How Can I Make Teaching Feel Less Overwhelming?

When everything feels urgent, it's hard to know where to begin. Before you try to do more, let's look a little closer at what's really making teaching feel so heavy—and how taking one next step can change everything.

There were days during my first few years of teaching when I'd sit alone in my classroom long after everyone else had gone home.

The hallways were quiet.

The parking lot was nearly empty.

And I was still staring at my planner wondering how I was ever going to make it through the rest of the year.

Not tomorrow.

The year.

I'd think about conferences.

Report cards.

Testing.

Holiday parties.

Field trips.

Standards I hadn't taught yet.

Parents I needed to call.

Lessons I still needed to plan.

The pile felt impossible.

Looking back, I don't think I was overwhelmed because I had too much to do.

I was overwhelmed because I was trying to carry eight months of teaching all at once.

Before We Jump to Solutions, Let's Look a Little Closer

When teachers tell me they're overwhelmed, I don't usually ask how many hours they're working.

I ask,

"What are you carrying right now?"

Because sometimes the answer isn't today's lesson.

It's tomorrow's lesson.

Next week's conferences.

Next month's report cards.

The field trip permission slips sitting on your desk.

The parent email you forgot to send.

The behavior conversation you've been replaying in your head.

The observation next Thursday.

Teaching has a way of stacking everything on top of today.

Your brain doesn't separate those things into neat little piles.

It carries them all at once.

No wonder it feels heavy.

The Problem Isn't Always Your Workload

One of the biggest shifts in my teaching didn't come from finding more time.

It came from changing the timeline I was trying to manage.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped asking,

"How am I going to survive this year?"

Instead, I started asking,

"What's the next thing my students need from me?"

Morning meeting.

Reading.

Recess.

Math.

Lunch.

That's it.

One chunk.

Then the next.

Then the next.

The work didn't disappear.

But it stopped feeling impossible.

We Weren't Meant to Carry the Whole Year at Once

Imagine someone handed you a shopping cart.

Easy enough.

Then another.

Then another.

Eventually you're trying to push eight shopping carts through the store at the same time.

You haven't suddenly become weaker.

You're just carrying more than anyone was meant to carry at once.

Teaching can feel like that.

Today's responsibilities are manageable.

It's when tomorrow, next month, conferences, testing, report cards, classroom celebrations, and everything else climb into today's cart that we begin to feel crushed.

The answer isn't always to work harder.

Sometimes it's to set a few carts aside until it's time to push them.

What I'd Look For

When I start feeling overwhelmed now, I ask myself a few questions.

Am I trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist yet?

Am I worrying about something weeks away instead of focusing on today?

Am I carrying responsibilities that don't need my attention right now?

Am I expecting myself to have the entire year figured out?

Most of the time, the answer is yes.

And just realizing that helps me breathe a little easier.

Pause & Reflect

Think about everything that's taking up space in your mind right now.

Now ask yourself:

Which of these actually needs my attention today?

You may be surprised how many things belong to another day.

One Next Step

Tomorrow morning, before your students arrive, write down the next three things that truly need your attention.

Not ten.

Not your entire to-do list.

Just the next three.

When those are finished, choose the next one.

Teaching is rarely conquered all at once.

It's lived one decision, one lesson, and one conversation at a time.

A Gentle Reminder

If today felt overwhelming, don't decide whether you're cut out for teaching tonight.

Get some rest.

Come back tomorrow.

Your students don't need you to have the entire school year figured out.

They need you to be present for the lesson in front of you.

Teaching has always been too big to carry all at once.

So don't.

Carry today.

Tomorrow, you'll carry tomorrow.

One chunk at a time.

You've got this.

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