Tomorrow marks the day that teachers report back to school in my district. We will have two weeks of professional development, going over school policies, lesson planning with our colleagues, and scurrying to get our classrooms ready, before students have their first day. This can be a big adjustment for a lot of teachers, and I’ve found myself making lists upon lists upon lists of things I need to do in order to make the transition from summer to school year a kinder, gentler, one.
About a year and a half ago, I started bullet journaling. In case you don’t know what that is, there are about four zillion blogs and videos that can explain it, and show you many wonderful visuals as well. The original bullet journal can be read about here: http://bulletjournal.com. In short, a bullet journal is an organizational tool. Different people use bullet journals in different ways–some are very creative and artistic, with page after page of beautifully drawn pictures and outstanding handwriting, some are more practical, with to-do lists and habit trackers and calendars. My bullet journal contains calendars, my to-do list for the day, a tracker that I use to make sure I take my vitamins and drink enough water, my weekly meal plans, and anything else that I need to remember or monitor. I can say without a doubt that this journal has helped me become extremely organized. I spend a few minutes in the morning, and a few minutes at night, looking at the pages of my journal, adding new tasks, marking off completed tasks, migrating uncompleted tasks to later days, and updating my calendar. Just these few minutes each day help me stay aware of the tasks that need to be done, and I find that things don’t slip my mind very often. It’s not perfect, but then again, nothing is. I know, though, that even as my days become more hectic, that my bullet journal will help me stay organized.
Another habit that has helped me tremendously is meal-planning. We’ve all been there–a long day at school, no idea what to cook for dinner, and the intoxicating allure of the drive-through. And while there’s nothing wrong with succumbing to fast food on occasion, I try to eat healthy most of the time. I have found that it helps me sleep better, I have more energy for my students, and in general, I just feel better. By planning my meals ahead of time, I know what to expect when I get home from school, and I know that I can have a healthy meal on the table in a short amount of time. I tend to stick to a lean protein with lots of vegetables and usually a salad, and I have a list of dishes that I can prepare in about half an hour. This, to me, is a great comfort, and one less thing for me to stress about. We all know that teacher stress is very real, and anything I can do to reduce mine is something I should definitely do!
I would love to hear how other teachers reduce their stress. Comment with anything you do to make your life easier. 