124. The Special Ed Assembly Line: Paperwork Batching Tips

Quarter Four doesn’t mess around. Between progress reports, IEP updates, and fileaudits, it can feel like the paperwork never ends.

In this episode, I’m sharing how batching your paperwork tasks can help you stay focused, save time, and (maybe) even enjoy that last week of school a little more. We’ll walk through what batching really is, how to make it work with your schedule, and the pros and cons to keep in mind.

🎧 Tune in and try it for yourself—because you deserve a smoother end-of-year.

Time-Saving Templates is your paperwork BFF - Check out this all-in-one bundle of designed just for you: Special Educators Resource Room Bundle

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The end of the year is wild.
There's always something goingon IEP meetings, progress
reports, field trips, testing,third-party billing and that's
not even counting all of thenon-teaching things happening in
your life.
It can feel like everything ishappening at once, and that's
exactly why batching has becomeone of my go-to strategies.

(00:20):
In this episode, I'm walkingthrough what batching is, how to
apply it to end of yearpaperwork and the pros and cons
to consider so that you can headinto summer break with less
stress and more breathing room.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Hey, special educators, I'm Jennifer from
Positively Learning.
Welcome to the SpecialEducators Resource Room.
If you're like me, you'realways looking for ways to save
time and streamline your work.
That's why this podcast wascreated to give you the systems
and solutions you need to getyour time back.
Tune in for tips, tricks andtools that will help you manage

(00:59):
your workload and make the mostof your time.
Whether you're brand new orexperienced, all are welcome in
the Special Educators.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Resource Room.
Welcome back to SpecialEducators Resource Room.
I'm Jennifer from PositivelyLearning, and today we're diving
into a practical strategy thatjust might save your sanity
during quarter four.
We're going to be talking aboutbatching paperwork, so let's
start with the basics.
Batching this is when you aregrouping similar tasks and then

(01:30):
completing them in one focusedblock of time.
Instead of writing one progressreport, entering one email,
filing one document and thenrepeating that cycle all day.
You're going to do all yourprogress reports in one sitting.
Then you're going to batch,file your folders in another
session, and so on.
Think of it as a assembly linefor your brain.

(01:53):
You're staying in the samemental zone longer, which makes
it easier to focus and finishfaster.
So why does it work?
Because switching between tasks, especially ones that require
different types of thinking, canslow us down.
We think we're multitasking,but what we're really doing is a
constant task switching, andthat's going to eat up your time

(02:16):
and mental energy.
We're going to be talking abouthow to make batching work for
you, but I want to say somethingso important right up front.
If you have tried batching andit was a complete disaster
please stick with this.
I have been there.
There are times that I haveloved batching and it has saved
me, and there are times whereit's been absolutely awful.

(02:39):
So trust me when I'm sharingthese tips.
These are tried and true and itmay help you troubleshoot any
batching concerns you have.
Now that we have defined whatbatching is, let's talk about
how to make it work for you,especially with the unique kind
of paperwork that specialeducators are managing.
Here are five streamlinedstrategies to get started.

(03:00):
Number one time block withintention, so choosing specific
blocks of time for batching.
Maybe this is before school,after dismissal, during planning
, and then assign each block aspecific task.
So, for example, tuesday'splanning is progress reports,
thursday morning is auditingfiles.
Give each task its own time andwrite it in your planner just

(03:24):
like an appointment.
Number two group similar taskstogether.
So before you start, make alist of everything on your
paperwork plate.
Then group tasks by type.
So, whether it's progressreports, iep updates, filing,
billing, handle each group oneat a time.
This is going to minimize thebrain switching and it's going

(03:45):
to build momentum, so writingmultiple progress reports in a
row is usually faster thantrying to spread them out over
several days.
Number three in our streamlinedstrategies to get started with
batching.
Batch in small chunks.
You don't have to finisheverything in one sitting.
You can break big batches intosmaller sessions.

(04:09):
Maybe it's five progressreports per day or half your
class folders per session.
This helps keep batchingmanageable, especially if large
blocks of time are hard to comeby.
Number four is probably myfavorite.
Prep your materials ahead oftime, before your batching
session.
Gather everything you thinkyou'll need Student folders,

(04:31):
checklists, data sheets, commentbanks, templates whatever helps
you work smoothly.
The fewer interruptions duringyour batch the better.
Also, set the mood.
Close the door, grab yourfavorite beverage plug in your
phone across the room if you can.
Protecting this time is goingto help you stay focused.

(04:51):
I know I just said number fouris my favorite, but I lied.
Number five is my favorite.
Use shortcuts like checklistsand templates.
Checklists can help you keep ontrack, especially when you're
batching repetitive tasks.
For example, you can use asimple checklist to track which
students are done and whichstill need attention.

(05:12):
I love this because you can seeyour progress.
That's going to help you staymotivated to get it done.
Templates can also feel likeshortcuts when you're batching
your work.
They can be great for progressreports or communication logs
Maybe your school or districthas provided the templates that
you're using, or maybe you'vecreated your own.
If you have the specialeducators resource room bundle,

(05:36):
you have all the templates thatyou need, including end of year
checklists.
I will be sure to link that inthe show notes so that you can
check it out.
Let's quickly recap thestreamlined batching tips.
Number one was to time blockwith intention.
Number two is to group similartasks together.
Number three batch in smallchunks.

(05:58):
Number four prep the materialsthat you're going to be using
ahead of time.
And number five use shortcutslike checklists and templates.
Oh, I almost forgot.
Here's one more bonus tip.
I don't want to leave it out,because it can make a big
difference when it comes toefficiency.
You want to leverage your peakproductivity time.

(06:18):
We all have certain times ofday when our brain just works
better, so why not use that toyour advantage?
If you're a morning person, youmight want to consider knocking
out some mentally heavybatching tasks like writing
detailed reports or drafting IEPupdates.
Maybe the building is quiet,your mind is fresh and it might

(06:39):
only take 30 minutes to makereal progress.
Personally, I know that 4 pm isnot my ideal time to be writing
anything detailed At that pointin the day.
My brain is better suited forlight tasks like filing or
organizing, so I save the heavywriting for earlier in the day
when I know I can find a quietblock.

(07:01):
The idea here is to match thetask to your energy.
You're going to get more donein less time when you're working
with your natural focus and notagainst it.
Now let's take a quick look atpros and cons of batching,
because, let's be real, batchingis helpful but it's not perfect
.
Here are a few quick pros andcons to consider.

(07:23):
Pros Batching can help savetime by cutting down on task
switching.
It can also help improve yourfocus and hopefully reduce
stress.
Batching can help you work moreconsistently, which can bring
more accuracy.
It also can create morebreathing room later, because
you've already tackled these bigtasks and you got them done,

(07:46):
and batching can give asatisfying sense of momentum.
Now let's talk about the cons.
Batching can be mentallyexhausting, especially if you
try to batch too much at once,and I know this next one.
Everyone's thought of Largetime blocks.
What are those?
They are not always easy tocome by and not every task fits

(08:09):
neatly into batching, like lastminute IEP meetings and
interruptions can throw off yourrhythm, but the good news is
you can start small.
Even batching just one categoryof tasks this week can make a
big difference.
Batching isn't about perfection.
It's about making things feelmore manageable.

(08:30):
You don't have to do every taskthis way, but if there's one
thing that's been hanging overyour head, try setting aside a
focused block of time andbatching it, even if it's just
for 30 minutes.
You might be surprised at howmuch you get done.
The end of the year can feellike a race to the finish, but
batching can give you a smootherpace and it gives you a little

(08:52):
more control over how you'regoing to get there.
So now I would like you to takea look at your list, pick one
task and schedule your firstbatch session.
That's your challenge for thisweek.
You've got this, and when youwrap up that batch and see the
pile of completed forms in frontof you, I hope you take a
moment to celebrate that win.

(09:13):
Thanks so much for being here.
I will see you next time in theSpecial Educators Resource Room
.

Speaker 2 (09:23):
Thanks so much for tuning in and I'm dying to ask
what'd you think?
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You can find the show notes andlinks for everything mentioned
in this episode atPositivelyLearningBlogcom.
See you next week for morespecial education solutions.