I met Dana P. last month in Washington, DC. Dana is a busy school leader whose schedule is full of duties, grade team meetings, lesson plan reviews, and more.
Dana is a paper-based planner. We love her use of sheet protectors to plan her week and prioritize what matters most. Dana has six years of teaching experience, and this is her first as a leader!
Quick Review. . . A Weekly Worksheet is ANY tool that lets you:
- Plan and prioritize a week ahead.
- Efficiently get work done and stay focused.
- Capture and record incoming To-Do’s.
Look at what Dana gets done with just $3.99!
- She blocks time for all known events and meetings. Items such as coverage, lunch duty, after-school duty, and academic team meetings are the ones she can’t mess with or miss.
- She sets aside time to work on important priorities. Dana has work time blocked for lesson plan review and PD planning and delivery.
- She’s flexible when changes arise (as they so often do!). This is where the sheet protector really comes in handy. Dana slips her Weekly Worksheet right inside it, and keeps a Vis-à-Vis marker with her at all times. This way, she can easily make adjustments on the fly!
During our workshop, Dana made the following modifications:
- Room on the right to plan ahead for To-Do’s without hard deadlines.
- Clearer Work Time Blocks — Dana can decide ahead of time how she wants to use her established work time.
- All of her Coaching Meetings, which are a priority in her role.
Dana shared her planning process, and I think it is just awesome.
Q: When do you plan ahead for each week?
As each day passes, I wipe that section of my Weekly Worksheet clean so I can begin planning the days for the upcoming week. For example, even though today is Wednesday, I am already writing in things that I need to do in next Monday and Tuesday’s spaces. If there is anything else I might need to remember long-term, I write it in the “notes” box at the bottom.
Q: How does your system let you prioritize?
This system helps me prioritize because I am able to see my “flex” time which can be filled with observations or work time, but also because I am able to move things around easily. It also saves on paper because I never need to reprint each week!
For those of you who love paper, but hate copying things over each week, the Sheet Protector could be a creative way for you to plan and prioritize the week ahead! Give it a try!