Top Secrets for Overwhelmed Teachers

Feeling overwhelmed, teachers? I think spring is one of those times where the walls just feel like they are closing in. The end of the year is too far away, state testing is looming and the weather isn’t quite sunshine and rainbows yet. 

Add that dreary feeling to an over-packed teaching schedule with no planned time to get things done and you have a recipe for disaster. 

Or do you?

There is a better way to leave the overwhelm behind and start to feel like you are getting everything done with ease and less stress! Sound like a dream? Keep scrolling for the easiest way to take back your time without the stress!

Want to skip to the spoiler alert? Grab all 7 of my time-saving secrets inside this free guide! Just drop your email and it will be sent straight to your inbox.

Tips for Overwhelmed Teachers

I’m diving into one of my favorite secrets for overwhelmed teachers- the to-do list! I am the self-declared queen of epic to-do lists. I love them and I couldn’t be teaching without them.

Now, stick with me, this tip might sound simple but it’s where all the overwhelm stops dead in its tracks. Especially step 3, it’s like the secret sauce to my calm-teaching vibe.

Step 1: Brain Dump

Step 1 to the to-do list method is the brain dump. Grab a sheet of paper and just write everything down. It doesn’t matter if it’s related to school, home, side hustle, your family. Write it all down. Everything that pops into your head goes onto paper. Don’t worry about neat handwriting or even writing on the lines. This is a messy step because let’s be honest, the brain can be a messy place at times. In the words of my mother-it has to get worse before it gets better. Teachers are overwhelmed but we don’t have to be.

Have everything on paper? If something just popped into your brain, write it down. 

If you aren’t a paper-pencil person, that’s ok! Try an app on your phone or even a blank google doc if that’s easiest. Trello, Google Keep, or just the notes app on my phone are some of my favorites. Keep it simple, the idea of this step is to get everything out of your head.

I know that this step might feel like you are wasting your time but you aren’t! You need to take time to create the plan which will make you feel more successful. And if you want to add in the task ‘finish brain dump’ on your brain dump page, I won’t judge 😉

Step 2: Categorize 

Step 2 of fixing your overwhelmed teacher’s brain is categorizing. I take a few highlighters or flair pens and get to grouping tasks together. I group my tasks by category but you could also group them by location or even how much time they will take to complete. Grouping by category is the fastest so that’s the way I roll.

If I’m making a brain dump at school, there will be tasks I can’t accomplish simply because I’m at my school. I haven’t found a way to go to the post office while teaching my 6th graders so some things will have to wait. I can rule out which tasks can’t get done right now when they are put in categories. The task is still out of my brain but I can refer back to it when I’m actually capable of accomplishing it later.

Step 3: Prioritize

Once things are grouped by category, move to step 3. Simply grab a new sheet of paper and put each category task in order of importance. Most important go at the top and least at the bottom. This is prioritizing, and it can be the trickiest step if you let it. But by focusing on importance within a category, it’s easier to really set yourself up for success. 

For example, is laundry or dishes the most important chore right now? Does grading one-pagers or submitting lesson plans take priority for my job?

Once I have my priorities in order by category, I compare all the top spots. What are the 3 most important tasks? Maybe there are time constraints or deadlines that make those tasks important. Or maybe those tasks are the most challenging that you need to get done right away. 

Why Prioritize?

This step is so important because I haven’t found a way to truly do it all. There aren’t enough hours in the day for all the things. BUT, there is enough time to do the most important tasks, if you prioritize. And that’s really the way to stop the overwhelmed teachers syndrome.

Pick your top 3 most important tasks. These can be from the same category (like I do when I’m at school) or they can be the top spots from all the categories (this is more of my weekend strategy). Three is a nice number to help prioritize as our brains can focus on 3 important things at a time. I suppose you could have more than 3 top priorities but one of the reasons you’re in the overwhelmed teachers category is focusing on too much at once. Pick 3 (spoiler alert, you’ll probably accomplish more than just 3 things today).

Prioritizing the most important tasks ensures that you have the most important tasks done. And not just done, but they get completed when your mind is fresh and ready to tackle things. By starting with the most important things, you will get them done. So you feel accomplished but also less stressed.

Step 4: Overwhelmed Teachers, Do the Things

After you prioritize your tasks and determine your top 3, take action. Like right now, do the thing. Overwhelmed teachers can start with the easiest task from your top 3 if you want. I usually do as it gives me a small win right away. Other people find it better to start with the largest task when your brain is fresh. Either way works as either train of thought is getting something from your top 3 priorities accomplished.

Once the top tasks are done, move on to the next tasks. The tasks labeled with a lower priority are probably still important and need to get done. I love starting on these tasks right after I finish the priority tasks because my brain is feeling accomplished and motivated to keep going. It’s like the snowball effect: once the ball is rolling it just keeps rolling down the hill. 

If there is a task that I can’t accomplish while at school, I will set a timed reminder on my phone. This way I can cross it off my to-do list, knowing that my phone will remind me when I’m in space to accomplish the task. If you struggle to separate your tasks, I find that writing just my school tasks on a post-it note is helpful. I can work off of my post-it note, crossing off tasks as I finish. This helps me stay focused on what I can do right now rather than worrying about something I can’t do yet.

Step 5: Repeat, Kind Of

If your epic to-do lists are anything like mine, you won’t actually accomplish every task on your to-do list in one day. And that’s ok! The leftover tasks should be your lower priority tasks anyway. So you probably have a few days to get them done.

The leftover tasks help me start the next day’s to-do list. Whatever did get done the day before gets moved to tomorrow. If that task is now a high priority, it becomes my top 3. If it still doesn’t have a high importance level, it can stay towards the bottom of the list. 

I don’t start every to-do list with a brain dump, but I always prioritize my tasks and take action to my to-do list. The brain dump step is usually when I’m very overwhelmed with everything and don’t know how to make sense of it. More often than not, I have a to-do list from the day before to help me dive in. I can get started right way so I’m less overwhelmed. 

Looking for other ideas to help overwhelmed teachers?

Teachers are overwhelmed but it doesn’t have to be that way, teacher friend! If you are looking for more tips to stop the overwhelm, here are my favorites.

7 Secrets to Taking Back Your Plan Time: Be sure to grab this guide packed full of ways to help you get more accomplished at school, in less time.

How to Write a Better To-Do List to Simplify your Productivity: This video is super short but helpful for more general productivity. 

How to be more organized & productive, 10 habits for life organization: This is another video that has great tips for being more organized in all areas of your life, not just teaching!

31 Helpful Tips for Overwhelmed Teachers: This article has packed full of ideas to help with work-life balance and self-care for teachers.

Teaching Hacks How to Prep Once and Forget: I love simplifying my planning and this post has my favorite ways to set up routines for the whole year.

Do you have any tips for helping other overwhelmed teachers? What are some tips that help you when you feel stressed with work? I’d love to hear other people’s strategies down in the comments! And if you are wanting my 7 Secrets to Taking Back Your Plan Time be sure to drop your email below.