How to Do It All and Have a Work/Life Balance

Having a healthy work/life balance is important to your overall health. The negative consequences of a poor work/life balance affect all areas of your life. This includes your personal relationships and your physical and mental health. Here are some ways to help you do it all and find, and keep, a healthy work/life balance.

CREATE SYSTEMS

Having systems in place to streamline your work will greatly benefit your work/life balance. As preschooler teachers it is important to ensure that you are able to get as much of your work done in the classroom as possible. Make observations and portfolios simple by placing clipboards with sticker labels in each learning center in your classroom. Then, during your portfolio work time sticking the labels on new pages and just adding a photo or a piece of the child’s work will save you time.

DELEGATE

The best thing that you could ever add to your to-do list, is to keep your to-do list short. This is something that you should be constantly working on. Do not over schedule yourself and take on too much. See what tasks you can delegate to others as much as possible.

One way to save time on curriculum planning is to involve your preschoolers. Before starting a new theme use one of your opening circle times to discuss with your preschoolers what they would like to learn about. They can even help come up with activities/projects and materials to add to learning centers that go along with the new theme.

SET A SCHEDULE

Successfully running a preschool classroom involves a lot of planning and prepping. Set a clear schedule for when you will work on specific tasks, and stick to it. Make it very specific. If you know that you need at least two hours per week to plan and prep your curriculum, then build it into your schedule. Mondays from 3pm-4pm and Wednesdays 3pm-4pm is curriculum planning and prepping. Give yourself an hour each week for working on your preschoolers’ portfolios. Tuesdays from 3pm-4pm work on portfolios. This way you know exactly when you will get specific tasks done and can reduce the overwhelm.

KEEP WORK AT WORK

Teachers often bring work home with them. It is important to your mental health and your personal relationships to avoid this as much as possible though. Of course, if you preschool is in your home this can be difficult. In this situation it is especially important to have designated times for work.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Make sure you schedule some time just for you. Create time in your schedule for the things that you enjoy and that help you relax on a regular basis. These activities should not be things that you just do once in a while or “if you have time”. If you can do these things with friends and family, even better!

Keeping a healthy work/life balance is an ongoing process as your life continually changes. It’s important to check-in with yourself regularly to adjust priorities as needed and revamp any systems you have in place that are no longer as effective. If you are feeling overwhelmed by life and cannot see a way to regroup, reach out to a mental health professional for assistance.