How to Know You're Taking on Too Much as a Teacher
The beginning of the school year is a prime time when you will be asked what you are and are not willing to take on.
But how do you know when too much is too much? When can you say “Enough is enough, my plate is full”?
If you are feeling overwhelmed, having trouble focusing, feeling burned out, or feeling like you can never catch up, you likely have too much on your plate.
And when your plate is too full, it’s important to take stock and relieve yourself of some of that burden.
The following questions can help determine when a task or event is too much, and when it might be better to say no to adding it to your schedule:
First, do you want to do this thing? Are you adding it to your schedule for you, or are you doing it to please someone else? Would it feel fulfilling and energizing to have this responsibility on your schedule, or would it feel draining?
What are your professional priorities and goals for the year? Does taking this on add to that goal or take attention from it?
Is this task or event part of your specified job responsibilities? Will it take away time and energy from your specific job responsibilities?
Will this task or event take away time and attention from important personal responsibilities?
If you add this to your schedule, will it make it difficult to include essential self-care in your day? Will it make it harder to get the nutrition, movement, sleep, etc, that you need?
If you add this to your schedule, will it take away a significant amount of time for maintaining important relationships in your life?
These questions can be helpful whether you’re being asked to do something big like lead an after school club, or something small, like covering one lunch duty for a coworker.
When you say yes to something, you are inevitably saying no to something else. Make sure you aren’t saying no to the things that are most important to you this school year.
Your turn! You might reflect: What is one thing you can take off your plate and say no to at work this year? What is one job responsibility that feels worth it that you definitely want to keep on your schedule? Let us know in the comments below!
