How Create More Time & Lower Stress as a School-based SLP

Time management, or figuring out how to get everything done in a school day, is one of the biggest challenges that speech-language pathologists face.

Taking control of your schedule, and approaching work proactively instead of reactively, is a first step to prevent burnout.

I don’t have it all figured out, but after nearly 20 years as an SLP, I have learned a few hacks.

While you can (and should) spend time calculating workload versus caseload or advocating for better insurance reimbursement, it is hard to do that if you are constantly trying to keep your head above water just to get through the day.

This may be controversial, but your SLP stress problem is most likely not the number of students on your caseload. It is emotional and mental fatigue associated with your job and other life roles (e.g., parenting).

Whether you have too many "mental tabs" open at once, or are pouring all your emotional energy into sessions, you are left feeling drained. If it is truly a caseload numbers issue, jump over to my popular article, how to dismiss students on your caseload.

This article is all about changing how you view your daily/weekly schedule and shifting to a proactive, rather than a reactive, stance. Once you take control of your mental real estate with these 5 tips, you will have breathing room in your schedule.

When you free up mental bandwidth, say hello lower stress, good-bye SLP brain fog,

1. Close Your "Open Loops"

I learned about this idea from The Mindset Mentor, a podcast I highly recommend if you haven’t found it yet. An “Open Loop” is an unresolved task or assignment that divides your attention.

Open Loops drain your energy, focus, and productivity. If you are also a caregiver after work, these open loops can increase exponentially.

I think of open loops as apps running in the background on our phone, draining our battery before we even realize it.

Considering our role as SLPs in the schools, open loops can include meeting invitations, writing reports, planning sessions, calling parents, and following up with teacher concerns.

Instead, closing loops helps tame the background noise and keep your energy focused on the current task. Sebastien Dubos recommends the following to help close loops:

• Focus on what you can control

• Create daily rituals

• Delegate and declutter

• Organize tasks by priority

2. Make Fewer Decisions

The more consistent your day is, the fewer decisions you have to make. Schools are chaotic, but try to have non-negotiable rituals the first and last 15 minutes of the day and stay consistent. Here are more tips to make your days more predictable:

Use a repeatability framework. I use the same therapy activity all week with all my students. Fewer decisions. If you’re not sure how to use the same activity to target multiple goals, I explain it all here.

Map out your day. Each morning, map out your day in 30 minute increments. Stick to it. Fewer decisions.

Specific times to check email. Okay, full disclosure this is one I am working on….but try to only check e-mail when you first get to school, right after lunch, and 30 minutes before you leave work. Fewer interruptions.

Be ruthlessly efficient to eliminate things that are taking your time but are not priorities. Eliminate the following:

• Over planning for groups

• Separate activities for groups

• Laminating

• Attending meetings you are invited to but not required to attend

Every time you say yes to one thing, you say no to something else. I prioritize: Submitting paperwork on time, Completing therapy sessions, and Attending required meetings Just about everything else is NOT a priority!

3. Match Schedule to Your Energy

This is unique to you. Between paperwork and therapy sessions, which activity causes you the most mental effort?

I put more cognitive energy into report writing and IEPs, so I always work on those in morning blocks when I am sharpest.

Whenever possible, I schedule students or do push in sessions when my energy is lower in the afternoon, because they give me a boost and clear my mind.

This might be different for you. Match your heavier cognitive tasks with times of day you have more energy.

Schedule your low effort or physical to-do items in blocks when your energy is lower during the day.

4. Pick Your Non-negotiables

If everything feels urgent, you are being reactive instead of proactive. CEOs and world leaders use this strategy, so can you.

The first 15 minutes of your work day, list ONLY 3 things that must be done that day. Everything else should wait until these three items are done. To prioritize other tasks, I use an Eisenhower Matrix, described here.

If you have a looming project, like a triennial re-evaluation, break that into smaller chunks because you likely need more than one day to complete it.

I pick 3 tasks that are non-negotiable to complete during my day and everything else must wait.

5. Schedule More Push-In Sessions

In this popular post, I offer tips for how to do push-in therapy formats. If you are not already doing this, start this week!

Push-in sessions, or going into classes to work with larger groups, will free up to 25% of your schedule. Push-in or inclusion formats make sense if you have 5 or more students in one classroom. Don’t push into a classroom for only 1 student. Read more specific tips here if you don’t know where to start.

Conclusion

Managing your time as an SLP in the schools is a process, not an end product. Each district and administrator varies. Nevertheless, these tips will help you prioritize tasks so that you can work efficiently during the school day, and not bring home work after hours.

Starting today, close open loops, be ruthlessly efficient with completing priority tasks, and set up systems to make fewer decisions. Fewer decisions to free up mental bandwidth, and that will help tame your schedule.

I would love to hear from you, if you need more support, or have a great tip I missed. What is or is not working for you? Email me or join my pack for weekly encouragement.

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