Time Management Systems for Teachers
Picture this: it’s after school, you glance at the clock, and it’s already 5:45. You’re drowning in papers to grade, and the to-do list on your desk seems endless. Sound familiar? Well, let’s change that today!
But teacher time management strategies can make all of the difference!
Friend, I’ve been there. Early in my career, staying late felt normal—almost expected. I loved teaching and lesson planning so much that I didn’t think twice about it, until life changed after my son was born. Suddenly, staying late wasn’t just about me anymore. I had to rethink how I managed my time. So I started getting my copies done at school in order to leave after contract time was up…BUT I was still taking my planning and grading home.
Fast forward to my return to the classroom after stepping away from an administrative role. That experience gave me a new perspective on what I value most—joy, time, and the ability to do what I love while prioritizing my family. It wasn’t easy at first. Like many teachers, I faced a learning curve, setting up my classroom and figuring out my systems. But once I established my routines, everything changed. Now, I can confidently say I rarely take work home and leave school on time almost every day. In today’s post, I’m sharing actionable steps you can take starting tomorrow to create time management systems for teachers that actually work—so you can get out the door sooner and focus on what matters most.
Now, before we hop into today's tips, I really want to emphasize why time management is important for teachers. I look at time management as actually self-care for teachers. And self-care, in my eyes, is the glue that holds all of those systems in place that make up classroom management. And if you're interested in all those different moving pieces that make up classroom management, I have a classroom management puzzle framework for you to download and see how all these pieces fit together into one nice cohesive puzzle.
Now, let’s dive into some time management strategies for teachers!
1: Teacher Batch Planning
The first time management tip is what I call a modified form of batch planning. You may have already heard of this—it’s a focused way of planning a large amount of content in advance. For teacher batch planning, my version involves dedicating specific days of the week to plan certain subjects. Before I adopted this approach, I’d jump around during my prep period, trying to plan a little of everything—reading, math, printing random materials—without a clear focus. It was scattered and inefficient, and it often left me staying late to finish what I couldn’t get done. Now, I have a set schedule for my teacher prep time. For example, on Mondays, I plan and print everything for the next week’s reading and phonics lessons. On Tuesdays, I focus on writing, grammar, and other ELA components. Wednesdays are for math, science, and/or social studies, while Thursdays—our Friday since we have a four-day week—are for wrapping up loose ends like morning work, newsletters, and homework. This structure keeps me focused on my lesson planning and saves a lot of time.
Another key to streamlining planning is using consistent resources. For instance, my morning work and number-of-the-day activities are the same format each week, so I only need to print them. Similarly, I use my district-adopted curriculum as a foundation because it’s research-based, expected by my district, and creates consistency across grades. While I don’t think any curriculum is perfect, it does create consistency and saves time for planning. In order to better support my students and fill the need to satisfy my own creativity and autonomy as a teacher, I supplement the curriculum with other activities as well. However, streamlining similar patterns within activities is a great way to save you time and creating a routine for you and your students.
2: Grading Tips for Teachers
Let’s talk about grading—what I sometimes refer to as “the beast.” Early in my career, I’d leave each week with a bag stuffed full of papers to grade, spending my evenings going through everything we had done…literally EVERYTHING. But here’s the truth—you don’t have to grade everything.
Before we discuss tips on how to simplify your grading, it’s important to consider this: What is the purpose of assignments? Assignments will typically serve one of two things…to provide additional practice with a specific skill OR to assess. Here’s the thing—practice does NOT always have to be graded!
For practice assignments, consider alternative ways for students to receive feedback without adding to your grading load. Here’s some tips:
Student self-grading: Have students grade their own work as a class using a special pencil or pen. They mark their corrections and take it home the same day, providing immediate feedback.
“Quick checks”: For a short task, like a math problem or a sentence revision, collect it on the spot, quickly mark it, and hand it back. This avoids letting it pile up in the “to-grade” bin and once again students are provided that immediate feedback. It’s a win-win!
For graded assessments, be strategic. Here’s how:
Assign fewer tasks that actually go into the gradebook. I aim for just one or two assignments to grade daily, making the workload manageable.
Carve out a bit of your prep time to focus on grading. Just taking the time to do one assignment will take away from the pile and save you time in the long run.
Find appropriate times to multitask. At the end of the day, I give students 10–15 minutes of structured free time or “catch-up” time for unfinished work. Because the class is not working on direct content, this is the perfect opportunity to grade a simple assignment. It's not taking away from instruction or supporting my students because the students that need the support are right in front of me. It also works very well for when I need to call over students who rushed or need to revise their work. However, it’s important to ensure that you are not taking away from instruction or supporting your students. It should really be small moments of time during your day where it's beneficial for your class at the same time. I will have a future post about how I structure this time in the future, so stay tuned!
3: Setting Time Boundaries
The final key to teacher time management is setting clear time boundaries—starting with when you leave school each day. Decide on a set time, and stick to it. If it helps, set an alarm to remind yourself that it’s time to head out.
For me, I leave 10 minutes after teacher contract time. Since our contract time ends shortly after dismissal, this gives me just enough time to clean up my room and prep for the next day (swapping out the calendar and materials needed).
By setting this boundary, I ensure everything is ready for tomorrow without staying late. It’s so important to stick to your time limit, or you’ll find yourself staying later and later without realizing it.
Give yourself permission to leave on time and don’t take work with you. It’s a game-changer for maintaining balance and avoiding burnout!
Recap: Actionable Steps to Improve Your Time Management
Here are five actionable steps to implement these tips into your time management system so you can leave school on time:
Map out your planning schedule: Take a look at your week and decide which days you’ll batch plan specific subjects for the following week.
Streamline your routines: Once your schedule is set, identify activities that repeat each week and find ways to build consistency for yourself and your students.
Be strategic with grading: Determine the purpose of each assignment. Decide which ones will go in the gradebook and which can be used for feedback using methods like peer grading or quick checks.
Grade during small windows of time: Use your prep time to tackle one or two assignments and identify moments in your day to multitask grading without taking away from instruction or student support.
Set and stick to your leave time: Establish a specific time to leave school each day and stick to it and don’t take work home. Over time, as your systems improve, you’ll find it easier to align your departure time with your actual contract hours.
That’s a wrap! I hope these tips were useful and that you’re able to apply them to your routine so you can get out the door much sooner than you have been. Remember, small, intentional changes can make a big difference in how you manage your time and create that teacher life balance. You’ve got this!
Want to learn more about what other pieces fit into the classroom management puzzle? Build your teaching toolkit with this FREE Classroom Management Framework Guide. It's your go-to resource for understanding the different systems that contribute to a successful and organized classroom, and a happier you!