Dear Coach, How Can I Manage My Time? 10 Tips for School Counselors and Social Workers
Anybody ever feel a little crazy trying to help students manage their time when YOU feel like you’re drowning in stuff to do?
Yep, me too.
The demands placed on counselors and social workers generally far outweigh the number of hours that we have in a given day or week, and since cloning yourself is probably not an option, you’ve got to look for alternative solutions. I’ve included my top 3 tips for time management below, or you can get all 10 tips sent over to you by clicking here. But, if you’re a give me the good stuff and let me out of here kind of person, but if you’re got a second, let’s talk about WHY time management is hard for you.
Find your time wasters. Years ago, when my colleague and I were preparing to go for RAMP status of our program, we did the time log to see where our time was going. SOOO, eye opening. Here’s how we did it. Start the night before, outlining your expected schedule for the day on a sheet like this, in pencil, then throughout the day adjust based upon what you’re actually doing. For most of us, it’s common to UNDERestimate how long things will take and OVERestimate what we can actually get done in a period of time. Both of those add up to frustration. But often you can also identify things that can be done by other people or that are not the emergencies that they always seem to be.
Use tech as an extra set of hands. Technology can become your personal assistant if you let it. The two biggest ways you can put this to work for you are using tech to do your heavy lifting like having a website where you can refer staff, students and families to get their most often requested information. Most districts will give you a page and you can a Create a custom QR code with the link and post it all around the school. If you’re not familiar a QR code allows anyone with a smart phone or IPad to open the camera app and scan the image. They will then be redirected to the link of your choosing. No remembering website info needed. I created the one below for my storefront so you can check out my products and services by scanning this one with your phone. I also like using self-scheduling tools as well such as Acuity. I’m willing to bet that one of your time wasters is back and forth emails to schedule student or family sessions. If you keep your calendar integrated and updated, people schedule what’s convenient for them and your calendar can update you when it’s time to login or open the door for your next appointment.
Clear the clutter. Although the statistics can vary by source, and possibly our own awareness, we know that we waste time looking for things. I’ve seen anywhere from as few as 60 hours per year to as many as 2000 being eaten up by searching for tangible or digital items. I actually created my School Based Session Planner because I was tired of trying to find the perfect links and resources on my desktop so I organized over 300 of them into one handy tool.
Clutter is likely one of your hidden time wasters and the best way to save time is to not waste it and looking for something because it’s not where it needs to be. Clearing the clutter can mean organizing digital files into helpful folders on your desktop or trashing those worksheets that have been in your filing cabinets for years. My friend, Kathi Lipp has a literal Clutter Free Academy that will walk you step by step through the process of clearing the clutter. Check it out and give yourself back a few weeks of your life.
Want more tips? Click here to get a download of my top 10 tips for counselor time management and don’t forget to register for my upcoming Plan-a-Thon day, because I promise you having a plan for whatever the school year may bring is 100% a great way to manage your time.