I often hear from teachers that they don’t have time for self-care. Self-care is not something that should be simply added to a teacher’s to-do list. In order to have time for self-care, you must stop doing as much as you’re doing now. I have a few ideas for you of teacher tasks you can reduce or eliminate completely. Not all of these will apply to you or be doable for you, and that’s okay! Consider starting with one to reduce your workload and go from there.

Changing out bulletin board paper and borders. Cover your board with durable paper or fabric in a solid color at the beginning of the year and add neutral borders. Keep them up all year, only changing out the work on top. Re-staple the borders as needed and you’re good to go for the whole year!
Creating all your own materials. When your school doesn’t provide enough teaching materials, it can feel like you have two jobs: teacher and curriculum writer. Considering how much personal time you can end up using on creating your own materials, I honestly think money spent on TPT is well spent.
Running an extracurricular. I hate to say this, because extracurriculars like clubs and sports are so valuable to students, but if you don’t have enough time to practice self-care, say no to extras like after school activities.
Maintaining a prize box. I love giving gifts, so having a prize box was honestly kind of fun for me, but at the end of the day, it still took time. When I cut it, there were a few complaints, but my students got over it!
Giving out homework. Especially in younger grades, there’s limited evidence that homework is effective in any way. If your school allows it, consider cutting it altogether. This saves you both planning and grading time.
Classroom transformations. For a while, room transformations were all the rage on social media. They can absolutely be fun and engaging, but they’re not required. If you’re struggling to take care of yourself, you can definitely cut the room transformations.
Making paper copies. How many hours of your life have you spent at the copy machine?! Try projecting the activity for the whole class to see, while students complete the work on plain paper or in notebooks. Google Classroom™ and other digital platforms are another way to reduce your copies.

As a teacher, your to-do list can feel never-ending. Enough is a decision, not an amount. Try cutting one or more of the items above, and use that time for self-care!

This list was adapted from my book, The Teacher’s Guide to Self-Care (affiliate link).

Make Time for Teacher Self Care: 7 Tasks to Stop Doing