The Quiet Yes and the Necessary No

Teaching With Intention

Teacher burnout is a growing issue, and one of its biggest contributors is poor time management. We teachers often feel the pressure to do it all, don't we. A few that come to mind from personal and very immediate experince, are: plan engaging lessons, mark every assignment in detail, provide extensive feedback, attend meetings, and support students emotionally. But trying to tackle everything leads to exhaustion, frustration, and a sense that there's never enough time.

I believe that the key to sustainable teaching isn’t working harder but working smarter. I'm not trying to imply you're not smart or that you're not doing the best you can at the moment. But I know for a fact that we teachers aren't shown or taught how to manage out time effectively; we keep talking about teaching and learning strategies and out students' needs. We need to consciously learn how to do the best for ourselves so we can do the best for our students. So, instead of stretching yourself thin, focusing on impactful tasks—those that bring the most value to student learning and your wellbeing—can help you regain control of your time and energy.

At the moment, I am tutoring two teacher training courses, teaching English online, and running a business (Art of ELT, my beloved :). There are so many things to do EVERY week - things that I want to do, yes, things that I know are good for my students, teachers, and clients, but man! It is literally impossible to get everything on my to-do lists done. There aren't enough hours in a day, in a week - even if I had a chef to make my meals, a maid to clean for me, and live-in friends to satisfy my social needs. And yet, I am managing. I don't spend every hour of my waking life working, and I AM getting the work that needs to be done, done.

Take heart, fellow teacher. It can be done.

Below is a list of tools I use to get what matters each week done.

Understanding the 80/20 Rule

I'll start with one of the weirder, but tested and proven to be effective ways to shift from working harder to working smarter: the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule. This principle suggests that roughly 80% of outcomes come from 20% of efforts. In teaching, this means that a small portion of what you do has the greatest impact on student learning and engagement.

Applying the 80/20 Rule in the Classroom:

Focus on Student-Centered Activities: Instead of spending hours preparing elaborate slides, prioritize activities that make students actively engage, such as discussions, group work, and problem-solving tasks.
Use Formative Assessments Wisely: Quick check-ins, peer reviews, and exit tickets often provide as much insight into student progress as lengthy written feedback.
Simplify Lesson Planning: Stick to core objectives instead of overloading lessons with extra materials.
Automate or Delegate When Possible: Use technology for quizzes, self-grading assignments, or let students take on responsibilities like peer editing or running warm-ups.

Let me tell you about Emma, a secondary school English teacher, who used to spend hours grading every student’s essay in detail, believing it would help them improve. She basically spent so much time grading papers at the end of terms, that she stopped planning her lessons - she had zero time for it.

It was hard for her to try something different, but she knew she couldn't keep doing the same thing again and again. She decided to take the advice and try marking only two or three key areas per student and introducing peer reviews. The result? Students became more engaged, took ownership of their revisions, and Emma drastically reduced her grading time. This small shift freed up hours for creative lesson planning and much-needed self-care.

The Power of Saying No

One of the hardest things for us teachers to do is say "no." Most of us tend to agree to extra duties, offer extra help, or take on last-minute tasks, but this kind of overcommitting can quickly lead to burnout. Many of us feel guilty setting boundaries, but saying “no” isn’t about being unhelpful—it’s about preserving your time for what truly matters. (If this sounds a bit too fuzzy to you it might be time to sit down and make a LIST of what trully matters to you. Just saying.)

Why Teachers Overcommit:

Fear of seeming uncooperative or unprofessional.
A deep desire to support students, even at personal cost.
Pressure from school culture that glorifies overworking.

Practical Tips for Setting Boundaries:

Be Clear and Firm: If a colleague asks you to take on extra work, practice saying: “I’d love to help, but I don't have the bandwidth for it right now.”
Prioritize Your Own Work: If admin requests additional reports that aren’t required, ask, “Is this essential, or can I focus on student progress instead?”
Limit Extra Hours: Set a time when your workday ends and stick to it. Avoid checking emails or marking past that time.
Teach Students Independence: Instead of answering every question individually, encourage peer teaching or provide self-access resources.

I used to let my students email me their questions any time of the day, and I’d respond immediately. I thought it was easier to just answer on the spot rather than deal with a backlog later. But honestly, it kept interrupting my 'free time' mood—I was always a bit on edge, never fully switching off. Now, I have clear 'office hours' for responding, and I don't check my work email outside those hours at all. The difference in my stress levels has been HUGE.

Strategies for Prioritization

Life and teaching isn't black and white, of course. Even after setting boundaries, there will always be tasks that compete for your time. The key is to recognize which ones are truly essential and which can be streamlined, delegated, or eliminated.

Identifying High-Priority Tasks:

Use the Eisenhower Matrix: Categorize tasks as urgent/important, not urgent/important, urgent/not important, and neither urgent nor important. Focus on the first category and delegate or eliminate the last.
Ask Yourself: Does This Help Students Learn?: If a task isn’t directly improving student learning or your wellbeing, reconsider its necessity.
Keep a Weekly Reflection Journal: At the end of each week, note which tasks felt valuable and which felt like busywork.

Practical Examples of Working Smarter:

Skimming Homework Instead of Deep Marking: Instead of marking every word, use symbols for common errors or focus on one key skill per assignment.
Prioritizing Classroom Discussion Over Lecture: Discussions engage students more and reduce the need for lengthy written feedback later.
Using Ready-Made Resources When Possible: Instead of creating worksheets from scratch, adapt materials that are already available.
Batching Tasks: Set aside specific time blocks for planning, grading, and meetings instead of switching between them all day.

Nina is another English teacher who used to end every lesson with the same task: "Write a short paragraph about today's topic." It seemed like a good way to reinforce learning, but students showd much enthusiasm for it, even when they managed to write more than a sentence or two. BUT THEN, she decided to try something new. Instead of writing, she had students discuss the topic in pairs or groups, explaining their reasoning and debating key points. When writing was necessary, they discussed writing rules together first. The result? More engagement, deeper understanding, and better writing when they did put pen to paper.

Think about this -

Making the shift from working harder to working smarter doesn’t happen overnight. It requires small but intentional changes in how you manage your time and energy. Setting boundaries, prioritizing high-impact tasks, and letting go of unnecessary commitments will help you not only survive but thrive in your teaching career.

Take a moment to reflect: What is one thing you can say “no” to this week to protect your time?

Your wellbeing matters as much as your students' success. By taking care of yourself, you’ll be in a better position to support them effectively.

Join my Facebook group Teach Forward for low-key support from fellow teachers who understand the struggle. If you're ready to make real, lasting changes in your teaching life, get in touch about Live Well, Teach Well. I've created this group program to help language teachers like you and myself implement long-term, meaningful changes to gain more control and meaning in our teaching lives.