5 Easy Hacks to Lesson Plan like a Ninja
Happy Summer everyone! Whether you are a homeschool mama rockstar, looking for more ways to be more effective with your homeschool curriculum or a K-12 ninja, this post will apply to you!
I don’t know about you, but planning has been harder this summer. In Colorado it has been warmer and so perfect for our favorite outdoor excursions/explorations, but when I do make time for planning ahead and creating great content, the following strategies have been super helpful in making my time efficient and effective.
- Turn your phone on silent, and take off your smart watch: Did you know that every time our phones/electronics buzz, our concentration breaks? Every time, guys and do you know how long it takes us to get back into work mode? Sometimes up to 5-10 minutes?! So why not, take a small break. Just an hour, I promise you that this one step will move mountains for your productivity and give you a break from being “needed”. You NEED to do this for yourself, it is so freeing!
- Make a list of what you need before hand, get it, and stay seated for an hour: (If you need to, set a timer) Before I sit down at my desk, I get my water, planner, notebook, pen, make sure I have my cord for my mac, a blanket if I get cold and maybe a snack too. All before I sit down, why? Because before you get into your mode, you need to disable distractions. Your brain will tell you that these are NEEDS and once again, you will find yourself distracted and off task. Eliminate the distractions, before you even start.
- Shut your office door and ask to not be disturbed, even from your pets (if you have that option): Crazy how just shutting the door, and working solo changes everything! The door alone will make it seem like you are in your own little productive bubble, but I promise it works! I love my fur-babies, but I get distracted by one panting and the other whining, trust me they are my babies, but mama needs to work! Try it, eliminate those distractions, I can’t wait to hear how it worked for you!
- Make a list of To Do’s before you start: I like to make a list of achievable things to get done, in my hour of work and check them off as I go. A checkmark (when complete) is such a visual relief; I cannot begin to tell you what it does for my soul! Try it, trust me, these are proven methods my friends!
- Backwards Plan: Now that you are all set, plan from the end, to the beginning. It seems silly, but if you are a K-12 teacher, this might mean working from the standard you want to achieve, to the assessment you want to get your students ready for, to the work that will help them learn that information. For homeschool mama’s, if you are working off of a state standard the above would apply, if not, ask yourself, “What am I trying to teach them?” and work from there. This helps me create a roadmap for where I am going and not do pointless lessons, but stay focused throughout.
Well my friends, those are my five BEST tips to staying productive in your lesson planning! Let me know what modifications you made or if these helped you! Have a fantastic week! Loves and hugs,
Misty
P.S. I just purchased my first Erin Condren planner and I am in love! Here is a link to one, right from Amazon! (Affiliate link)
