Project Management Tips for Teachers

When you think project management in education, you may think all you need is your class schedule and a standard Academic Planner to kickstart your year. But, in reality, project management impacts every corner of your life, from stress to freeing up more time. Here's a look at why project management in education is so important and how to effectively implement it for success.

Increase Efficiency

Project management in education is more than charting out the hours in your day. You also need to consider what your students are learning and what they're learning. So how does this apply to project management? Keeping track of multiple students' performance is challenging at best. You need an organized, systematized approach to project management. 

A Jolts & Jolts Notebook, with the help of some of our Page Flags, help keep all of your notes for each of your students organized. Grab one for every class you teach for a practical approach to project management in education. 

Decrease Stress

If you're a stressed-out teacher, you're not alone. According to The Journal, 77% of teachers reported feeling stressed, 75% feel stressed, and 74% overwhelmed. Unfortunately, all of the best advice about staying organized and creating systems won't do much without a manageable plan in place. After all, you don't want your project management in education efforts to be more stressful than teaching itself. 

Start by evaluating your level of comfort with the organization. For example, a "Get It Done" notepad may be all you need to get through a busy day. Or an Academic Planner with room to plan out your fitness and healthy eating goals could also help. Or you may want to include a planner with an online project management tool like Asana or Airtable to keep track of everything in your day.

Free Up More Time

If you're a teacher, you probably cringe whenever people talk about your work-free summers and short days. According to Scholastic, most teachers work nearly an 11-hour workday. This comes as no surprise to anyone working in academia.

You may not be able to squeeze any more hours out of the day, but you can free up more time by focusing on project management in education. Grab an Academic Planner and chart out your day. Remember to include your commute time, breaks, and errand-running.

Next, identify the gaps in your day. You may find you can catch on parent emails while waiting in line doing errands. Or grab an early dinner and grade papers and wrap up your work at the cafe instead of bringing it all home with you. The more you can find ways to squeeze in time by identifying what you're doing day to day, the more freedom you'll get back.

Improve Communication

Project management in communication also helps improve communication. You may find you need more than insular tools to help you stay organized—instead, sign-up for group collaboration tools like Monday.com or Slack to stay connected on one platform. Otherwise, you'll spend all of your time navigating your email inbox to piece together the project.

Collaborate Effectively

Project management in education is often collaborative and requires multiple points of view and input. Instead of managing various emails and meetings, opt for collaboration tools like Monday.com or Slack. You can communicate in real-time, set times to meet, or break out in individual Slack rooms to talk to your project's stakeholders. You'll end up feeling more organized and less stressed when you have more clarity and control over the project. 

Tools for Project Management in Education

Project management tools are a must-have for any teacher or administrator. You deserve stress-free tools that empower you to do your job and shape young minds. Ready to change things up? Shop our Paper & Plan collection to organize your day with efficiency and style.