Feeling the pressure to get ahead on your back-to-school teacher prep tasks, but also craving a restful summer? In this episode, we’re sharing 20 simple “TV tasks” you can do from the comfort of your couch to ease into school mode without the stress. From organizing digital files to prepping small gifts and backup schedules, these light-lift tasks help you feel productive without sacrificing your downtime.

Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/back-to-school-teacher-prep-tasks/

Resources:

• Freebie: End of Year Roadmap 
• Readiness Checklists 
• Wishing Star Printable
• @Teacherpodcastrecs on Instagram
• The Holiday Headstart Podcast
• Seed Probiotic
• Hero Sunscreen
• Join the Teacher Approved Club!
• Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow.
• Shop our teacher-approved resources.
• Join our Facebook group, Teacher Approved
• Leave your review on Apple Podcasts!

Related Episodes to Enjoy:

• Episode 196, The 3 Step Plan to Park Those School Thoughts and Enjoy Your Summer Break
• Episode 197, A Teacher Summer Self Care and Recovery Plan That Doesn’t Feel Like Work
• Episode 199, Time, Tech, & Tasks: The 3 Boundaries That Save Teacher Summers

Mentioned in this episode:

Try the Teacher Approved Club free for 10 days and get one perfectly timed, research-backed strategy each month—plus support from Heidi and Emily to help you actually use it when it matters most. Start your free trial at https://secondstorywindow.net/trial

Get dressed without the stress! Visit https://fashionfixmn.com/secondstorywindow for a special offer featuring a personalized body shape analysis, style quiz, and free closet clean out workbook just for teachers.

This is episode 201 of Teacher Approved.

You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping

educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm

Heidi.

And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story

Window, where we give research based and teacher approved

strategies that make teaching less stressful and more

effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from

each episode at secondstorywindow.net.

We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to

the show.

Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's

episode, we have 20 simple tasks that you can get done from the

comfort of your couch, and we're sharing a teacher approved tip

for creating back to school success. But first, it's time

for try it tomorrow, a favorite quick win that you can try in

your life right away.

Our try it tomorrow for last week was to write your

summer no list. This is a list of all of the things that you

are not going to do in the summer, no guilt, no working on

weekends, no redoing your class decor. This is your to don't

list, kind of, maybe. But this week, our suggestion is to make

a summer yes list, or maybe your must do list.

So before you get too far into your summer break, make a

short list of five things you do want to say yes to this summer.

Think rest, fun, connection. Maybe it's yes to leaving my

phone in the other room during dinner, or Yes to reading a book

just because I want to, or Yes to saying no without guilt.

Your yes list becomes a little guide post. It reminds

you that boundaries aren't just about saying no, they're also

about saying yes to what matters most. Put it on your fridge or

stick it in your notes app, or you could even take a screenshot

and make it the home screen for your phone. Do whatever makes it

feel real and visible.

This simple shift can help you make more intentional

choices this summer, even if your calendar is already filling

up.

If you like this idea or anything else we share here on

the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five star

rating? Ratings and reviews are one way that new listeners find

us. So every rating and review really is a huge help to us.

Well, over the years, we have really created an extensive

library of back to school products. So to help you find

the tools that will make the start of the new year easier,

today we are spotlighting one of those back to school products,

which is our back to school readiness checklists, which is a

new one from last year. Heidi, can you tell us more about them?

Yes, I'd love to, because I love this so much. If you used

our end of year roadmap, this is the same idea, only you know,

for the other end of the year. Instead of wrapping up, we are

launching the new year and helping you get ready for the

most successful year yet. So there are lots of different

checklists to help you prepare in the six areas of readiness.

So we have thought through so many things, and we have added a

bunch of new lists this year. It's all in Google Sheets, so

it's all editable, and you can access it anywhere you are. If

you're in the middle of the store and like, oh shoot, what

did I need to get at the craft store, you can pull it up. It's

right there. It's so handy. I'm so excited about this, and I

think teachers are gonna love it.

And if you don't remember from last year, the six areas of

readiness are that you need to have your classroom ready, your

supplies ready, your procedures ready, your welcome ready, your

first day ready, and yourself ready.

Oh, no big deal. Easy peasy.

No big deal. That's why we need 34 checklists to meet

all of those areas. So if you want help staying on top of your

to do list in any of those areas, the back to school

readiness checklists are made for you, and we'll put a link to

those in the show notes.

Okay, teacher friends. We might not know a lot about you,

but we can make a pretty safe bet that you are tired right

now.

Yeah, being a teacher in June is a lot like being a

balloon with a leak and you're just slowly sinking lower and

lower and lower.

You know what? Good for you. You deserve to spend some

time crashed on the couch or curled up with a book. You have

spent nine months giving your whole self to an impossible job.

You are due for a little R and R.

But we want to make sure we're spending this downtime

recovering and not just drifting like that sinking balloon. So go

back to Episode 197 where we break down the types of rest you

might need.

And we promise that that topic is not as dry as it

sounds, and if you listen, you will come away with a

restorative plan for meeting your summer needs.

But unfortunately, just because you don't get paid for

your time off doesn't mean there isn't work to do and that there

aren't work tasks that need your attention.

So how do we manage the work tasks that are waiting for

us without losing our summer downtime? Well, we need

boundaries.

So check out episode 199 if you want some guidance for

how to set boundaries around your summer work so that you can

get some things done without losing your whole summer to back

to school prep, which is a big goal around here.

One of the work boundaries that you might want

to set is around time. Set specific times when you'll

tackle work projects and, more importantly, set times when you

won't. This lets you enjoy summer without guilt and without

pressure.

Now, this won't be for everyone, but one of my favorite

times to get a little work done is when I'm relaxing on the

couch. I want to be clear that rest on its own is entirely

productive. You do not need to justify taking a break by adding

work to your relaxation time. However, something I find

relaxing is knocking a task off my to do list. So why not

combine the best of both worlds with doing something easy while

I take it easy.

We call these types of tasks TV tasks. A TV task is

anything that you can do on your couch without having to stress

too much. You don't need a ton of materials. You probably just

need your phone or your laptop.

So the key to making TV task time useful is to make a

list of tasks ahead of time that you can do while you kick back.

Your tired self doesn't have the brain power to create a list of

ideas and go looking for something to do, so you can help

that tired self out by jotting down some ideas now.

So what makes a task a good TV task? Well, anything

that doesn't require too much focus or too many materials is

ideal. Kind of think of it like if it's something you can do

with real housewives or survivor on in the background, you know

it's a good TV task.

To help you kick off your own TV task list, we're sharing

20 simple ideas that might help you get a bit ahead without

adding to your stress. So Heidi, kick us off with our first TV

task.

Well, let's start by organizing our ideas. If you

have a bunch of Pinterest boards, or you have bookmarked

ideas on Instagram or Tiktok, take some time to revisit those

ideas. There's probably a few things there that don't interest

you anymore.

There's probably even a few things that you can't even

remember why you saved them in the first place. So just delete

that content now, so you can more easily find the ideas you

do want to remember.

Another organization task is to organize your digital

files. If you have got stuff saved all over the place, try

corralling that content into a nested system. Maybe you have a

large file for each term, and then within the term, you break

it down into smaller files for subjects, and then units, weeks,

and then down to individual lessons.

Think of it as a nesting doll situation with large

categories being broken down into smaller groups until you

know exactly where to go to find the content for teaching your

third geometry lesson on measuring angles without having

to go search for it.

And while you're organizing your files, go ahead

and delete anything you don't need anymore. If you're worried

about losing something that you might want to reference later,

you could set up a separate file for just in case content or I

might want this someday materials.

Since we're on the decluttering track, let's clean

out that email. You do not need to keep that reminder about

Field Day anymore. Think of it as liberating yourself from a

bunch of old expectations.

And how about another easy digital task? If right now

you don't want to have to make a bunch of decisions from your

couch, here is just a low mental effort task. Gather all of your

passwords in one place. Make sure you're storing them

someplace secure but also accessible. You're not going to

be very happy with yourself if you know down the road, you have

to track down a password to be able to find your passwords.

Yeah, that's how I got locked out of LastPass. I swear

I have it right too. I think LastPass is possessed. Well,

there are five TV tasks to get you started, but we've got

plenty more to go. If you haven't already, definitely

check out the TV show Traders on peacock. That is the TV part of

this TV task. The task part is maybe a little less fun, but

still important. Clean up your teacher website, your canvas or

your other learning management system.

Yes, that is less fun than Traders and way less fun

than Alan Cumming's crazy costumes, but when your LMS is

happily decluttered, you can start on something more

interesting, like searching Spotify for kid friendly

playlists.

We have a few posted on Spotify if you want a starting

point. Search for Teacher Approved, and then select

playlist. All of our playlists start with Teacher Approved, so

you know it's ours. We've got kid friendly pop, quiet

background music, and even a fun romance free Valentine's Day

playlist. And if there's a playlist you'd like for your

classroom but can't find anywhere, let us know, because

Heidi loves to make them.

I really do like making playlists. I don't know what it

Could be your side hustle?

is.

Yes, somebody pay me for it. I'm doing it for free these

days. But besides audio playlists, you can make video

playlists from your couch too. You can look for videos that fit

with specific topics or fun brain break videos. You could

put together a playlist for videos for inside recess or

something that you might want to save for a sub.

Yeah, it's always nice to have something engaging,

educational and low prep that you can leave for a sub. And

it's much easier to look for this stuff now than when you're

doubled over with food poisoning. Just, you know, ask

me how I know that.

Oh, that's a rough one. You can also add videos to your

time filler activity kit. You. Having a bunch of activities

already picked out to fill a few random minutes is a lifesaver.

When the guest speaker is late or your math lesson ends 20

minutes early, you can easily turn to your list of time

fillers without having to pull the perfect activity out of thin

air.

There's lots of time fillers besides videos that you

might want to add to your list. Classroom games like heads up,

seven up are a classic. You could set aside a couple picture

books to save for those random pockets of time too.

I always loved Action Songs like Tooty Ta and My Aunt

Came Back. Add them all to your list while you're catching up on

White Lotus. And there is a sheet for this in the back to

school readiness checklist if you need a central place to

write all your ideas down.

There are plenty of other lists you can work on from the

couch too. This is a great time to write down all your wins from

the year on your Ta Da list and what you want to improve on your

fix it list.

You can find blank ta da lists, fix it lists and tons of

other to do lists in our free end of year roadmap. Since it's

set up in Google Sheets, you can easily work on these from your

phone, and you can grab the link to that in our show notes.

You can also start your list for back to school

shopping. This might be stuff for yourself, your classroom or

your own kids.

And you can start on your parent supply list, if you

haven't already made one.

Parents will also want your meet the teacher letter. So

you can go ahead and start drafting that now and then, all

you have to do is tweak it when back to school rolls around.

Our next suggestion is one that I have not tried

myself, but it does look like a lot of fun. This is to make your

own Bitmoji. You need the Bitmoji app if you want to do it

from your phone, then you can insert your Bitmoji into your

digital classroom materials, and I'm sure the kids would get a

kick out of it.

Oh, it's so cute. That is a perfect thing to do from your

couch. Another idea is to organize your photos. Set up

albums on your phone for classroom photos and anchor

chart photos, and, of course, photos of your students. When

you have to reference something down the road, you'll be so

grateful that it's easy to find.

Well, these are our first 15 suggested TV tasks. Are you

ready for the last five? Let's just kiss this unpleasant frog

and get it over with. Our number 16 task is to clean out your

teacher bag. I know it's the worst, but your August self, she

already has enough she doesn't want to be doing. Don't make her

also unearth the moldy banana that got buried in there in May.

Yeah. And a task that's slightly less smelly is to write

thank you notes. Think how much your coworkers, admin, support

staff, or even really helpful parents will appreciate the

reminder that you notice the way they showed up.

Thank you notes are one of those things I always intend

to do but never get around to. So grab a clipboard and some

flare pens and plunk them on the table next to the couch. Now,

you know you still might not get around to writing the notes, but

you are more likely to do it if the supplies are handy.

Yeah, you can make a little TV tasks caddy to keep

next to your couch. I always love an excuse to make a themed

caddy, I'm not gonna lie, and then it can have thank you notes

and pens and sticky notes and whatever else you might need in

there. But don't forget that email thank you notes are still

a very thoughtful gesture. So you don't have to send it

through the mail to make it meaningful.

Our next suggestion takes some explanation. This is to

make your plan B schedule for non routine school days. This is

something we mention a lot around the holidays, but it can

really help you any time of year.

So obviously, most of your routine school days will

follow your routine schedule, but sometimes we have big

disruptions, like needing a sub or having a two hour grade level

program practice, or it's the day before a big holiday, and

there's zero chance your students will get anything

productive done. Instead of just trying to push through on those

chaotic days, we like to make a plan B schedule.

This is helpful because it frees you up from having to

make a bunch of decisions in a possibly stressful moment, and

it means you can plan ahead instead of scrambling for a

plan. The simplest way to make your plan B is to take your

regular schedule and automate it as much as possible. If you

normally teach science from 2 to 2:30, decide once that on those

Plan B days, you're always just going to show a science video.

Even if it doesn't relate to your current unit of study, it

still counts as science. Or instead of your regular math

lesson, do a review packet at that time, or get out math games

from earlier in the year, and then just have the kids rotate

through math game stations.

Just make sure that one of the stations that day isn't

meet with the teacher. You want your plan B schedule to involve

you as little as possible. That will make it easier to use the

schedule for your sub plans. You don't want to also have to leave

small group math and phonics and reading lessons for your sub to

do.

No, that is just too many sub plans. Now, from your couch,

it might be a little tricky to figure out the exact activities

that you'll have students do on those Plan B days, but you could

still figure out your schedule. For each time block in your

regular schedule, ask yourself, What can students do

independently for this subject? And then go from there. Morning

work can probably stay the same. Decide once on a set morning

meeting for your plan B days, and then use the same greeting

and game every time. Figure out what students can do

independently for reading and math and for the rest of the

day, and then when you need to adapt your regular routine, you

already know exactly what needs to happen.

Our next suggestion is to prep student gifts now. So if

you put together birthday bags, get the stuff and start loading

up bags now.

If you want to give students a little gift at your

open house, you can also prep those now. Check out the show

notes for a link to our cute wishing star printable. I love

this so much. You can get a bulk order of star shaped stress

balls. Then you just print off our cute star poem and package

them all together, probably in, what, an hour or so?

Yeah

And think how relieved you'll be to have that task

already managed.

For sure. And that brings us to our last TV task, and this

is the simplest one of all, subscribe to teacher podcasts.

Now, we don't want you to listen to any other podcast but us, and

if you're not already subscribed to teacher approved, hit that

button now. But you can also take some time to search around

for other teacher podcasts after you've subscribed to ours. If

you need some ideas, teacherpodcastrecs on Instagram

shares lots of good recommendations.

And if you like hanging out with us, you can always join

us over on the Holiday Headstart Podcast for even more fun, even

though we don't really talk teacher stuff so much.

Yeah, but you know, you guys have lives outside of being

teachers, too. So come talk to us about the holidays, and we

can help you make the days that are special not the days that

make you stressed. So whew, that is an impressive list of tasks

that you can get done from your couch like a boss.

Just like we mentioned earlier, because there are things you can

do in front of the TV, doesn't mean you are expected to fill

your downtime with to do lists. Relaxing is productive all by

itself. You deserve to slow down and enjoy your time without

having to check things off your list all the time.

However, this stuff has to get done anyway, so you may

as well do it where you're comfortable. Maybe instead of

thinking of TV tasks as adding work to your relaxation time, we

should reframe it as a way to add relaxation to your work

time.

I love that. If you want a place to write down your own

TV task list, check out our back to school readiness checklists.

We recently added a whole bunch of new lists to that resource,

including a list for your TV tasks.

All 20 of these TV tasks are already typed on the list,

but if you do want to make your own list, we will quickly run

through our suggestions again so that you don't have to comb

through the episode to find them.

First, declutter your Pinterest boards or ideas you've

saved from social media. Second, organize your digital files.

Third, declutter your digital files. Fourth, clean out your

email. Fifth, gather all your passwords in one place. Sixth,

clean up your teacher website or LMS. Seventh, find kid friendly

playlists. Eighth, make video playlists. Ninth, add ideas to

your time filler activity kit. 10th, make your to da list, your

fix it list and your to do list.

11th, start your back to school shopping list. 12th, make

a parent supply list. 13th, write your meet the teacher

letter. 14th, design your own Bitmoji. 15th, organize your

photos. 16th, clean out that teacher bag. 17th, write thank

you notes. 18th, make a schedule for your plan B days. 19th, prep

student gifts for birthdays and back to school. And 20th,

subscribe to teacher podcasts.

And by the time you're done with all of that, you'll

have caught up on all the good TV that you missed during the

school year.

We would love to hear about your favorite TV tasks.

Come join the conversation in our Teacher Approved Facebook

group.

Now for our Teacher Approved Tip of the Week, where

we share an actionable tip to help you elevate what matters

and simplify the rest. This week's teacher approved tip is

to get ready to crush your back to school goals.

Emily and I are so excited. Mark your calendars for

our upcoming BTS Success course. The doors open June 26.

We're working on some really fun updates to the course

this year, and we think it is going to be a fantastic time.

And we would love to have you join us in the group this year.

We will be sure to share here on the podcast when the doors open.

To wrap up the show, we're sharing what we're giving

extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra

credit?

I'm giving extra credit to the Hero Cosmetics four

shield, super light sunscreen.

Oh, wow.

I wear sunscreen every day, and it is especially

important in the summer. And I love this sunscreen because it

goes on so smooth and it isn't too heavy. And also, what I

really love about it is it's super affordable. I get the

tinted kind which looks super orange when you pump it out, but

it blends in really nicely once you put it on.

Oh, that's good. I don't want to end up looking orange in

a way to avoid looking red.

Right. What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?

Well, I'm giving extra credit to Seed Probiotics. It's

a subscription service that sends you like six months of

probiotics twice a year. And I had to stop taking them for a

while because I was on an antibiotic. Which, I mean, I

still could have taken them, but it wouldn't have done anything.

So I was really happy to get back to it. I hadn't realized

how much I missed it. And I really like having the

subscription, because it means I always have it ready to take. In

the past, I have tried to be habitual about remembering to

take probiotics, but inevitably, I would run out, and then I

forget to restock, and then it would be, you know, months and

months. So the subscription makes it really easy, and I have

been really happy with the probiotics. So yay Seed.

Yeah, and I know they'll mail it to you monthly if you

want, but I think you get a special discount, if you like,

get several months at a time, like six months at a time. I

think you get a discount, because that's what I do, too.

I was gonna say, that must be why. Because it's like,

oh, this is a lot all at once, but it just goes in the bathroom

cabinet. It's fine.

That's it for today's episode. Write your own TV task list and

make sure you join us in our BTS Success course later in June.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm Heidi.

And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow

or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an

You can connect with us and other teachers in the

episode.

Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.

Bye for now.

Bye.