3 Steps to Stop Procrastinating As a Teacher and Find Success Outside the Classroom
When you’re feeling burnt out on teaching, it can be hard to find the energy to find flexible work in education. But if you’ve been dreaming about creating a more sustainable next chapter of your career, you have got to put in the work to make it happen. The steps to stop procrastinating that we’re sharing today can help.
Though our teaching jobs are incredibly draining, it’s not just constant exhaustion that can make it hard to move forward— we often stand in our own way as we explore options beyond the classroom.
We think about applying for jobs “someday” or leaving the classroom “in the future,” but then life gets in the way. Often, we procrastinate taking action because it feels scary, unknown, and tiring. Even if we really want to find flexible jobs for teachers, we may feel like we can’t stop procrastinating.
But the only way out is through! You have to do the things that scare you and take action to really make your dreams a reality. It’s so possible! Get started with the tips to stop procrastinating below.
3 Steps to Stop Procrastinating Fast
As a teacher, you’ve probably seen a lot of procrastination tips for students. The good news is, a lot of the same strategies can help if you’re procrastinating your next career move.
Dream Big
Get really clear on what you want. Do you desire more flexibility? Do you never want to step foot in a classroom again? Do you want to help beginning teachers so they don’t struggle like you did? Do you want to create a more equitable school experience? The possibilities are truly endless.
Consider what you want and what you need (money, benefits, time, etc.), then think about what your next steps could look like. Allow yourself to really dream big.
When you find yourself talking yourself out of your dreams (it happens to all of us!), take a step back and challenge that voice in your head. Ask, “What if it is possible?” Allow yourself to see other alternatives as you dream up the next chapter of your career.
Set Goals + a Timeline
This is one of the most important steps to stop procrastinating. Now that you know where you want to end up, it’s time to do some backward planning. To get to your dream situation, what do you need to do? Set goals to help you move forward.
For example, if you want to land a full-time job as a curriculum developer, you might set the following goals:
Create a resume that highlights your skills
Redesign your LinkedIn profile to present yourself as a curriculum developer
Once you set your goals, create a timeline. Make sure to add due dates to your goals! Without due dates, it can be really hard to actually reach your targets.
If you’re ready to take it one step further, break down your goals into smaller subgoals and create a timeline to help you make steady progress. Use the timeline to keep you on track, making adjustments and additions as you uncover more steps to take.
Stay Accountable
One of my favorite parts of running the Beyond the Classroom course is the accountability it provides for teachers looking to work flexibly in education.
We have weekly calls and at the end of each call, we ask participants to set 1-3 goals they plan on accomplishing in the next week. We then check in about those goals at the beginning of the next week’s call.
Having this accountability helps to keep participants on track. They know that we’ll ask them about their goals, so they’re more likely to make progress towards them.
Setting up your own accountability system is one of the effective ways to stop procrastinating when you want to leave the classroom.
You can set up this accountability for yourself by talking about your goals with a friend. If you share what you’re hoping to accomplish, your friend can ask you about your progress towards your goals.
You can even set up a more formal accountability buddy partnership, where you work with a buddy to check in on each other’s goals.
Stop Procrastinating As a Teacher and Build a Better Education Career
When you find yourself in the throes of procrastination, it’s important to acknowledge that it’s happening, then take action to move through it. It is so worth it to take intentional action toward your dreams— even when you’re exhausted and even when you feel like you want to give up. With action and commitment, you can build the life you desire.
If you need a little support as you work through these steps to stop procrastinating and start your journey to leave the classroom, consider joining one of our programs: