Greetings, Fellow Educators!  This will be the last post in my series about Time Management for Teachers.  I now realize that a better way of describing this series would involve something to do with self-care, since my posts have focused mostly on how to best treat yourself in order to be at your best as both an educator and a human!

So, to wrap up this series, I wanted to touch briefly upon what I do in the mornings before school. I know some of you are likely to wake up 20 minutes before you have to leave.  Then you throw some clothes and makeup on, hopefully brush your teeth and toss your hair up on your head, then it’s out the door you go!  You might hit the Starbucks or McDonalds drive-thru on your way to school, but only if it own’t make you more than 5 minutes late.  I see you. I’ve been you.  I get it.

Now, imagine with me, if you would, a world in which you have time to linger over a leisurely morning cup of coffee, you look and feel relatively put together, and you aren’t cursing at every red stop light between your home and campus.  This world is a real place, my friends.  I have been there, I have lived it, and it is glorious.

So as to not make you think me a beacon of virtue and perfection, I must state here that while I LOVE this morning routine, it does not happen everyday.  It doesn’t even happen most days for me.  It is my ideal morning and it is one I have striven for and achieved, though not as often as I would like!

That being said, let’s begin with the first piece of my morning routine.  And this one is critical.

One – Get up EARLY.

Yeah, I know you don’t want to hear it and I know you’re probably calling me names in your head right now.  Completely understandable.  However, I promise you that this is the key to an awesome day.  When my school is fully session (we are virtual currently), I have to be in the building by 7:40 AM.  On a good day, I live 20 minutes away from work.  So, that means I need to be out the door by 7:20, though I shoot for 7:10, because you just never know what traffic will be like.  Therefore, I shoot for a wake up time of 5:00 AM.

Yes, that is correct.  5 AM.  I have coworkers who repeatedly gawk at that fact and think I’m insane.  While that is all well and good, think of me what you must, I know that a 5 AM wake up puts me in the sweet spot of getting all that I want to accomplish done for the day.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure…this is my first week back to teaching.  We are virtual.  I have been going to sleep late and getting up late for six entire months now.  So, I am not even hitting that 5 AM wake up at the moment.  I almost managed it on Tuesday, but settled for 5:30 and it’s been all downhill this week since.  Next week is a fresh week, so I will be aiming for 5 AM once more!

Two – Move.

One of the main reasons that I like to get up super early is so I can start my day with some sort of movement.  I hesitate to say “workout,” mostly because that word always sounds weird to me, but for all intents and purposes, that is what I am referring to here.  I do this at home, both cardio and yoga, as often as possible.  By no means am I perfect at this and have had many a dry spell where no activity is happening in my day.  But, I know from experience, that when I get in 30 minutes of cardio and even a very light 5 minute yoga session, I feel amazing and am energized and ready to face the day.

Three – Eat Breakfast.

I don’t mean just a cup of coffee (though I do love coffee!).  You need actual food.  As I tell my students, protein is your brain food.  Same goes for us!  Plan ahead for what you will eat.  Make egg muffins or overnight oats ahead of time.  Something healthy and filling that will keep you from becoming hangry before 10 AM.

One of my favorite things to throw together is a breakfast bowl with eggs, bacon, cubed oven roasted potatoes, and some avocado.  It is filling and full of protein and fats that keep me satiated and focused until lunchtime.

Four – Catch Up.

You could use the extra time to catch up on whatever you need – work, housework, or just your reading.  I generally use the extra time for last minute fixes to lesson plans or activities for the day.  I might even make my bed if I’m feeling REALLY ambitious.  This time is also when I make sure breakfast dishes are taken care of and things get put away or tidied up around the house before I head out the door.

Five – Meditation

When I say, “meditation,” I mean whatever it is you do to connect with your spirit.  Some teachers may use this time for prayer or Bible study.  Others may spend time in meditation or with a guided meditation app like Calm or Simple Habit.  The times I have invested 5 minutes or more a day in meditation have paid off in making me feel more relaxed, more able to handle stressful situations, and more focused throughout the day.

Obviously, there are other things many of us do in the mornings before heading to work.  Getting dressed and getting ready and helping kids to get out the door, to name a few.  These have been some suggestions for other ways to care for yourself as you begin a busy day.  I hope that some of these ideas help you to start your day off in the best way!

Next Sunday, I will be back and will be more classroom focused!  I would love for you to join my email newsletter so that you stay on top of all the latest Thinking Third Grade news, both here on my blog and in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!  Right now when you sign up, you will receive one free week of my Problem of the Day product line – in both printable AND digital format!  You can sign up in just a few seconds over to the right —–>

If you are a third grade teacher, I would love to have you join by brand new Facebook group that is exclusively for you!  Head over to Thinking Third Grade Teachers and join!

Have a wonderful week everybody!  And try getting up just a little bit earlier tomorrow.  Talk soon!