It’s no secret that being a teacher can be busy. Incredibly busy. Like any job, that busyness ebbs and flows, but there’s no escaping that it takes a lot of hard work to stay on top of everything that needs doing – and getting it done well.

If you go into the profession without a battle plan, you’ll find everything quickly getting on top of you. Here are the processes, tools and apps that I use to stay organised a teacher.

The tools

You’ll need to have a good set of tools to stay organised as a teacher. I’m all about that digital lifestyle, but I’ve tried migrating my methods onto an iPad, and it doesn’t always work out so well. These are the main tools in my daily teacher bag:

A teacher planner

My school provides these every year, but if yours doesn’t then you’ll need to pick one up for yourself. I’ve seen loads of lovely ones at Paperchase and Amazon, but this one here is the one that I get through my school,* but it doesn’t really matter which one you buy. I’m happy with a plainer one, yet others seem to prefer the ones with inspiring messages sprinkled throughout.

This is so essential because it’ll give you a space for your valuable data and planning. There are digital versions, but to me it’s invaluable having a physical one, separated from the internet, that I can use alongside whichever device I’m using.

A Bullet Journal

How often have I gone on about the perks of these personalised planners? While my planning takes place in the Teacher Planner, any to-do lists exist in perpetuity in the Bullet Journal. You can also track habits and create a daily diary of whatever it is you’ve been up to throughout the day, which I find really helps with maintaining that work-life balance.

This is the one that I’m hoping to pick up when my current one is full.*

A good set of pens

Will children often ask to borrow your pens? Almost constantly. So, keep their supply separate from yours with a set of good quality pens. This will ensure that you always have a set on you – in different colours (for all of that lovely marking) – and a set to ensure that kids won’t go without learning in your lessons.

Currently, I always have a few 4-way Bic pens in my pocket for quick note-taking and scribbles, which you can find here.* Plus, I’ve a set of Muji pens for extended writing that feel divine to write with. Pick yours up from here.*

The apps

Our school prides itself on being an iPad school, which means that teachers – as well as students – are equipped with digital technology. I love this, especially because it makes it easier than ever to stay organised on-the-go (and the second screen whilst working on desktop is irreplaceable). There are three apps that I use for organisation in the classroom:

Google Suite

Schools tend to either be a Microsoft 365 or Google school these days and mine opted for the latter. That means combining Gmail, Docs and Slides with Drive. It’s seamless creating new docs to explain and model processes, but the main benefit to staying organised is that it means that I can plan my lessons from anywhere in the world, rather than having to rely on the old (dodgy) method of USB memory sticks.

Note-taking

Frustratingly, OneNote isn’t available on our iPads – and for me, that’s my note-taking app of choice. With that being said, I can still use my own phone to record any important quick notes.

However, Apple Notes has really come a long way since when I first started using it. I use it for all of my lesson planning, meaning that I no longer need to carry around tonnes of pads of paper, as I did on placement. Plus, while I would normally bin those once I’d finished with them, these stay with me wherever I’m signed into my Apple ID.

The processes

You could argue that this is the most important section (why else would I put this at the bottom of the list?), and therefore the most essential reading. Once I have all of my tools and apps in place, this is where the magic of staying organised as a teacher can begin.

Planning

I do all of my planning for the week ahead on Friday afternoon, usually during one of my free periods. This keeps me from doing what amounts to admin work (as in, working out what I’m teaching when – not the creation of lessons themselves) during work time, where I can plug into my study playlist, switch off and lose myself within deep work.

Marking

My marking takes place in one of two places: my teaching room or my house. Sometimes it’s nice to get on with it at work, so that I never have to lug boxes about all over Birmingham, and it means that when I get home, I can switch off. However, it’s also useful having a dedicated space for work at home that allows me to slip into concentration mode. It also means being free to put dinner in the oven and work while it cooks.

Wherever you choose to work, it’s essential that you’re comfortable and happy in that space – and that you stick to your preferred working conditions wherever possible. Otherwise, you’ll find that work expands to fill the time allotted to it and your work-life balance will quickly slip away.