129. The Simple Time-Saving Shift Every Special Educator Needs

It's going to save you time , reduce last minute scrambling and give you a sense of control , even when everything else feels a little chaotic .

That's why this podcast was created to give you the systems and solutions you need to get your time back . Tune in for tips , tricks and tools that will help you manage your workload and make the most of your time . Whether you're brand new or experienced , all are welcome in the Special Educators Resource Room .

You've probably been here before , but first let me set the scene . You've probably been here before . It's Friday afternoon , your brain is fried , the copier is jammed for the third time today and in the back of your head you're thinking I should probably prep for next week .

Or maybe it's Monday morning and you've walked in ready to tackle this week , only to realize that you forgot to print math centers , the behavior chart needs updating and your first IEP meeting starts in 20 minutes . Does this sound familiar ? Because this was me .

Week after week , I was relying on Fridays and Mondays for prep , which meant I was often stressed , reactive and one forgotten stack of copies away from a disaster . So I made one simple change I moved my prep day to Wednesday and I hope you heard that Prep day , not days

why Wednesdays work . Now I know Wednesdays might not sound revolutionary , but please hang with me . When I started doing the core prep tasks like copying , laminating , updating materials , reviewing next week's IEPs on Wednesdays , three things happened . Number one I got some clarity by Wednesday . I'd seen how the week was going so I wasn't guessing what I'd need .

I knew If a student was flying through math fluency , I knew to prep the next level , if the small reading groups needed a new anchor activity , I had time to adjust . Number two why Wednesdays worked it was giving me a buffer . If I didn't get everything on Wednesday done , I wasn't going to panic . I had Thursday or even Friday morning to catch up .

That never really happened when I relied on Fridays alone . And the third reason why Wednesdays worked , and probably my favorite , I stopped starting off the week in a rush Because when Mondays rolled around , I already had most of the materials ready to go . It changed my whole vibe because I wasn't reacting . I was already in control .

So here's how you can test this time-saving strategy

out for yourself . Number one designate a prep block on Wednesday , even if it's just 20 to 30 minutes . Do you have any time before school , after school , during a PLC , during a planning period or while students are working independently ? Step two grab a folder , bin , basket or clipboard and label it to prep or to copy .

Keep this in a visible spot as you realize what you need , whether it's fresh data sheets , extra number cards or Monday's adapted book . Drop it in that bin . No more sticky notes all over your desk . And the third step to save you time batch those tasks On Wednesday . Pull out that bin and knock them out . Print , copy , laminate , cut whatever you've got .

Don't overthink it , just focus on getting the most important things ready . And here's a bonus tip In the last podcast episode episode 128 , we talked about taking one thing off your special educator plate and delegating . This is a great opportunity to delegate . Do you have anybody who could help you ? Even just 10 minutes of downtime midweek ?

Maybe they could take over your copy basket or help with prep Could be just restocking centers , cutting Velcro , reassembling task cards . They're going to be saving you time and it's also going to help them feel like a true partner

in your classroom . Such a simple strategy . But let's talk about what happens when you do this .

You're going to start to feel a shift almost immediately because you're not going to be prepping in panic mode , you're not going to be printing while students are walking in the door and you're not going to be spending Sunday night wondering what Monday is going to look like . Instead , you've already taken care of it on Wednesday . So let's talk about momentum .

This may be the biggest thing to take away from this podcast episode . You do not need a brand new system to save you time . You just need a simple routine that's going to fit into your actual week , not your ideal week .

Wednesday prep is not flashy , it doesn't look like a color-coded checklist or going viral on Instagram , but it works and it's sustainable and it's going to build momentum because it's not overwhelming .

So when you start stacking small wins like this , you're going to be creating more space in your day for the things that really matter , like supporting your students , collaborating with others or even just taking a moment for yourself .

This one tiny shift can make a huge difference in how you feel heading into the work week , and if you try it out , I would love to hear from you . You can always send me a DM on Instagram at Positively Learning .

And if you're loving these time-saving strategies , don't forget to check out the Taskbox Dollar Club and the Complete Independent Work Club , because these are designed to give you your time back with so many ready-to-use tools and systems that just

work . Thanks for spending your time with me today . I'll talk to you next week in the Special Educators Resource Room in the Special Educators Resource Room .