Have you ever had 30 minutes to get something done, sat down to do it, and somehow accomplished approximately NOTHING?
Not because you weren't trying. You were! But first you had to remember where you left off. Then someone stopped by with a quick question. Then you remembered something else you needed to do. And by the time you finally got back to your original task...
Time's up!
I think this is one of the most frustrating parts of working in education. We have these little pockets of time that LOOK like opportunities to get work done, but our brains don't necessarily experience them that way.
When we're concentrating, our brains are holding information about what we're doing and what comes next. When we're interrupted, we have to switch our attention, and getting back into the original task takes additional mental effort.
Which means a five-minute interruption can cost us more than five minutes.
Now, I would LOVE to tell you to eliminate interruptions. But I've worked in schools. 😂 Sometimes the interruption is a student who needs help or something that genuinely cannot wait.
So here's a little strategy that might make getting back to work easier.
Leave yourself a breadcrumb.
Before switching away from a task, write down the VERY NEXT thing you were about to do.
Not an elaborate to-do list. Just enough information that Future You doesn't have to reconstruct your entire thought.
If you're writing an evaluation report, maybe it's "Next: compare language sample to classroom observations." If you're planning a lesson, maybe it's "Decide how students will demonstrate understanding."
And if you want to make it playful, write the note as if you're giving instructions to a very confused future version of yourself.
Which, depending on the day, may be extremely accurate. 😂
Of course, a sticky note isn't going to fix a planning period that gets taken away every day. There are working conditions that need to change at the school and district level, too.
But while we're working on those bigger changes, I'm all for making the parts of our day we CAN influence a little less cognitively demanding.
Keep playing!