Feeling Burned Out?
Does it feel like you are always working on school ‘stuff’? Maybe a policy update could help.
Try these 5 Steps to Update orCreate a Personal Policy for After-Hours Work (and Protect Your Well-Being)
Teaching is a job that could easily take up every hour of the day if we let it. Between grading, planning, emails, and meetings, there’s always something else to do. But just because the work never ends doesn’t mean you need to always be working. Let’s keep it real: There are no teaching emergencies. Ever.
Creating a personal policy for working outside of contract hours is one powerful way to protect your time, energy, and well-being. It helps you set healthy boundaries, say no with confidence, and reclaim your evenings and weekends for rest, family, and the things that bring you joy.
Here’s how to get started:
Step 1: Reflect on Your Current Habits
Ask yourself and notice:
When do I usually work outside of school hours?
How does that affect my mood, energy, and relationships?
What do I wish I had more time for?
Awareness is the first step toward change.
Step 2: Define Your Personal After-Hours Policy
Think of this as a wellness goal. Your policy should be clear and realistic. Examples:
“I will not check work email after 5 p.m.”
“I will only bring work home on Wednesdays for one hour.”
“I will protect Sundays as work-free family time.”
This policy isn’t rigid—it’s protective and you can be flexible. It’s there to support your wellness, not create stress.
Step 3: Set and Communicate Boundaries
Once you’ve defined your policy, honor it. You can even share it with colleagues, students, or parents when needed:
Use an email signature like: “I respond to emails during school hours, Monday–Friday, 8–4.”
Set up an auto-reply or talk openly about your boundaries at staff meetings if appropriate.
Saying “no” to constant availability is saying “yes” to sustainability.
Step 4: Replace Work Time with Wellness Time
It’s easier to say no when you’re saying yes to something else that matters.
Schedule a walk with a friend or alone, knitting, family dinner, pickle ball, or a no-phone hour.
Create a small routine that re-centers you when work tries to creep in.
What restores you matters just as much as what you get done. You might notice that you will be able to get more done and have better focus after honoring your wellness time.
Step 5: Revisit and Revise as Needed
Your seasons will shift—grading periods, family needs, or new responsibilities may change your capacity. Check in with yourself monthly or quarterly and adjust your policy to keep it realistic and doable.
You are more than your job. By setting a boundary and building a policy around after-hours work, you’re choosing a version of teaching that’s more balanced, sustainable, and aligned with your well-being.
Your work matters—and you matter too.
