Teaching school is a very demanding job. Teachers live by the bell and are on the run from morning to evening – grading papers, extra-curricular activities, and keeping kids focused. So, how do you keep your life organized when you feel like a gerbil on a wheel?

Here are some things that I try to keep constant during the school year:

1. Get a good night’s sleep.  It’s easier to be a kinder and more creative teacher when you’ve slept well.
2. Plan some quiet time for yourself. I try to get up a few minutes early to read, think, write down plans for my week and pray. If you are not a morning person, maybe this could work for you in the middle or at the end of the day. It really helps to have some totally uninterrupted time to be quiet. Since we live in such a noisy society this can be a HUGE challenge! This is especially difficult if you have little ones, but it is essential to mental and spiritual health!
3. Pack healthy snacks and a good lunch. If your cafeteria has healthy meals choices, then get food at school. However, I have found that having fruit, protein bars, salads, yogurt, lean meat, cheese, etc. helps me to be more productive during the school day and keeps my weight under control. Teacher’s lounges are notorious for having doughnuts, cake, and more to tempt your sweet tooth and send you into a sugar coma.
4. Drink water throughout the day to keep your body and voice hydrated. Teachers talk all day long, and keeping the voice hydrated is very important. I take a huge glass of water with me to school, sometimes adding lemon, lime, or oranges for a change in taste.
5. Plan dinner at home ahead of time. Use a crock pot or some other appliance to have food fixed ahead, frozen and ready to pop in the microwave or cooking. When you walk in the door after a long day, you don’t have to think, “What are we going to eat for supper?”. This is especially true if you have a husband and children. My husband and I pick a “meat of the week” such as hamburger for spaghetti, tacos, etc. If you are a vegetarian or have special food allergies, this is very important for you. Look for your favorite meat, veggies or fruit on sale at the grocery and make meals from it. Planning ahead also keeps you from spending extra money on eating out or over-eating because it took too long to get food.
6. Keep your dishes washed and sink empty. Even if you don’t have a dishwasher – wash the dishes as you use them – don’t let them pile up. I have my sink empty before I go to bed and when I leave for school in the morning. Involve your family or roommates in helping you accomplish this task. An overflowing sink of dirty dishes is depressing.
7. Do your laundry. Don’t let the laundry pile up! Involve your family or roommates in keeping the laundry clean, folded and put away. Some families let each child be in charge of their own laundry at an appropriate age. Do whatever works for you. Nobody said it was easy – it isn’t!
8. Empty your trash and recycle as you go. Don’t leave overflowing trash to attract bugs and bad smells.
9. Get some exercise. I know, I know – it’s yucky, but we all need some exercise. This can include going for a walk around your building, outside, doing an exercise DVD or live stream, joining a gym, getting together with some friends to exercise – the possibilities are endless. Be creative and think of something you can do. I like to walk and go to Curves gym!
10. Plan some fun time for you and your family. It can be as simple as going for a walk, playing at a local park, having a picnic or planning some vacation time.  My husband is great about planning vacations for us during fall, spring, and summer breaks. Our daughters live in Tokyo and LA, so we try to plan a destination vacation for all of us to be together once a year. It’s really okay to give yourself a break! We all work hard, so build some fun into your life. There is a proverb that says, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!”

I don’t do all of these perfectly, but do strive to accomplish all ten consistently each week. Don’t be hard on yourself if you can only do one or two, but start somewhere. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. It’s up to us how we use them. Be organized – you can do it!!!

For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.

-Benjamin Franklin