Speaking from experience as a teacher, finding a balance between work and personal life can be a challenge. The demands of lesson planning, marking, and continuous professional development can easily spill over into personal time, leaving little room for relaxing or working towards your own goals. Burnout can happen all too easily in teaching, and it really is essential that we avoid it if we want to stay in education. With the right strategies, you can create a balance that’ll help you to excel in your career while also doing the things that you love.
I’ve already written about work-life balance and published three strategies that I use; here are 5 more.
Creating Boundaries with a Cutoff Time
Probably the most effective thing that you’ll need to do first is to establish a daily cutoff for anything work-related. By setting a specific time to stop working each day, you’re being harsh on yourself to create a clear boundary between your professional and personal lives. This will ensure that you have time, every single day, to do what you want to do.
To do this, you’re going to choose a time that lines up with your daily schedule and stick to it consistently. Your brain will start to associate work with a specific timeframe, making it easier to switch off and enjoy personal time without the lingering stress of unfinished work. Plus, if you don’t have that cutoff, you could fall victim to Parkinson’s Law, where the amount of work that you have will grow to fill your time.
Equally, if you don’t have any energy late at night after work, it might be more effective for you to get up earlier each day and work on your own goals before doing something for someone else. If you need some help adjusting to a new sleeping routine, click here for my top tips, my 5-step plan for better sleep, and five more hacks that you can follow for sleeping more efficiently.
Side note: who knew that I’d written so much about sleep?
Designating a Dedicated Workspace
Perhaps you enjoy working on your laptop, in your pyjamas, from bed. But have you tried setting up a designated workspace? By completing all of your work in a specific area, and doing nothing else in that area – like sleeping – you’ll create this mental association between that space and your work. This separation helps you to mentally transition from work to leisure once you leave that space.
I like to have my workspace as organised and clutter-free as possible. A tidy environment reduces the risk that I’ll get distracted, and a little bit of greenery goes a long way to help with your mental wellbeing. Adding real plants can also increase oxygen levels, genuinely improving your health.
My workspace changes a little based on the technology that I’m using to get things done, which you can read about here.
Stay organised with a Bullet Journal
Staying organised is essential in any line of work, but especially in teaching. A bullet journal can be an invaluable tool for collecting thoughts, planning tasks, and tracking progress. They help you to clearly outline what needs to be accomplished each day, ensuring that you stay on top of your responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed.
I’m not going to go into too much detail here; instead, check out my entire BuJo system from start to finish by clicking here so that you can set one up too.
Embracing Leisure
While work is important, it’s equally essential to make time for any leisure activities that bring you joy. Doing your hobbies or trying new things can provide a much-needed break from the demands of work and contribute to personal growth and happiness.
I’d even go so far as setting up a separate space for leisure activities, distinct from your workspace. Make it a cosy corner with a large TV for gaming or watching movies, or a quiet nook for reading or drawing. By having a dedicated area for leisure, you’ll be reinforcing the separation between work and play, making it easier to unwind and enjoy time away from your job.
The Importance of Personal Improvement
As teachers, we’re encouraged to do constant CPD (continual professional development) – to the point that we get to do this every week, one day after work and on one morning before our form group gets to class. However, while we might spend hours improving ourselves for our jobs, this is often at the expense of our own personal improvement. Whether you want to pursue further education, go to a workshop or try something new, this can be a really positive way to enhance your skills and enrich your life.
Take time each week for activities that contribute to your personal growth. This could be as simple as reading a book, taking an online course, or exploring a new hobby. Go ahead and schedule that in a Google Calendar to make sure that you stick to your habits (follow this link to learn how).
Creating the perfect work-life balance
Remember that the key to success lies in consistency and adaptability. Be open to adjusting your strategies as needed and embrace the opportunities for growth that come your way. By taking control of your work-life balance, you can enjoy a fulfilling career while also making time for the things that truly matter in life.
What strategies do you have for balancing work and play? I’d love to hear them in the comments below – just make sure we’re not getting into the dangerous territories of productive procrastination, which you can read about here.
If you liked that, you’ll love…
- The First 90 Days: How to survive (and thrive) as a new Head of History
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- Stop wasting time and start teaching: How to super charge Google Forms with Brisk AI and Gemini
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- What I learned from tracking my food intake for a month
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