One of my FAVORITE things to help me stay organized is my new planner I bought from Target this fall. LOVE! I always struggle to find the planner that is totally ME, because either it is too small to write much or it is gigantic and I can't fit it in my bag. Mine is yellow chevron, but it looks just like this one.
I love it because not only is it super cute, but it has both a monthly calendar page and then weekly pages. On the monthly pages I put everything school related - student birthdays, assemblies, conferences, etc. in a color code to help me quickly glance at what is happening for the week. It saves time because I can look at a name on the calendar and instantly know it's a meeting because it's in red, or a birthday because it's in blue! I can slip my planner in my bag each night so I can refer to it at home too. I used to put all of this on my desk calendar, but obviously that does not travel well. :-)
My favorite part though is the weekly pages because each day of the week has a long, skinny section, perfect for my To-Do lists! I always used to be a Post-it girl, which works great for quick notes but anytime I would stick a to-do on my calendar I tended to lose them! I mean where am I supposed to put those little colorful squares as I am working... on my purse? My phone? LOL. Plus I can write down quick to-do's that are coming up soon on the day that they need to be completed. It helps me plan ahead and it's also really motivating to see things being crossed off that list.
Of course - my planner wouldn't be complete without my Ink Joy pens. I have them in my zipper pouch so that they can travel back and forth to school too! I was never really a fan of colored pens since they usually didn't write well, but I love how these are colorful but still write really smoothly - and last a long time! If you haven't tried them you are missing out.
In addition to organizing the ME part of teaching, I always try to leave my daily plans and materials organized on my desk too in case I am out unexpectedly as those back to school germs hit! (Or in my case, that have currently hit me!) Here's a picture of my desk as I am leaving on a normal night so that anyone can find my plans, copies and manuals in a pinch. I've learned to always expect the unexpected in teaching! :-)
And here's a picture of my sub set up when I know for sure I'm going to be out. It's organized with sticky notes on each subject's materials throughout the day.
And that's how I survive the craziness of my day... :-) How do you stay organized at work?? Be sure to leave me your best tips in your comments!
Oh and last but not least... THANKS for all the birthday wishes on my last post! I celebrated my 30th with a yummy birthday dinner out at the Cheesecake Factory with my family and my husband. We had a great time! Yum!
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