TL;DR:

• While at home, it’s important to stay productive.
• Five tips for staying productive while working from home.

These are strange times that we are going through as a society. Unprecedented waters. We do not have a map to guide us through this. As teachers we are flexible and we have all probably worked on work at home at some point in time. This, however, is unchartered territory. And we have to stay productive.

Working from home in this capacity takes on a whole new set of challenges, ranging from supporting your students emotionally, providing valuable instruction from a distance, taking care of your own family, and so much more.

How do we stay productive while we are at home? How do we make sure that we are maintaining some sort of normalcy for ourselves, our students, and our families?

Productive Tip #1: Create a to do list.

• A natural reaction is to feel overwhelmed at times like this. One way to help ease that stress is to prioritize what you have to get done. Remember it is impossible to get everything done; stop and ask yourself what do you NEED to get done. Do that first. Then focus on what you WANT to get done.

Productive Tip #2: Stick to a routine.

• As teachers, we are creatures of habit. Even though we are not going to school each day, try to maintain some parts of your routine. Give yourself time limits of when you want to do school work. This will ensure that you stay as productive as possible, since it is so easy to fall victim to the comforts of home.

Productive Tip #3: Work on things around your home.

• Even though we will be busy with E-learning obligations, it is still necessary to get things done around your house. Use this time to finally clean out your junk drawer, print out the two thousand photos you have on your phone, or reorganize your furniture… and do not feel guilty about it. Feel accomplished instead! It also could be time to get your AC unit serviced from places like Accu-Temp, for AC in Ormond Beach, FL services, but you can also find out companies that can provide a similar service. This is a great idea because it ensures that you can stay comfortable whilst working within your home and you are not overheating in a stuffy office!

Tip #4: Make time for self-care.

• We hear about self-care and teacher burnout all the time. Now more than ever, as we are dealing with so much change and so much more stress, it is so important to take the time for things we enjoy. Sometimes it can be hard to find time for ourselves. It does not have to just be “you” time; it can be time with your family or friends, time to read, time to workout, time with your pups… basically whatever makes you happy. The more self-care you practice now, the less stress you will feel and the more productive you actually will be.

Tip #5: Take Brain Breaks!

• We tell our students all the time that sometimes we just need to give our brains and our bodies a break. We need to listen to that too! For so many educators, our time will now be spent looking at a computer screen. Whether for planning instruction, checking in with our students, or connecting with co-workers, the reality is we will most likely have a lot of computer time. Take breaks. Set a timer. Move your body, move your mind, do something silly, something fun, whatever you choose. Just take a break. It is also essential that you are drinking plenty of water to ensure your brain is working at its full capacity, to accomodate this having a watercooler from websites like https://www.kingswater.co/watercoolers.html will help to encourage you to drink more water with minimal effort.

About Meghan Deegan

Meghan Deegan is a 7th grade math teacher in the Chicago suburbs and the Lead Ambassador for the Teach Better Team. She has a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction and is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher. She loves working with and connecting with fellow educators and is active on Twitter and Instagram.

Meghan loves spending time with her two dogs, boyfriend, family, and friends!

About Andrea Kalchbrenner

Andrea is a 7th grade ELA teacher from the Chicago suburbs and Lead Ambassador for the Teach Better team. She has been teaching for over 12 years and has a Reading Masters degree. Andrea enjoys networking and sharing her ideas with other educators on Twitter and Instagram. In addition, she loves spending time with her infant son Luke, reading, and teaching dance.