Time Management: A Teacher's Guide to Achieving More (PART 1)

---

---

AI Generated Image

---

The aim of every established organisation is to achieve a set goal by making use of the available resources, both human and material. In the education sector, the importance of human resources cannot be overemphasized, since it is through them that the goals of educational institutions (schools) can be achieved. This implies that in the context of schools, teachers are the main human resources needed to implement the school curriculum at any level in order for the goals of the school to be realized.

A developed curriculum remains inactive if it is not implemented. And I would love to add that even the best curriculum remains dormant if it’s not being implemented by the teacher.

Furthermore, for any organization to achieve her goals, whether short or long term, there must be a timeframe allotted for the achievement of each particular goal. And for this to work out, teachers must be well vested with time management skills in order to make effective use of their time in the school and achieve the expected outcomes.

It is worthy to note that teaching can be exhausting and emotionally draining. This might be as a result of challenges from students or the struggle of balancing work and home life. Managing work and home responsibilities under the same roof takes a special type of time management. But the skill of effective time management by the teacher can help curb this problem.

Think: Do you ever feel like there’s not enough time in the day? The truth is, we all have the same 24 hours, so why do some people seem to achieve more with their time than others?

The answer is good and effective time management.

Time management is the planning and controlling of time spent on activities to increase success and productivity. It can also be seen as the proper use of allotted time to actualize the expected. Working as a teacher requires excellent time management skills. One can say that excellent time management skill is to a teacher what a tester is to an electrician. So for a teacher to achieve more, he or she must learn to pilot time effectively.

Many people are unable to complete their work in good time because of the following:

Overloaded Schedule
This is a situation where too many tasks and events are added to your schedule. Not having a good plan when you have many things to work on can prevent you from doing or completing important tasks.

Inability to Say ‘No’
Always saying yes in order to please people, even when you have a lot to do, can hinder your ability to complete tasks on time.

Procrastination
This is the act of voluntarily delaying or postponing a task. Most times, teachers tend to postpone important tasks either because they are not fun or because they seem difficult.

Failure to Prioritize
A teacher must learn to identify what is important and then prioritize it. Failing to do so leads to time wastage.

Idle Time and Interruptions
This involves spending time doing nothing or being distracted by unimportant activities such as attending to social media notifications.

In conclusion, teachers who wish to perform effectively must not only plan their day but must also guard their time and set boundaries. Time is a tool, those who master it, master productive.

In the second part of this write-up, we will focus on effective time management strategies for teachers.

---

---