Teaching to the TOP

005. How to Put Yourself First WITHOUT Feeling Guilty

We all know that the line of work that we are involved in *teaching* can be incredibly exhausting. We give so much of ourselves through our time, energy, understanding, heart, and we bare the burden of so many. 
Therefore, it’s of no surprise that we take the time to remind ourselves of the importance of taking time for YOU. The more you give, the more time you need to recoup and regain your strength in order to continue giving day in and day out. 
So, let’s chat about not only the why  of putting yourself first, but also the how to put yourself first. These may be things that you know or have heard before but we all need reminders to ensure that we are following through. 
[2:32] THE WHY
Listen and learn about the key reasons on why it is critical that you are giving back to yourself. These will be reminders but they just might be the reminders that you need. 
[5:00] THE HOW-TO
Learn how we give back to ourselves! We share some of our favorite ways to make sure that we are thinking about us. 
Click HERE to download the FREE Self-Care Calendar!
[11:40] GETTING IT ALL DONE
But what about getting it all done? Well, that is going to require some responsibility and commitment on your part. We share a few tips to help get you started!
CONCLUSION
Remember that in order for us to take time for ourselves, we also have to hold ourselves accountable in other ways, but if you feel like you are drowning,  stop, breathe, and think about you. Refill that cup in order to pull yourself up on that raft at the end of the day. 
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004. How to Have the Best Week of Teaching EVER

In today’s episode, we are going to tackle the key ingredients in order for you to have the absolute best week ever! 
We all strive to have a great week. The kind of week where everything just seems to work in your favor and goes incredibly smoothly. From the copies, behaviors and mindset, everything seems to be perfect, but the reality is that life is very much like a drive through town. Some days can feel as though you are hitting every red  light on the street and others can feel like you are zooming to your destination. 
[3:37] BE PREPARED
[7:37] BLOCK YOUR DAY FOR YOU TIME
[11:07] SPEND TIME CONNECTING WITH STUDENTS
[14:32] FEEL POSITIVE AND MOTIVATED
[18:32] FEEL PRODUCTIVE
Be proactive to minimize the impact of stress. Every choice you make directly impacts the week that you will have. So no more putting things off! Get focused, stay positive and be the TOP teacher that you want to be. 
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

003. Teacher Evening Routines to Destress

If you’ve listened to episode #002 then you’ve learned our 5 ways to help build an effective morning routine, and while having a morning routine is critical to jumpstart your day on the ‘right foot’, having an evening routine to decompress from the day’s activities and all around *craziness* can be, arguably, more important.  
In today’s episode, we are sharing our evening routines and the differences and commonalities between them both. 
Now here is our disclaimer, THIS WILL LOOK DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE. 
We are not all built the same way, have the same needs, lifestyles, habits or family and we need to be mindful of this. We also need to STOP guilting teachers for how they are choosing to spend their evenings. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve been shamed for not spending enough time with our husbands or kids. That is not okay. 
What’s important is how we reflect and consider all the factors happening around us in order to ensure that we are taking time for ourselves, however that may look. So while we give you an idea of what our evenings look like from the time our students leave us to the point we are in bed, remember to consider your lifestyle and what YOU need. 
[4:19] BRIDGET’S EVENING ROUTINE
[14:22] MICHELLE’S EVENING ROUTINE
[22:38] After we shared our very different evening routines, we found some strong commonalities; so let’s take some time to discuss those commonalities and see if you have those built into your own evening routine. If you don’t, you may want to consider how to incorporate them in the future. 
[23:22] First, we noticed that neither of us take anything home.
[23:44] Second, we clear our tables for the next day.
[24:30] Do something for YOU!
CONCLUSION
The most important thing to remember when you are leaving for the day and trying to destress is that you have to be focused and present during the day in order to make this work. This means staying away from the teacher’s lounge or office. Decreasing the hallway chats or the periodic scrolls through instagram. 
You have to get focused and be intentional with your day so that you have the opportunity to truly destress and focus more on you at the end of the day. 
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

002. 5 Things That Should Be a Part of EVERY Teacher's Morning Routine

We are huge fans of watching videos on morning routines for all types of individuals from all different fields. There is something about getting to peek into their lives and seeing how they do it. You might call it creepy or even a little more stalkerish, but we call it research for building the ideal morning experience and ensuring that you start the day with a positive mindset. 
We went through countless videos of morning routines and even analyzed our own routines and we were able to identify five major components to ensure that you start your day off right. We are going to chat through each component and give some examples. 
As always, remember, you need to do what works for you, but if we are standing in front of you saying that this works find a way to fit in and give it a shot (a good shot, not a half one) to making it work. 
Let’s dive in! OH! Keep in mind that these may not necessarily go in the exact order as well. 
[ 4:50] #1: Time to get grounded
[ 10:10] #2. Time to review your schedule
[ 13:27] #3. Time to Review Your Power List
[ 19:33] #4. Time to Review Your Materials
[ 27:07] #5. Time to Get Motivated
Routines are important, they hold us together doing the craziest of times and they ensure that we are always performing our best work, but keep in mind that it is called a routine because we do this on a regular basis. Only then can we expect the routine to work for our lifestyle. 
Click HERE to download the FREE Steps for Creating a Successful Morning Routine!
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

001. How to Create New Habits for a Successful School Year

A new year makes so many of us reflect back on the year that we are leaving behind  and think about what could be different in the new year. It's a time for new opportunities, new experiences and resolutions that make us happier and more successful as individuals and in our professions.
However, reality comes flooding back quickly and what we dreamed of doing to make the year better is left as a burden of “more things” that need to get done. 
That is why we need to rethink New Year’s Resolutions and instead view our lives as small goals and habits. 
WHAT IS A GOAL AND HABIT?
[2.47] A goal in its simplest form is simply a result of some ambition that we had at some point in our lives. Graduating top of my class was a goal and I achieved it, but once it is achieved then we move onto something else to continuously become more successful. 
[3.30] A habit on the other hand starts as a choice and becomes an unconscious decision; meaning, it becomes a part of your daily routine that you no longer have to make an effort to complete that task. 
In so many cases, you have to create new habits in order to reach goals, which is why they go hand in hand. 
STEPS TO BUILDING HABITS
Click HERE to download your FREE Habit Tracker!
[5.20] Step 1: Set a goal and break it down
[9.18] Step 2: Create a System
[11.28] Step 3: Track your progress
[15.30] Step 4: Evaluate your progress 
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

000. Teaching to the TOP - Introduction