3 Productivity Tools to Stress Less
How would you like to learn productivity strategies you can use at the beginning of the school year to help you stress less, reach more students, and advocate for your role? Yes please!
Dive in with Data
First up, I want to share how you can dive in with data!
Why do I need to collect data at the beginning of the year?
Data helps you advocate for your role by demonstrating your impact.
How do I collect and share data?
Use data from services provided (track this using a calendar or counseling log) and student progress (think self-assessments) to display on a data wall or bulletin board!
Sounds good but... I don't have any data!
No worries, start with a needs assessment and a quick snapshot of what you have planned for the year!
And don't miss these blog posts on mastering data collection to get the recognition you deserve and 5 strategies for stress free data collection.
Get Organized
Next up it's time to get organized!
Why do I need to get organized at the beginning of the year?
Being organized allows you to
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Increase your efficiency so you can maximize your impact (aka see more students!)
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Spend less time searching for things, and more time doing the things!
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Get the recognition you deserve! -( When you've got it together you don't appear scatterbrained and your colleagues want to collaborate with you.)
How do I get organized?
Create these go-to tools using Google Sheets:
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Caseload Spreadsheet - This lists all of the individual and small group students you see so you can keep track of everyone.
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Counseling Log - This lists who you see each week and a brief summary of services provided.
Sounds good but... I'm bad with technology!
No worries, these spreadsheets are super simple and you can even track it using pen and paper. For more detailed examples of what they look like check out this blog post on 5 strategies for stress free organization. And click here to find out how you can organize your work life to increase your impact.
Streamline your Schedule
Finally it's time to streamline your schedule.
Why do I need to streamline my schedule?
Constantly putting out fires, working outside of your contract hours, and not implementing a proactive and preventative counseling program causes you to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Improving your schedule prevents this. Plus it allows you to see more students!
How do I streamline my schedule?
Try scheduling in buffers! Add a few minutes before and after each session so you have time to fetch students from their classrooms, wrap up deep conversations, and even go to the bathroom! Scheduling in this margin is sure to save your sanity!
Sounds good but... I don't have time to improve my schedule.
News flash... You don't have time not to! The few minutes you invest in streamlining your schedule will save you time in the future!
Don't miss these blog posts on 5 strategies for stress free scheduling and how taking control of your schedule can increase your impact.
Rather listen than read? Check out the School Counseling Simplified Podcast for more scheduling, organization, and data collection strategies to make your counseling life easier!
I hope these strategies are giving you a sigh of relief already! Be sure to download this free Stress Free School Counseling Toolkit for even more ways to maximize your productivity so you can stress less, increase your impact, and get the recognition you deserve!
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