Time Management Tips for Teachers That Work

Teaching takes up a lot of time, not just with big projects, but also with small, everyday tasks. These "micro time-stealers" can be things like looking for a stapler, redoing old work, searching for a specific resource, or writing long emails.

At its core, time management is the art of prioritising. So how do you carve out time to complete effectively the seemingly endless demands made of all teachers? Below we have gathered the thoughts of some of the best thinkers in this field. Choose the ones you think will work best for you.

Key Takeaways

• Teaching is Demanding and Unpredictable: teachers make numerous daily decisions and juggle diverse responsibilities, frequent interruptions and heavy administrative loads. Effective time management is an essential skill all teachers need to acquire.

• Prioritise and Plan Effectively: Use a weekly overview to plan ahead. Prioritise tasks using the "4D System" (Do, Delegate, Delete, Defer) and set daily top-three priorities to focus on the most important work and avoid procrastination.

• Create Boundaries for Key Tasks: Protect your planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time by working in a quiet space without distractions. Batch similar tasks together to improve efficiency, and set time limits for completing tasks.

• Streamline Communication and Resources: Manage email by setting specific times to check your inbox, using automated replies and unsubscribing from unnecessary lists. Use ready-made resources and collaborate with colleagues to share materials.

Why Time Management Is So Hard for Teachers

The unique demands on a teacher's time create a complex web of responsibilities, such as lesson planning, marking, writing reports, attending meetings, behaviour management – as well as five or more lessons to teach every day. It is a profession like no other.

Indeed, based on research (opens in a new tab) from the 1980s and 1990s, it’s thought that teachers make approximately 1,500 decisions per day. This includes a vast range of quick, subconscious choices, from how to rephrase a question, to which student to ask next. Teachers are constantly thinking on their feet.

A teacher’s day is, indeed, fragmented and unpredictable:

• Diverse responsibilities: Beyond delivering lessons, teachers are mentors, behaviour managers, pastoral supporters, data analysts and resource creators. Each role demands distinct skills and time.

• Constant interruptions: Non-contact time is often a misnomer. Teaching staff often end up helping students with a wide range of issues, from helping with exam anxiety to countersigning passport applications, and from mediating student conflicts to providing ad hoc careers advice.

• Admin overload: This could range from excessive trip paperwork to ordering supplies and stocktaking, and from maintaining IT equipment to covering for absent teachers.

• Meetings: This includes department meetings, year team meetings, parents’ evenings and staff briefings. And it’s not just the meetings that take up the time, it’s the work that’s generated from these meetings.

• Work-life spillover: This includes the emotional and mental strain inherent in the job. If, for example, you’ve had a bad lesson or a student has shared a traumatic life event, it’s hard not to ponder these issues late into the night.

But there are plenty of strategies you can use to take back control of your time. And, remember, time management isn’t just a teaching skill, it’s also a crucial life skill.

10 Practical Time Management Tips for Teachers

Below is a list of adaptable ideas that should be possible to adopt in most school environments.

1. Use a weekly task overview

At the end of each week, spend 10–15 minutes planning the week ahead. If you have repetitive events, such as break duties or department meetings, add these to your digital calendar as repeating events.

2. Prioritise with the 4D System

Not all tasks are created equal. The 4D system helps you quickly decide what to do with each item on your list:

• Do: Urgent and important tasks. These are your immediate priorities (e.g. safeguarding concerns, preparing for tomorrow's lesson).

• Delegate: Tasks that someone else can do. Can a teaching assistant help with resource prep? Can a student volunteer update a display?

• Delete: Tasks that aren't truly necessary. If it doesn't serve a clear purpose or benefit, cut it. This may mean pushing back on tasks you’ve been given. Saying “no” is one of the cornerstones of effective time management.

• Defer: Important but not urgent tasks. This includes reading and thinking tasks. If you have a long document to read, you may be able to do so on your commute home. And, if you’re grappling with a difficult decision, the best course of action may become clear away from a noise-filled school setting.

Are you a morning or evening person? If you’re a lark, get in early and get the essential tasks done early. If you're an owl, do the opposite.

3. Protect your PPA

Try to block out PPA time for its intended purpose – planning, preparation and assessment. Find a quiet place to work and remove yourself from potential distractions. Spend the first few minutes to decide how you are going to use this time. For example, 20 minutes for marking, 20 minutes for planning and 20 minutes for emails.

An effective method of revision, the Pomodoro Technique, can be used for PPA time too: after each task, get up, stretch, grab a drink and give yourself five minutes of downtime.

4. Set daily top-three priorities

Physically writing them down helps commit them to your mind. A small sticky note on the front of your planner will work wonders. These are not necessarily urgent tasks. Indeed, they probably should include one “unpleasant” task – as they say, “swallow that frog”. This also has the advantage of reducing time spent “worrying” and is an effective anti-procrastination technique.

5. Batch similar tasks together

For example, try to dedicate blocks of time solely to marking. In addition, if you are flitting between tasks and your emails, you are more likely to make mistakes. And mistakes can be costly, especially in terms of time.

6. Plan Lessons in Sequences, Not One by One

This is especially effective when thinking about lesson flow – what prior learning has taken place and what knowledge needs to be reviewed or recapped. Look for common themes, activities and structures that can be adapted across multiple lessons. 

For example, instead of planning Monday's maths lesson, plan the "Algebraic Expressions Unit" for Year 8, outlining 6–8 lessons in one go, identifying key activities and assessment points for the entire sequence.

7. Set Time Limits for Marking and Planning

When working on a task, you will likely expand to fill the time you've allotted. Perfection is an impossible goal, so it's best to aim for "very good". Teachers who are consistently very good will excel.

To manage your time more effectively, set a specific time limit for tasks like lesson planning and marking. For example, when marking, prioritise quality over quantity by focusing feedback on one or two key areas for improvement instead of correcting every mistake.

8. Create Email Boundaries

To manage your email time efficiently, set specific times to check your inbox (like 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM) to avoid constantly checking and replying to messages. This helps prevent a continuous back-and-forth email chain. Some group emails may even resolve themselves before you need to reply. 

Use automated replies for holidays, and use filters to automatically sort emails into folders. Additionally, unsubscribe from unnecessary emails to reduce clutter, and use saved drafts or a "copy and paste" method for answering frequently asked questions to save time.

9. Use Ready-Made Resources Wisely

There are numerous resources commercially available, such as those available on Save My Exams, which offer comprehensive topic-based notes, past papers, and questions that can be directly integrated into your lessons. Think of yourself as a curator – track down the best that’s out there and adapt them to the specific needs of your students.

Work with colleagues to share resources. A shared bank of high-quality, clearly signposted materials can be a huge time-saver for a department.

10. Reflect and Adjust Weekly

Time management is an iterative process, and you definitely have to spend time in the short run to save time in the long run. Regularly review the strategies you use: embrace the ones with the biggest impact, and refine (or ditch) the ones that were less effective.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I manage my time better as a new teacher?

As a new teacher, focus on mastering the essentials first. Prioritise your daily top three tasks ruthlessly. Lean heavily on ready-made resources from your department or reputable platforms. Don't be afraid to ask for help or clarification, and remember that "good enough" is often sufficient. Gradually introduce more advanced time management techniques as you build confidence and routine.

How can I stay on top of marking during busy terms?

The key to marking is batching and setting time limits. Allocate specific, protected blocks for marking in your PPA or other non-contact time. Use a timer and commit to stopping when it rings. Focus feedback on 1-2 actionable points for improvement rather than exhaustive corrections. 

For larger pieces of work, consider whole-class feedback using common misconceptions, or peer/self-assessment to share the load. And don’t forget to use the numerous AI marking tools, such as SmartMark from Save My Exams.

Can I really improve my time management without working more hours?

Absolutely. The goal of effective time management is not to cram more into your day, but to make your existing hours more productive and less stressful. By being more strategic about what you do, when you do it, and how you do it, you can often achieve the same or better outcomes in less time.

Final Thoughts

Time management is essentially about (sometimes difficult) choices, and having the will and enthusiasm to change. It is incredibly easy to agree that change would be a good idea, and yet do nothing; old habits die hard. However, with these tips and strategies, you can begin to find new ways to manage your time more effectively. 

References

• Education Week - 1,500 Decisions a Day (At Least!): How Teachers Cope With a Dizzying Array of Questions: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/1-500-decisions-a-day-at-least-how-teachers-cope-with-a-dizzying-array-of-questions/2021/12 (opens in a new tab) 

• DfE - Exploring teachers’ admin time: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64b677e70ea2cb001315e4a2/Exploring_teachers__admin_time.pdf (opens in a new tab) 

• Psychology Today - Time Management the Peter Drucker Way: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-peter-drucker-files/202201/time-management-the-peter-drucker-way (opens in a new tab)