Excessive workload and the lack of a work-life balance remain key issues at work which drive poor mental health or wellbeing for education staff. This can have a dramatic impact on a Teacher’s life.

Did you know that;

• 70% of Teachers and education staff said workload was the main reasons for thinking about leaving their jobs
• 66% of staff who experienced behavioural, psychological or physical symptoms say poor work-life balance was an issue

Here’s our top 5 tips to improve work-life balance;

1. Change your state of mind when you get home

Take fresh air, exercise or enjoy a nice, hot bath. Try to leave behind the day at school. Can you physically separate your home life from your work life? If you can, leave your books, marking and assessments behind. If you do take them home, leave them in a room where you can close the door when you have finished, and make sure this is away from where you sleep. Have different email and social media accounts for personal life and work.

2. In the holidays

Do not fill the holiday with work you have not been able to do during term time. Allow yourself time to rest properly and do not over schedule yourself so you feel overwhelmed. Everyone’s comfort-level is different – be honest with yourself about yours. Do not try to accommodate everyone else’s needs.

Prioritise what you want to do and give yourself permission to serve your needs first.

3. Find time and space

Create some time and space for reflection – not only to think about your approach at work, but also your personal life and relationships. Get up 30 minutes early, or take 30 minutes when you get back from work to sit and be calm.

Reflect on your week, notice where there were barriers to achieving your goals and how you might remove them.

4. At work

There will always be more to do than there is time to do it. Prioritise and talk to your line manager if you cannot physically do all that is being asked of you. They should be able to provide some support. Take your entire lunch break and limit checking emails – set a time for the final check of the day!

Minimise unnecessary meetings – will a phone call or email suffice? Keep meetings on track with an agenda, and only meet for 30 minutes if needed.

Do not over commit yourself – Teachers are a conscientious bunch and it is tempting to say yes to everything asked of you. Ask yourself if things support your priorities and say no when you need to.

5. Planning and paperwork

It’s important to build up a bank of readily accessible resources that will engage the students without too much reliance on your time and materials. Do not fall into over-planning lessons. Reports can also mean a heavy workload over a short period of time, particularly if you have multiple classes. Try to plan ahead, ask for help if it’s needed and develop a ‘statement bank’ that you can use as a starting point.