Finding Your Sweet Spot: Balancing Teaching and Side Projects
Many educators feel overwhelmed trying to manage teaching responsibilities while pursuing entrepreneurial ventures. Studies show that effective time management and boundary-setting are crucial for educator well-being.
Here's something that worked for me: I started small by dedicating 30 minutes each morning to my side project. As a classroom teacher, I developed a strong interest in computers and set out to establish the first computer lab at our school. That experience led to my interest in consulting in educational technology. However, because my priority was my school and classroom, I needed to find ways to better organize the time available for my projects.
The key wasn’t working more hours - it was working smarter. Let me share three practical steps that helped me:
Pick your power hours: Track your energy levels for a week. When are you most alert? Reserve those times for your most important tasks.
Use the 2-minute rule: If something takes less than 2 minutes, do it immediately rather than adding it to your to-do list.
Create transition rituals: I have a simple 'shutdown routine' - when I close my laptop, I write tomorrow's top 3 priorities. This helps me mentally switch between teacher-mode and entrepreneur-mode."
A good way to start organizing your time is to write down your three non-negotiable daily tasks - one for teaching or leading, one for your business, and one for yourself. We each have a way of processing information, which leads us to organize in a way that works for us. What is shared is the importance of having a process for organizing our ideas and our actions.