7 Low-Effort Ways to Get Ahead, Whenever You Feel Like It [Episode 266]

Heidi 0:00
This is episode 266 of Teacher Approved.

Heidi 0:05
You’re listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I’m Heidi.

Emily 0:13
And I’m Emily. We’re the creators behind Second Story Window, where we give research-based and teacher-approved strategies that make teaching less stressful and more effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from each episode at secondstorywindow.net.

Heidi 0:28
We’re so glad you’re tuning in today. Let’s get to the show.

Emily 0:35
Hey there. Thank you for joining us today. In today’s episode, we are sharing seven small get ahead tasks that you can knock out in 10 minutes each, plus we’ve got a teacher-approved tip for setting up your email signature.

Heidi 0:50
But first, let’s start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick win that you can try right away. Emily, what’s our suggestion this week?

Emily 0:57
Okay, this week set up one small area of your home as a summer command center, just a spot, it can even just be a basket or a shelf or part of your desk, for any school stuff that comes up over the summer, because stuff will come up even when you’re trying not to think about it. You know, a binder you brought home or a sticky note with an idea you don’t want to lose or something you couldn’t resist at the school supply aisle.

Heidi 1:24
That you’ll want to know where it is when August hits.

Emily 1:27
Yes.

Heidi 1:27
Or you know, even stuff for your own kids’ schooling, because school’s gonna start sending paper soon.

Emily 1:32
Yep, there’s always so much kids’ stuff, and right now those things are probably scattered. So designate a home base for your school stuff. That way when you’re finally ready to think about school again, you won’t have to spend the first 20 minutes hunting all the things down.

Heidi 1:47
And if you like this idea or anything else we share here on the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five-star rating and review? Ratings and reviews are one way that new listeners can find us, so every one really does help.

Heidi 1:59
If you have been here for very long, you know that we have a two-part recipe for summer success that we call recovery and readiness. We love it so much. We’ve talked about it every summer, going all the way back to 2022.

Emily 2:13
Hey, it’s a good idea, but we need that clip from Brooklyn Nine-Nine where Boyle says, ‘You’ve told us this story many times,’ and Captain Holt shouts, ‘And you’ll hear it again!’

Heidi 2:26
Yes, i put my finger up to enunciate here, and we are going to do it again, because it’s that important. We are on a mission to make teacher summers as incredible as possible, and that starts with recovery and readiness. You need recovery to refill your tank after a draining school year, and you need readiness, so you don’t drain it again the second you’re back in the classroom.

Emily 2:47
So, in the recent episode, episode 262, we walked you through how to plan for summer recovery, and in episode 263 we replayed our episode about setting boundaries around work time. So today, let’s look at the readiness piece of recovery and readiness.

Heidi 3:02
And this is not the dive into your curriculum map kind of readiness, that’s too much. Instead, we’ve got simple tasks that get the productivity ball rolling without requiring a full-time commitment.

Emily 3:13
And bonus, they can all be done in 10 minutes or less. Part of why back to school prep feels so heavy is that prep comes in two very different sizes, and we tend to lump them together. The big heavy stuff is things like rethinking your whole reading block or overhauling your classroom management plan. That work is real, and it’s important, but you don’t have to deal with that in June.

Heidi 3:36
And then the other tasks, the small light stuff is different. There are the little decisions that don’t take much mental energy on their own, but if you leave all of them for the last week before school, they just kind of pile up into one giant stressful heap.

Emily 3:52
And that’s what these seven tasks are. The small light stuff pulled out of the heap and spread across the summer. You do them whenever the mood strikes.

Heidi 4:01
You know what, and if the mood never strikes, that’s fine too. Think of this like a menu, not a checklist. Pick the ones that sound appealing, and you can just ignore the rest.

Heidi 4:09
Okay, let’s get started. Number one is to decide what you’re wearing on the first day.

Emily 4:15
And it’s a little crazy that we’re starting with this one, but we like to live on the edge.

Heidi 4:20
Yeah, we’re adrenaline junkies around here, and doing this task now has two big benefits. The first is practical: it removes a decision before the stress hits, because if you don’t do this now, picking a first day outfit is going to drop to the bottom of your to-do list.

Emily 4:37
Yeah, and then that’s how you end up standing in front of your closet the night before school, or heaven forbid, the morning of the first day of school, stressed, trying on clothes, trying to figure out what you’re going to wear, and just praying that you can find something that isn’t wrinkled.

Heidi 4:51
The second benefit of doing this right now is more fun, because doing this now gives you this little rush of being ahead. Even if you don’t get anything else done to prep for school this summer, you still get to say my first day outfit is picked out and hanging up in the back of my closet, all ready to go.

Emily 5:09
And that sentence, it will feel amazing in August, but it is even more of a rush when you get to say it in June. I’m not gonna lie, I thrive on this kind of a rush, it’s my favorite kind of getting ready is to be super ready, like so far in advance. I’m way less motivated to do it if it’s like only a week away. So do it super early, because even though it’s such a small thing, it makes you feel like you’ve got it together.

Heidi 5:33
And you know what, this genuinely is a 10 minute task. Just pull out three outfits from your closet, try them on, pick the one that you can imagine, you know, walking around for six hours, ’cause you’re not gonna get a break, and then hang it somewhere where you can get to it, and you’ll remember where it is, so you’re ready to go.

Emily 5:48
And if you’re someone who likes to buy a new outfit for the first day, more power to you. Go ahead and start shopping now, so that you can get that task off your list as soon as possible.

Heidi 5:57
Okay, our second 10 minute task is to pick your first read aloud of the year, and you can decide, does this mean your first classroom chapter book read aloud or a picture book for the actual first day of school, or you know, pick both if you want to do that.

Emily 6:11
Start by scanning your bookshelf and checking the library app to see what sounds good. If you need a copy, put a hold on it or order it now, so it shows up with plenty of time.

Heidi 6:20
Read alouds are some of the best community building that you will do all year, and they couldn’t be simpler or more enjoyable. I think they might be my favorite part of teaching.

Emily 6:30
Absolutely, and I just want to say, your kids are never too old to be read to. Like, I think there’s value even in secondary teachers reading a novel out loud to their students, so prioritize this read aloud time. For us, it’s the highlight of the day. We loved it so much, we dedicated our second ever podcast to it.

Heidi 6:49
Way back then, back when we thought we would have an academic focused podcast.

Emily 6:54
Yeah, it’s it’s grown since then.

Heidi 6:57
Who knew we liked classroom management so much?

Emily 7:00
We should have known, actually.

Heidi 7:03
But picking that first title now means it’s one less thing to worry about, and this is something that feels kind of fun, definitely not a chore.

Emily 7:10
Yeah, choosing books is just never going to be unpleasant. Okay, our third 10 minute task is to pick your morning music playlist for the year.

Heidi 7:19
Don’t underestimate the power of a good playlist to set the mood. You can make a playlist out of songs that you already love, or use this as an opportunity to find something that somebody’s already made, and you can just save it to your account.

Emily 7:32
If you’ve never done morning music before, this is a chance to add a little spark to your daily routine in a way that doesn’t amp the kids up. What you’re going for is across the threshold moment, so when kids walk into your room, there should be a feeling that things are different in here than they were out in the hallway. Music is the easiest way to create that feeling, and it signals that you’ve arrived, you’re somewhere calm and welcoming now. The day is starting, and you know what to expect.

Heidi 7:58
Just a couple of practical notes: if this is new to you, you don’t need a long playlist. You just need enough to cover arrival time, so maybe 15 or 20 minutes of music, and think about what you want that music to do. Morning music probably shouldn’t be a dance party, not trying to get kids energized and loud right before you want them to settle.

Emily 8:16
Yeah, the goal is usually the opposite, right? Something pleasant and fairly mellow, that takes the edge off the morning, so obviously instrumental works well, and quiet familiar pop at a low volume. You want kids humming but not bouncing off the walls.

Heidi 8:32
And if making a playlist from scratch sounds like more than 10 minutes, we have some teacher-approved playlists on Spotify that you can use. There is a kid-friendly pop one, if you want a little more energy, although you might want to save that for, you know, your cleanup at the end of the day.

Emily 8:46
Yes.

Heidi 8:47
We also have a calming piano one, if you want more of a settled vibe, and we will link to those in the show notes.

Emily 8:54
Okay, number four is to write your future you page. This one is a little different from the others, it’s less of a task and more of a reflection.

Heidi 9:03
But don’t skip over it, because it’s not urgent right now. In summer, you have perspective. You’re rested enough to know what matters, but school year you, especially in those first few overwhelming weeks, loses that perspective fast.

Emily 9:18
Yeah, it gets crazy. So, write it down now, while you can still see clearly, and think about what you hope you remember when school starts, the things that helped you this summer that you want to carry forward, like getting outside or moving your body, or actually resting when you’re tired, instead of pushing through all the time.

Heidi 9:36
And then write down what’s important to remember when things start to feel overwhelming. That might be permission like, I don’t need to create every resource myself, or it might be a reminder like, my job is important, but it’s not my entire identity.

Emily 9:50
It’s using the perspective summer gives you to make the start of the year a little gentler on yourself. Future you will be so grateful that summer you took 10 minutes to write it down.

Heidi 10:01
But if you do this, just make sure to write it somewhere where you will actually see it again. Writing it on a napkin that you promptly lose is not super helpful, so put it in the front of your planner, or take a photo of it and make it the lock screen on your phone for the first few weeks, or tape it inside the cabinet that you open every day.

Emily 10:19
The whole power of this is the rereading. In the frantic pace of back to school season, you need this note front and center in order for it to do its job. So decide now where it’s going to live.

Heidi 10:29
And for club members, there is a page for exactly this in the Tired Teacher Planner, which is your club resource for June. It’s already set up with prompts, so if you would rather not start from a blank page, it’s waiting for you there. You can print it and write on it by hand, or type write in it, and then print it if that’s your preference.

Emily 10:48
Yeah, I always prefer to type if I have the chance. Okay, our fifth task is to update your teacher emergency kit. This is the little stash of personal essentials that you keep in your desk or classroom cupboard, so you can manage any human moments that get in the way of being a teacher.

Heidi 11:04
Every teacher needs one of these, and most of us have learned that the hard way. You forget the advil one time, then you make sure you are always stalked after that.

Emily 11:13
Yeah, if you’re allowed to have pain reliever in your room, definitely grab that. Also, think of things like lip balm or hand lotion, nail clippers, a few protein bars, or crackers, maybe some electrolyte packets.

Heidi 11:28
Oh yeah, don’t forget the throat lozenges for your poor overused voice. Extra hair ties, contact solutions if you wear contacts. That one got me several times. Mints or gum, soft tissues instead of the cheap scratchy ones, make a list, so you can make sure you get it all.

Emily 11:45
Yeah, the 10 minute version of this task is the taking inventory part, so look at what you’ve got, see what ran out last year, and make a list of what to restock. You don’t have to go shopping right now, you just need the list.

Heidi 11:56
We talked about this emergency kit back in episode 209 and there is a page for it in the back to school readiness checklists with more than 30 suggestions already on it. It’s digital, so you can edit it to just the things you use.

Emily 12:12
And the back to school readiness checklists, if you are a club member, you can get that with your download credits, or if you’re an annual member, you can download it anytime. And these things that we’re talking about seem really small, because they are small, but when you’re in the thick of those first few weeks, having this little kit to take care of your needs, it makes you feel noticeably more prepared.

Heidi 12:33
And if you’ve got a teacher friend or teammates that you like, consider adding some care items to their survival kits as a thoughtful back to school gift. It’s a way to show that you’re looking out for them, even when you can’t be there to take care of them.

Emily 12:47
Okay, our next task is to save five favorite community building activities to a week one folder. So search Pinterest, search your notes app, listen to some of our back to school podcast episodes. You can look through social media and your camera roll for whatever you’ve saved over the years, and just pick five of these ideas that you love and put them all in one folder or a note, so that they’re ready to grab.

Heidi 13:11
And this might be the most useful task on this list, because the success of your school year hinges on community building. Student cooperation depends on whether kids are willing to cooperate with your vision, and they’re much more willing when they feel like their teacher likes them and that they matter in the classroom. So, having five good activities ready to go during the first week is really worth a lot.

Emily 13:35
And remember, community building is not just filling time, it really is the foundation of your year, so when you’re looking for your five ideas, try to pick a range, not five versions of the same thing. So maybe one quick icebreaker, something that gets kids moving, one that’s calmer or partner-based, one full class activity, and one you can come back to and repeat throughout the year.

Heidi 13:59
I found that something that works well as a morning meeting game is perfect for community building in the first week, and then you can just use it in morning meeting all year long. And doing this now means you can just browse calmly and pick good ideas instead of having to make do with whatever comes up first. You got time, pick the good stuff.

Emily 14:16
Yeah, and even get some of the light prep out of the way early. If you want to do a team building STEM activity, maybe you can package supplies in bags while you watch TV. We love a TV task. It’s no stress and the feeling of productivity without having to get off your couch.

Heidi 14:32
Really, it’s my favorite kind of productivity. That brings us to our final 10 minute task. Pick your one word theme for the year. Sit down with your coffee and jot down words that resonate with how you want next year to feel or how you want to show up.

Emily 14:48
We’ve covered the one word theme idea before, back in episodes 27 and 86 so this isn’t new for longtime listeners, but it’s worth revisiting because it’s such a simple tool. It’s a nice exercise but the benefit comes when you use your word as a filter. So if your theme for the year is joyful, it reminds you to prioritize the kinds of lessons that you enjoy teaching. If your word is relaxed, it tells you to prioritize the systems that help your day move smoothly.

Heidi 15:17
In my, like, third or fourth year of teaching, I chose the word present, because when I thought back to my memories of the previous year, most of my memories were of me looking down at my desk or at my computer screen instead of what was happening with my students. I was just so busy planning and prepping and worrying about the next thing, I was missing what it actually meant to be present and with my students.

Emily 15:41
Well, I mean, it’s easy to do because there’s so much going on in a school day, and so you can just easily lose sight of what matters, so your word, your theme becomes your filter that helps you stay focused on your priorities.

Heidi 15:55
Full transparency, I have to admit, I had very mixed success with staying present. But at least the sticky note on my computer reminded me to just walk away sometimes, just let it go for now.

Emily 16:08
Yeah, because unfortunately having a one-word theme isn’t just magic that means you will nail it every day, but even just having the word on a sticky note doing its job to kind of nudge you back on track more often than you would have been, that’s that’s a win.

Heidi 16:24
So those are our seven minute tasks. Pick your first day outfit, pick your first read aloud, make your morning playlist, write your future you page, update your emergency kit, save five community building activities, and pick your one word theme.

Emily 16:40
And if this kind of low pressure high payoff approach to getting ahead is appealing, we want to tell you about something. It’s basically this episode, but bigger, and that is our upcoming summit.

Heidi 16:52
Teacher Summer Talks is four days of short focus sessions designed to help you get ready for the new year without the overwhelm. It’s the same energy as these 10 minute tasks, just more of it, and more guided.

Emily 17:04
And if you’ve been to one of our teacher talks events before, you know that we like to have a lot of fun. We always have a fun theme, and I’ll give you a little hint that this year is giving summer camp, parent trap vibes. It’s going to be a real good time. You will not want to miss it. And the tickets are free, and they are available on July 1.

Heidi 17:30
We will have all the details in the show notes. And if the seven tasks today felt good, teacher summer talks is the next natural step.

Emily 17:39
Now, for our teacher-approved tip of the week, where we share an actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and simplify the rest. This week’s teacher-approved tip is update your email signature. What do you got in mind, Heidi?

Heidi 17:51
Well, okay, if you don’t know, your email signature is that little block of text that automatically shows up at the bottom of your emails, and it can be a helpful tool in your parent communication. Your signature should include your name and contact info, obviously, and your office hours if you have them. But you can also add your response policy, something like I usually respond within two days during the school week.

Emily 18:15
And then that line manages parent expectations before they even become a problem. It will let the parents know you’re not going to be answering emails at 10pm.

Heidi 18:25
They still might hope you’ll answer at 10pm but yes, at least you’ve told them in writing what is reasonable. But email signatures can be even more. You can include a photo, a little icon, or a short quote if you want some personality in there.

Emily 18:39
And if you don’t have a signature yet, or if you want to update yours. The nice part is you can design the whole thing in Canva for free, even with a free account. It’s really easy to make yours cute, but still professional, or you know, whatever your vibe is.

Heidi 18:52
And in the show notes, we will include a link to a YouTube video that walks you through how to set all of this up in Canva, and we will include a second link about Canva’s new email templates.

Emily 19:04
Yeah, I mean, bonus tip: if you want to get really ahead, those email templates mean you can draft some of the emails you already know you’ll need, like your welcome email, your first day of school email, and you know, the standard reminder email that you send before every school holiday. But that’s only if you’re ready to start thinking about school tasks, no pressure.

Heidi 19:23
That’s very optional.

Heidi 19:26
To you wrap up the show we’re sharing what we’re giving extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?

Emily 19:31
My extra credit goes to Hulken bags.

Heidi 19:34
They have the worst name.

Emily 19:35
I know, I know, but I mean they work hard like the Hulk, I don’t know. So they are these collapsible, foldable bags that have like a sturdy base that has wheels, and then you can get the sides open, and they’re thick, easy to wipe off material, but it, it looks kind of nice, it’s a nice looking bag, and then it has various kinds of handles on it, so you can carry it in lots of different ways. You can do it right next to you, you can pull it behind you with the longer one, and the thing I love about these is you can fit so much stuff in them. They’re so handy, like I needed to haul in like four big boxes of nothing but cake, little bunt cake things for a PTA meeting, and I could get them all in that bag, just barely, but I could. So they’re just so handy to have.

Emily 20:32
So I have the large one, and let me tell you, it is large, like I thought, oh, it’s okay if I don’t totally fill it up. No, this should be called Extra Large. It is so big. So then I got a medium for Christmas, because that’s probably more what you’re expecting with a large. So I would say the medium is more versatile, but it is really nice to have the Extra Large one.

Emily 20:54
So I will say, though, Costco did come up with a knockoff, I think it’s the Clever Me brand, which I have their collapsible laundry baskets that I have given extra credit to before, so I know they’re a good company, and I did see somebody that I trust compare the two, and it stacked up pretty well. It was not as sturdy, like the wheels weren’t as heavy duty as the Hulken bags, but they’re like $40, they’re way cheaper.

Heidi 21:21
Oh, wow.

Emily 21:21
So, but they only have one size, and it’s like between the medium and the large sizes of the Holken.

Heidi 21:29
I bet they come out with more sizes soon, though.

Emily 21:31
Yeah, they might. They totally might. So, I did notice on Costco’s website that there were quite a few reviews about the wheels not holding up, like after a few months. But there were plenty of people who said it was great, so it could be something worth looking into, but also, if you see a deal on a Hulken bag, might be worth just upgrading if you’re gonna use them forever. So I’ll like to both.

Heidi 21:56
It’d be so nice to have that hauling stuff back and forth from school all summer.

Emily 21:59
I know, especially that really big one. Well, honestly, even both, I have frequently had that thought of like, I would have loved these when I was hauling things in and out of the classroom, or schlepping, as the Hulken company would say, that these bags are made for schlepping.

Heidi 22:15
I love it.

Emily 22:16
What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?

Heidi 22:18
Okay, well, my extra credit goes to Jury Duty Corporate Retreat, but the bonus episodes.

Emily 22:24
Because you already gave extra credit to the series, right? I didn’t know there were bonus episodes.

Heidi 22:28
I didn’t either! This is such a fun little surprise. So, okay, to back up. Years, like, 2022 Jury Duty comes out, and it’s a hidden camera show, kind of like, but everyone’s an actor, except for one guy who thinks he’s part of this documentary about being on a jury. And all this crazy, insane stuff happens, and everyone’s like, Oh my gosh, that was hilarious, too bad they can never do it again, because now everyone knows. Well, they did it again, except now it’s not a jury duty, they did it at a corporate retreat, and I think I like this one even better. I love jury duty, but corporate retreat…

Emily 23:05
I know, corporate retreat, something about this, the hero, I mean, that’s what they call them, that’s the person who doesn’t know that it’s all fake. I loved the guy in the first year, but he was a little more reserved. This guy was in it. The guy at corporate retreat is like he’s our, he’s becoming, he’s a temp, he just barely met these people, but he’s becoming best friends with them by the end of the week, like he.. Oh my gosh, I just love him so, so much.

Heidi 23:29
He was a gem of a human, and the nice thing is, they don’t ever set him out to be the butt of the joke. All of the character actors are the butts of the joke.

Emily 23:38
Yes.

Heidi 23:39
So they call him the hero because he gets to be the hero and save the day, and it was just so fun. Anyway, so I finished up the last episode, and I was so sad. And then it just immediately starts into the next episode, so they show you, there’s an episode about where they show how they did it, how they set it up, like how they built this whole camp, like all of the places the cameras were hidden, and how they communicated when things went off the rails. I could watch multiple episodes of that.

Emily 24:08
Yes, give me all the behind the scenes. I want to see it all.

Heidi 24:11
James Marsden was in jury duty, and he came back to host, like, a reunion special with the cast, so that was so fun.

Emily 24:18
Oh I want to watch that!

Heidi 24:20
They had the two hero guys sit down and have a talk about their experiences, and then they go through and they redo the corporate retreat episodes, but with the commentary from the people that were doing it, so that you’d be like, oh, well, in this moment you don’t know what just happened, because over here we had to do this because you did this. And so it was so lovely.

Emily 24:43
Are they watching it with the hero, so he’s getting filled in too?

Heidi 24:48
Yes, and they’re asking, “Well, what were you thinking when she did this? And he’s like, “I just thought that was weird, but this was, you know.” So yes, highly recommend. 10 out of 10.

Emily 24:58
I cannot get enough. I will absolutely be starting that tonight.

Heidi 25:03
And the good news is I was on IMDB looking something up, and I saw that it looks like there’s a season three coming out, so.

Emily 25:10
Hopefully they’ve already been working on it sneakily, so that they could get another surprise in there.

Heidi 25:15
Yeah, so this came out in 2026 and they filmed it in 2024.

Emily 25:20
I know. I was kind of surprised how long it took just to edit it. I was like, seems like the setting up would be way more worse than the editing. But what do I know?

Heidi 25:31
Well, that is it for today’s episode. Pick one task off the list and enjoy how far ahead it makes you feel.

Emily 25:37
And keep an eye out for the tickets for the Teacher Summer Talk Summit. They become available on July 1.

Heidi 25:46
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I’m Heidi.

Emily 25:50
And I’m Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

Heidi 25:57
You can connect with us and other teachers in the Teacher Approved Facebook group. We’ll see you here next week. Bye for now.

Emily 26:03
Bye.