Before you go any further, make sure you watch Jordan Page’s video on the topic: The “Block Schedule” System – LIFE CHANGING productivity hack! It is the basis of everything that follows. No seriously, go watch it! I’ll be here when you get back.
Why I Needed It
Life as a teacher is hectic. I am also something of an overachiever/perfectionist, and I was really struggling to achieve work-life balance. When Jordan Page’s video showed up in my suggested videos, it seemed like a way to finally reign in the chaos of my schedule and give me a way to find everything has a place. So I decided to give it a try.
Block Schedule 2020
This is how I started out the year. I drew this in the first week of my planner and I used washi tape to mark out the blocks in my weekly spread. One of my major goals was to start policing the boundaries between work and life in order to achieve better balance. I liked setting the morning aside for personal development instead of trying to work during those 20 minutes for breakfast. I liked feeling that there was genuine consistency in how I spent my time. There were, however, a few sticking points in this schedule:
- Marking on spares has been really difficult for me. There are a lot of distractions in my day, I haven’t completed the prep I need for upcoming class periods, I feel tired, I am procrastinating, etc.
- I had a lot of trouble doing the work block on Saturday, often because of family/home obligations, or sincere fatigue, so I fell even more behind in my marking.
- I still spent those evening blocks feeling guilty for not being productive, even though I needed the time to decompress, because I felt so hurried much of the time and I didn’t feel like I was keeping up with all of the things there were to do.
- I don’t think I was usually able to get to bed by 10 p.m., which left me feeling really tired.
Pandemic Block Schedule 1
Then the pandemic struck, and everyone’s schedules went out the window. Schools in my area were closed as of March 13th, and we were actually barred from teaching online, especially to try to cover new material for the first two months of the pandemic. My husband was working at home, so I decided to move to an alternate sleep schedule so that we could each have some time to ourselves every day.
As you can probably tell, this was a good time for me. I recognize that I have been very fortunate and that many people have had a really difficult and horrible time during this crisis. I know it’s not fair (a number of privileges here), but I experienced what it was like to genuinely relax for the first time since the summer leading into 10th grade. Starting in grade 11, I always had at least one job while studying full time, I have had other jobs on top of teaching and have earned additional certificates while teaching. I was burying myself in my exacting expectations for myself and I was in the early stages of considering going on stress leave. So this was time that I needed–even more than I initially realized.
In the month of May, Jordan Page offered her Productivity Bootcamp materials free for the whole month. I went through the program and was feeling really inspired to reset my block schedule right when we were finally allowed to start teaching (right after Victoria Day). This brings us to…
Pandemic Block Schedule 2
I have really appreciated getting reacquainted with the morning! The walking has made a very big difference in my energy levels and mental health. Teaching online was really strange (I may write a post about this in the future), but this was a schedule that was pretty manageable.
Vacation Block Schedule? What about the fall?
I am now on summer break, but I haven’t decided whether I will create a block schedule for this time. I am taking this week completely off from anything scheduled. This has meant staying up a little later and sleeping in a little longer. I am still going for a walk most days, though I am taking it a little easier as it is much warmer out. I’ve used the last two Sundays as rest days (prior to that I had gone every day for a month and a half).
There is no way to tell right now what the fall will look like. Last I heard, the plan was for schools to reopen, though the senior grades may be on an altered schedule. It’s too early to tell what the status of the pandemic will be and we’ve had a dizzying number of changes in directives, so I’m not really paying too much attention to all this over the summer. I’m going to work on my courses later in the summer, and I will do so in a way that will be enable an easy transition to hybrid or all online instruction should the need arise.
When the fall comes, I will try to make a new block schedule, using the experiences I’ve had so far to make it even better.
Do you use a block schedule? Are you thinking of giving it a try?
Lemon Day Planning 