Thrive in ELT

What's your next step when it comes to reducing stress in your ELT life?

If you said organizational systems, you're an EAP/ESL teacher after my own heart!

By now you know what organizational systems look like and how to choose ones that are right for you. The logical next step is for you to actually develop one. Wondering how?

In this episode, I share three ways you can do that.

No matter which route you choose, any one of the three will serve you well because each method has the same end goal – reducing stress and easing the overwhelm in your ELT life.

Ready to start your first organizational system? Get your personal PD plan template ("Fostering Professional Development... on Your Own Terms") and teaching contingency plan guide ("How to Prepare for When You Can't Teach") here >> www.eltresourceroom.com/resources

For full show notes of this episode, visit https://www.eltresourceroom.com/podcast/58-how-to-get-started-on-your-first-organizational-system

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Are the choices you're making, and the way in which you're working in your ELT life, actually making things easier for yourself?

Sometimes we don't realize that what's creating difficulty in our lives is not necessarily someone or something else but our own decision-making when it comes to what we focus on. When and how we decide to work can affect the level of difficulty or ease we experience.

Identifying what's causing the stress and overwhelm is the first step. Making a plan to reduce it is next.

Listen in for a useful identification exercise and four recommendations for making things easier for yourself.

For full show notes of this episode, visit https://www.eltresourceroom.com/podcast/57-making-things-easier-for-yourself

Do you wish you had less stress and overwhelm in your ELT life? Download your free resource "Reduce Your ELT Stress" and start seeing a change today >> https://reducestress.eltresourceroom.com

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How do you decide what to do to make your ELT life less stressful?

Options abound...

• Should you use an app for your to-do list or stick with paper?

• Would it be more efficient to organize your course files by skill or level?

• Is it more logical to create multiple calendars for different types of tasks or one calendar with visual cues to distinguish between them?

Developing the right systems – for you and your ELT life – will help you manage your time and get things done. Yet trying to decide can be confusing and overwhelming, sometimes to the point of even avoiding making a decision.

In this episode, get a quick overview of the difference between tools and systems and then consider two factors for determining which right-for-you organizational systems you should develop.

For full show notes of this episode, visit https://www.eltresourceroom.com/podcast/56-developing-organizational-systems-that-are-right-for-you

Do you wish you had less stress and overwhelm in your ELT life? Download your free resource "Reduce Your ELT Stress" and start seeing a change today >> https://reducestress.eltresourceroom.com

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What makes a system "good"?

This is a logical question, and I'm glad you asked!

You obviously don't want to develop a system that isn't good, but what does that look like? Which leads to another question, what does "good" even mean?

"Good" has multiple levels of meaning, and in the case of describing a system, I'm going to define it as this: It is appropriate and purposeful for you.

Although the systems you develop may differ from mine or from a colleague's, the characteristics will be the same.

Listen in to find out what those characteristics are and how they can make all the difference in developing organizational systems that are right for you in your ELT life.

For full show notes of this episode, visit https://www.eltresourceroom.com/podcast/55-characteristics-of-a-good-organizational-system

Do you wish you had less stress and overwhelm in your ELT life? Download your free resource "Reduce Your ELT Stress" and start seeing a change today >> https://reducestress.eltresourceroom.com

Connect with Heather:

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Have you ever wondered what an organizational system really is?

Or said to yourself: "System" sounds complicated, and I'm not cut out for that.

Instead of giving up before you even start, keep asking those questions...

• Who are organizational systems for?

• When and where would I even use them?

• Why should I take the time and effort to create them?

• How would I go about using them after they're developed?

Listen in to find out the answers.

Do you wish you had less stress and overwhelm in your ELT life? Download your free resource "Reduce Your ELT Stress" and start seeing a change today >> https://reducestress.eltresourceroom.com

For full show notes of this episode, visit https://www.eltresourceroom.com/podcast/54-the-5ws-of-organizational-systems

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How does organization fit into your ELT life? Does it have a leading role or a supporting one? And does it even matter?

A multitude of factors can affect how you answer, including when in a semester you ask yourself these questions!

While it might not be immediately obvious, and it may only play a small part, the amount of stress you experience is often tied to organization in some way.

It wasn't until I was pushed to my limit of frustration that I finally realized this.

In this episode, I talk about why your level of organization matters – the people it affects and the purpose of setting up systems.

If you've ever wondered if getting organized is really all it's hyped up to be, you'll want to have a listen.

Do you wish you had less stress and overwhelm in your ELT life? Download your free resource "Reduce Your ELT Stress" and start seeing a change today >> https://reducestress.eltresourceroom.com

For full show notes of this episode, visit https://www.eltresourceroom.com/podcast/53-why-your-level-of-organization-matters

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What do you have control of in your ELT life?

• Relationships?
• The environment?
• What and how you teach?
• Your professional development?

In whole or in part, some of these aspects you probably can control while others you can't.

But one thing you absolutely can control? Your organization.

When I became more aware of what I was spending my time on, how often I was completing certain tasks, and what was frustrating me the most, I realized that I could choose to make my ELT life better – by organizing the different areas of my life.

Find out about the impact organization can have on your ELT life by listening to this episode.

For full show notes of this episode, visit https://www.eltresourceroom.com/podcast/52-how-organization-can-impact-your-elt-life

Do you wish you had less stress and overwhelm in your ELT life? Download your free resource "Reduce Your ELT Stress" and start seeing a change today >> https://reducestress.eltresourceroom.com

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When you look at your teaching schedule, do you see small bits of time scattered throughout? Maybe 15 minutes here and 45 there.

Your life in ELT makes for an interesting schedule, doesn't it? Your calendar is filled with classes, office hours, meetings, and plenty of other to-dos. It can be especially challenging when activities are broken up throughout the day that leave you with small bits of time in between to get things done.

Is there any way to take advantage of the situation?

Fortunately, there is. In this episode, discover where these small bits of time come from, why they can be problematic, and how you can practically take advantage of them.

Do you wish you had less stress and overwhelm in your ELT life? Download your 10 free tips and start seeing a change today >> https://reducestress.eltresourceroom.com

For full show notes of this episode, visit https://www.eltresourceroom.com/podcast/51-how-to-take-advantage-small-bits-time-in-your-teaching-schedule

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If you've ever gotten something organized in your ELT life, felt good about it, and then over the course of a semester slowly fell out of the habit, you're not alone.

Being consistent in maintaining organizational systems can pose a challenge. It often takes several tries (aka practice) to make systems work, and that equals time and effort. But with the benefits of organization being so great, you'll find that it's worth it.

In this episode I discuss those benefits as well as walk you through an example organizational issue and how consistency can be achieved in your life as an EAP/ESL teacher.

For full show notes of this episode, visit https://www.eltresourceroom.com/podcast/50-achieving-organizational-consistency-eap-esl-teacher

Do you wish you had less stress and overwhelm in your ELT life? Download your free resource "Reduce Your ELT Stress" and start seeing a change today >> https://reducestress.eltresourceroom.com

Connect with Heather:

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How much time do you spend looking for or creating meaningful activities for your students throughout the semester?

Maybe you've spent hours searching for that "just right" activity a time or two, which can be extremely frustrating and exhausting.

Well, in today's episode, you're going to hear from Hall Houston, Lecturer at National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences in Taipei, Taiwan.

It was in the fall of 2022 when I discovered his book, 101 EFL Activities for Teaching University Students. I found myself going back to it time and again throughout the academic year for meaningful, appropriate, and engaging activities.

Hall's book is unlike any other I have on my shelf. It has saved me time (multiple times!) and has taken away the stress of finding those so-called perfect activities. It also has several distinct organizational features that I think you'll find especially helpful as you plan and teach at different points in your semester.

Get Hall's book here >> https://www.itdi.pro/community/publishing/101-efl-activities-for-teaching-university-students/

For full show notes of this episode, visit https://www.eltresourceroom.com/podcast/49-implementing-meaningful-activities-every-stage-semester-hall-houston

Do you wish you had less stress and overwhelm in your ELT life? Download your free resource "Reduce Your ELT Stress" and start seeing a change today >> https://reducestress.eltresourceroom.com

Connect with Heather:

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