3 Steps To Maximize The Rest of Your Summer

Learning objective: Teachers will be able to (TWBAT) make an effective and realistic plan for the rest of summer.

I know, I know -- the last thing you want to do over the summer is plan. But trust me on this one, the first week of school is going to slap you in the face unless you do a little bit of preparation beforehand. Just spend 30 minutes planning out the remainder of summer and you'll get so much more done, guaranteed. Here's how you can do it in three easy steps:

1. Determine Your Summer End Goal?

Just like how we backwards-plan for our students, think about what is your end-goal for summer. What would you like to get done? Two weeks worth of lesson plans? Outfit ideas? Classroom routines? Building your class website? Rank your items based on their importance to you.

2. Design Weekly Themes

Once you know what you want to accomplish, you need to think about how you are going to get there. To ensure you will make realistic plans, give each week a theme you can focus on. Maybe you'll have a week of planning curriculum and another week of intense classroom decoration research on Pinterest.

3. Make Realistic Time Frames

Now let's be realistic. Teachers always underestimate how much time there actually is during summer break, so grab a calendar and block out all the non-negotiable dates you cannot dedicate to school-prep. This gives you a better idea of what you can and cannot get done. Lastly, at the start of each week, make a to-do list that you modify as needed each night.

Need more motivation to get going? Here's an inspirational quote to ponder upon:

"You don't have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great."

Now get moving and tackle a few of things off your list. Your future self will surely thank you.