How to survive the busiest time of year

Exhausted students, never-ending deadlines, frustrated colleagues, last-minute requests, too many school events, lack of sleep, high emotional demands…

Sound familiar? It is that time of year again, when workload increases, emotions run high and we find it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, there are several simple things we can do, to work smarter, reduce our stress and also have time to take care of ourselves.

1. Organisation

Get a calendar and map out all your commitments, events and deadlines. Make sure to spread them out and not fill up the last few days. You don’t want a bottleneck of work, and you need a few buffer days in case of delays.

Schedule flexibility into your calendar, as you cannot always predict the last-minute requests, the students needing an extension, or the colleagues requiring your help.

Make a list of everything that you need to complete and then create an action plan. Organise the items as “urgent” versus “important”. Prioritise the urgent, and do the quick, easy tasks first.

Make sure your action plan is visible. Hang it up on your office wall, colour-code it, choose a format that will motivate you. In particular, make sure it feels satisfying when you get to cross something off and you can see the list getting smaller. And if your students and colleagues see your long to-do list, they are more likely to think twice before adding to it.

Set a timer for tasks. Many of us love to write and rewrite drafts, but often the first version is good enough and the extra time spent takes us away from other important responsibilities. Aim to stick to 20 minutes for each student meeting.

Create some templates for standard email responses when chasing students to complete their personal statements, reminding colleagues to submit their references on time, and so on. This will save you a lot of time, especially if you save these templates into your email account, so that they are only two clicks away. It will also help avoid unintentionally writing something negative in the heat of the moment.

Work smarter and not harder. Simplify your workflow. Pick up the phone instead of writing another email. Go and talk to the teacher who still owes you a reference. Schedule student meetings earlier rather than later. Have a working-lunch session with students. Be proactive, simple and clear with your communication to teachers and administrators, especially if you need their support.

2. Workspace

It might sound silly to some, but our workspace does impact our work efficiency and motivation.

Declutter: get rid of everything that has no purpose, including old files and folders, college brochures and marketing merchandise that is already dusty in the corner.

Get a plant or some flowers, hang up some paintings or family photos. Get a proper desk chair or, if you prefer, a yoga ball. Get some colourful stationery and a warm-light lamp for your desk. Make the space yours: simple, decluttered, clean and inviting.

3. Collaboration

Students will be as stressed and overwhelmed as you are. You are the professional adult, so use your experience and gut feeling when deciding how to chase the individual for their university applications.

But hold them accountable to their deadlines, too. If your deadline is this Friday, give your students a deadline of the Friday before. You know you will always have late submissions, which will then affect your workflow.

Talk to your friends, talk to your colleagues, talk to a counsellor about your work. Convey the joy and the challenges it brings. This is not about venting and being negative about everything and everyone – it is about hearing someone else’s perspective and advice. Who knows, maybe someone will have a smart idea for you.

Never hesitate to ask for help. Still too many people see asking for help as a weakness. It takes courage to do so, especially if you are connecting with your team leader or principal. Maybe they can take something off your plate, or help you prioritise an action timeline. And it is OK to say “no” from time to time, too.

4. Mindset

Stay away from negative people and toxic environments. Someone else’s negativity – as much as we want to support them – will also negatively impact us.

It’s human nature to get sucked down a wormhole of complaints, blame and misery. Be careful not to become this person. Instead, be a good role model. Acknowledge that you are busy and even stressed – but add that you have a plan and that you will get through the challenging weeks. A positive mindset changes our approach to everything and will inspire the students and colleagues around you, too.

Remember why you love this job, why you love connecting with students, and the feeling you get when they have achieved their goals. That’s why we are in education: to help the young generation find their own paths. Every job out there will be challenging at times, but hold on to the positive impact you can have on a young person’s life.

5. Personal wellness

Be kind to yourself. Take regular power breaks, whether walking through the school corridors, grabbing a coffee and having a quick chat with a colleague, checking the last game results of your favourite sports team or taking a few minutes to listen to some music.

Eat regularly and healthy. Get enough sleep. Schedule in no-tech time. Make time for family and friends, even if you need to schedule it into your calendar. Do something social, do something active, do something that is good for your soul.

6. Celebrations

Praise the students for meeting their deadlines and also for the small wins in their lives. Thank the colleague who listened to your challenges the other day. Show gratitude by bringing teachers something sweet to cheer up their day. Organise a simple and meaningful social gathering to celebrate the successes of a busy term.

You’ve got this.