Falling behind really affects my performance because it’s something that I can directly control. Yet as that pile of work gets larger, it gets harder to start working on it — this causes the pile to grow… This not only causes stress, but also costs me confidence and motivation.

So here are some of my strategies for keeping ahead of the workload:

• Talk to students – Working with students is my primary motivation for teaching, so talking about how they’re learning helps me to take on the pile of marking, prep, etc.
• Things – I find this application superior to just using the iCal. I invest time in planning how I’ll work during the week.
• GTD. Although it’s self-help, a lot of Allen’s executive productivity-principles can be applied to teaching.
• Know when to work – For me, working in the morning and evening are when I can be hyper- productive.
• Exercise – I run, lift weight, and play sports each week. These activities increase my energy.
• Drink a lot of water. Eat healthful food. Monitor your sleep cycle.
• Readers and blogs – Even when I don’t talk to other teachers, reading about their experiences is comforting.
• Just work – Sometimes getting caught up has nothing to do with motivation and efficiency. It’s just working, so get to it.

At I write this, I’m not all the way caught up but I’m close enough to blog about it.