Time Management for Teacher Entrepreneurs: 8 Tools You Need

Introduction

If you're an entrepreneur teacher, you know the work-life balance struggle is real. 

Time management for teachers is difficult enough, not to mention managing time for a side hustle or business. And let's not forget the life part - family, friends, and "me" time. 

Trying to juggle all of this is exhausting, to say the least, and can lead to feelings of defeat. I know because I've been there. This is also one of the biggest problems my teacher entrepreneur clients ask me about. They're tired of making it to the end of every day, wondering what happened to the time and if it's even possible to manage their to-do lists and stay sane. 

Teacher entrepreneurship can be incredibly rewarding, and with the right tools on your side, effective time management is possible.

I will share some of my most effective time management tools in this article. These are the ones I've vetted and shared with my clients. Along with creating a few of them, I've used all of them myself. They will help you manage your time as a teacher and entrepreneur.

What Is A Teacherpreneur?

A teacherpreneur is a teacher who's also gone into business for themselves. Many define teacherpreneurs as those who use their skills to create educational products or services. However, I think we can expand that definition to include teachers who go into any type of business. 

Teacher entrepreneurship is much more common than you may think. Edweek reports that half of teachers hold second jobs during the school year. And Forbes reports that more and more of these moonlighters are venturing into entrepreneurship. 

Teachers today are creating their own products and services. They're selling their own classes, running Air BnBs, and building many other businesses. This trend is changing education and lives. Some are even becoming millionaires. 

Whether being a millionaire is your dream or not, it's important to know that it's possible. And whatever your vision is, you need systems and time management tools to get there. 

8 Time Management Tools for Teachers and Teacher Entrepreneurs

1. Read the Book “Atomic Habits”

Atomic Habits hasn’t acquired nearly 100,000 5-star reviews for nothing. And I agree. This book is a needle-mover. In lucid, engaging prose, James Clear argues that time management isn't a failure of you or your habits but of your systems. 

This takes all the shame of not accomplishing or doing tasks off your shoulders and places it on the systems you have (or don't have in place). And this makes it so much easier to start, change, or implement a new habit or system. 

By the end of Atomic Habits, you will be bursting with approachable and simple ways to overhaul your own systems. 

2. Take a Teacher-Ready Time Management Course

If you want to improve or assess your time management skills, why not take a course? My time management mastery course is teacher-ready because it was created by a teacher for teachers. 

The course comes with ten modules of materials, activities, and videos to get your students (and you) on the right track. This unique course does double duty because you can use it for your students or yourself. 

3. Use a Visual Desk Timer to Beat Distractions

I can't overstate the benefits of a good desk timer. This simple, unassuming little device is one of the best time management tools for teachers in business. 

This visual timer is perfect for those with ADHD who need something extra to keep them on track. It's also great for the highly distracted and phone-addicted (isn't that all of us?) You can use it with the POMODORO technique as well.

4. Use a Cube Timer to Stop Procrastinating

Time management for teachers doesn't have to be a chore. Adding a bit of fun and surprise can help you overcome slumps and procrastination. So, why not gamify it with this cube timer? The timer is a "die" that tells you how long to work on a task. 

It also helps alleviate decision fatigue if you have trouble deciding how long to do a task. All you have to do is throw!

5. Keep Supplies Organized with a Desk Organizer

Keeping supplies like meeting notebooks, pens, and sticky notes organized is vital for managing your time well. This stylish desk organizer keeps your productivity essentials organized and at hand. 

Not only does it look nice, but it prevents you from running out of supplies and not realizing it or losing supplies and having to look all over the place for them. Those can be big time-wasters, so let's stay organized and efficient.

6. Try This Ultimate Planner for Teachers and Teacherpreneurs

This cost-effective planner for teacherpreneurs is the ultimate in customizability and productivity. It uses Google slides and has spaces for you to write and edit to your heart's desire. It's digital or printable, color or black-and-white. It has a yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily planner and pages for brain dumps, productivity planning, and notes. Print, duplicate, and even use for your students! 

7. Use a Meeting Notebook

Whether they're parent conferences, teacher zooms, or business associates, a teacherpreneur has a ton of meetings. This meeting notebook is designed to keep you streamlined, ready to follow up and take action. 

Each spread contains two pages. One page captures key information like participant names, dates, meeting purpose, and takeaways. The opposite page is a gridded notes page. And there are 330+ productivity stickers. Need I say more?

8. Manage Stress With this Free Resource Hub

Time management for teachers in business requires serious stress management. This is why you need more than time management tools for teachers. You need a consistent resource that helps you manage stress and improve your work-life balance. I created this free stress management resource hub so that teacherpreneurs don’t have to go it alone. When you join, you'll get my best resources and business tips.

Conclusion 

Teacher entrepreneurship is rewarding in many ways. However, time management for teacher entrepreneurs is a huge challenge. Luckily, this is a skill that you can learn, practice, and develop. Using the right tools and systems will support your goals in life and business. 

For relatable business tips and resources to manage stress, join my FREE Teacherpreneur Resource Hub here.