What is X-Time?
We add X-Time slots to our schedule at the beginning of the year. For many teachers it may be Sunday afternoon, or Tuesday evening, or - for part-time teachers - part of their day off work. It is NOT a part of the free-time timetable, to be routinely used for administration tasks. It represents the boundary of the acceptable - to be used for work at really busy times or in exceptional circumstances, but not to be taken for granted. If you find you are regularly using your X-Time, you should also schedule some time to consider why this is and how you feel about it. You may decide that you need to actively reduce your workload, or - if you are doing things that you really want to do - you may want to add your current X-Time slot to your free-time timetable, and identify a new slot for genuine X-Time.
As well as adding X-Time, make sure that you are completely clear in your own mind about the reason why X-Time exists. It is not there to allow you to cram even more work into your frantic life. It is there to give you an escape route, and an alternative option when things get too much. When we look at our TM4T system in action, we must acknowledge the possibility that at some times of the year you may not get through everything you want to in your teaching day. Sometimes, you may decide that what you should do in one of your non-Contact lessons is Relax. Yes, relax - not mark Year 9's end-of-term exams as shown in your Weekly Plan. If this situation arises, you need to be able to accommodate it without guilt, and with a clear alternative plan. X-Time offers that alternative. Of course, to be effective, X-Time must not be a part of your social schedule either; it really must be free time.
If you find you are using X-Time regularly, you may need to revisit your prioritisation of work. Prioritisation is rarely a particularly productive time management too for teachers, because so little of what they do can be classed as low-priority. If, however, you are in X-Time, the rules may need to change. Review your Ticklist before your Ticks and Twos - ask yourself "What is the worst that could happen if I don't do this?". Be prepared to ask for help, be prepared to abandon non-critical commitments. Be prepared to put yourself and your health first.