’ll be well-equipped to make it through those potentially difficult moments. Explore strategies including the Circle of Influence and Control Technique, Nudge Theory, the Kübler-Ross Change Curve framework, and the Bridges Transition Model to find the ones that resonate and are most useful for your situation. As with earlier sections of the workbook, there is a handy summary for each theory and an accompanying printable template to help you implement the theory.

Ways to Manage Your Time and Workload As a New Teacher

The first year of teaching is a learning curve in many ways, particularly when it comes to finding the best ways to manage your time, prioritize your workload and maintain a good work-life balance. Browse tips and advice from veteran teachers on how to reduce your workload - from unit planning to collaborating and delegating - and find ways to get support from your colleagues and managers. There are also useful tips, advice and printable templates to help new teachers build and maintain a good balance between their work and personal life - a major challenge for all teachers, and particularly difficult for newer teachers!

What You’ll Find Inside the Workbook

Section 1: Time and Task Management Strategies (pages 3-48)

• Getting Ready: Goal-Setting Theories - Your guide to using goal-setting theories like SMART Goals, and the BHAG Approach, for prioritizing and planning both your personal and work life.

• SMART Goal Template - Ready-to-use template for planning your SMART Goals, perfect for short-term or medium-term goals.

• BHAG Template - Handy template to identify your BHAG (Big, Hairy and Audacious Goals - yes that’s correct!), ideal for identifying those bigger, longer-term goals.

• Getting Prepared to Teach - Helpful advice for using the Sunday Sit-Down approach to get your week organized and planned out.

• Sunday Sit-Down Templates - Templates for creating to-do lists, identifying important tasks, and prioritizing your week, with options for school, family and me, to ensure a focus on work-life balance.

• Time and Task Management Tips - Ideas for effective time management during non-contact time and lunchtimes, plus a handy time-saving Student Log Template.

• Beating Procrastination - Advice and strategies for avoiding procrastination and time-wasting, including Eat the Frog and the Pomodoro Technique.

• Eat the Frog Template - Ready-to-go template for implementing the Eat the Frog strategy and getting those inevitable tasks done!

• Pomodoro Technique Template - Easy-to-use template breaking down your top priorities and amount of time available to help you really focus using the Pomodoro Technique.

• Prioritization and Productivity Principles - Your guide to the best strategies and techniques for prioritization and maximizing productivity, including the Eisenhower Matrix, Ivy Lee Method, Pareto Principle, ABCDE Method, Time Box Method, Zen to Done, Single-Handling Template, MoSCoW, Don’t Break the Chain, and Personal Kanban.

• Eisenhower Matrix Template - Printable template with a ready-to-use Eisenhower Matrix for identifying your important/unimportant and urgent/not urgent tasks for simple but effective prioritization.

• Ivy Lee Method Template - Printable template for identifying and prioritizing the six most important tasks on your to-do list each day.

• Pareto Principle Template - Printable template that reinforces the 80/20 Rule (or Pareto Principle) and helps you to map out the results you want vs the effort you’ll put in to see those results.

• ABCDE Method Templates - Printable templates in a range of formats to help you put the ABCDE Method of prioritization into practice.

• Time Box Template - Printable template with a simple and easy-to-use format - identify the priority tasks and time block when you will tackle them.

• Zen to Done Template - Printable template for implementing the simple Zen to Done (or ZTD) Method with sections for your weekly schedule.

• Single-Handling Template - Printable template for identifying up to 8 tasks you will Single-Handle each day or week.

• MoSCoW Template - Printable template with sections for Must Do, Should Do, Could Do, Won’t Do (or Wish) for putting the MoSCoW Technique into practice.

• Don’t Break the Chain Template - Printable template for crossing off those repeatable tasks and building habits using the Don’t Break the Chain method.

• Personal Kanban Template - Printable template with a framework of three columns: To-Do, In Progress, Complete.

• Reviewing and Monitoring Your Progress - Advice and tips to help you keep track of your progress when setting goals or trying out new task management strategies.

Section 2: Change Management Strategies (pages 49-59)

• Dealing With (and Planning for) Change at Work and Home - Your guide to handling change at work or home, with advice, tips and strategies including the Circle of Influence and Control Technique, Nudge Theory, the Kübler-Ross Change Curve framework, and the Bridges Transition Model.

• Circles of Influence and Control Template - Printable template with sections for Unwelcome Change, Circle of Influence and Circle of Control, to help you implement this technique.

• Nudge Theory Template - Printable template laid out to help you identify each phase of change you are or will be going through, and positive strategies to drive change.

• The Kübler-Ross Change Curve Template - Printable version of the Kübler-Ross Change Curve, great for reflecting on your experiences and reactions to a particular change in your work or home life.

• Bridges Transition Model Template - Printable version of the Bridges Transition Model for working through and processing change, particularly when things are coming to a close or ending.

Section 3: Workload Management Tips for New Teachers (pages 60-66)

• Ways to Reduce Your Workload - 5 helpful, easy-to-implement tips to help you keep your workload manageable.

• Getting Help and Support from Colleagues and Managers - Valuable advice from veteran teachers on how to make the most of support from your colleagues and managers.

• Balancing Your Teacher Self with Your Other Self - Advice and strategies to support new teachers with creating a good work-life balance, including how to use a Commitment Inventory.

• Commitment Inventory Template - Printable, easy-to-use template for prioritizing your commitments.

• Other Tips for Balancing Working Life and Home Life - More helpful and practical tips for new teachers look to create a good work-life balance.

Section 4: Further Help (pages 67-70)

• Useful Books, Journals, or Articles

• TeacherVision Links

• Suggested Websites

• References