In the rush of educational leadership, controlling the clock is more about owning it rather than watching the minutes tick by. Andrew Marotta, a seasoned principal from New York, brings a wealth of experience and energetic storytelling to help us master our schedules. With more than 20 years in educational leadership, his insights aren’t just theories but tried and tested strategies honed in on the real world of school administration.
Tired of putting out fires all day while your real goals sit untouched? Marotta’s Owning Your Time course shows you how to protect your schedule, control your priorities, and make time for the leadership work that actually moves your school forward.
The Challenge of Time Management
Every educator, school principal, and school administrator feels pulled in many directions every day by their work agenda and daily demands. Andrew Marotta puts it simply: “Do we own the day, or does the day own us?” This is the daily reality of school administration time management, where unexpected issues often compete with long-term priorities for attention and energy.
Marotta’s question sets the stage for a deeper exploration of practical and effective strategies that enable any educational leader to take charge of their workday and restore order. Here are a few time management tips to keep your time focused in the best way that aligns with your core responsibilities:
Prioritize Tasks
Prioritizing tasks starts with what’s crucial for your role and your school’s needs. Evaluate what should be labeled as an important task. Ask yourself what must be done to promote an outcome of school effectiveness and directly contribute to student success.
Delegate Wisely
Utilize your leadership team effectively to share the workload — a key habit of effective school leaders who focus their time where it matters most. Delegation is not just a time-saving tactic; it’s one of the most important leadership skills that empowers others and strengthens the entire team.
Set Clear Boundaries
Learn when to say no and when to defer any task that does not align with your primary objectives, especially when time is limited.
These strategies lead to the understanding that owning your time isn’t about cramming more tasks into your day-to-day schedule — it’s about taking action to ensure the most important work gets done. With that in mind, Andrew Marotta emphasizes a vital lesson for school leaders in his teaching:
Engaging Activities to Enhance Learning
Marotta shows that interactive learning can benefit school leaders, especially those in instructional leadership who are responsible for modeling focus and adaptability.
When used intentionally, these quick activities do more than energize a group — they sharpen leadership by helping participants stay mentally alert, focused, and ready to adapt. These moments of focus are essential for fostering a sense of community and managing time effectively when every minute counts.
One simple activity he uses is a number game — not for entertainment, but as a quick way to reset focus and shift into a learning mindset.
Through just a few guided steps, he shows how even the simplest activity can sharpen mental agility and help school leaders approach complex decisions with more clarity and control.
When school administrators and school leaders take just a few minutes to reset and reengage, they make sharper decisions, communicate more clearly, and build a culture of reflection — all of which support more sustainable time management throughout the school day.
The Power of School Leadership Connections
Time management for school leaders isn’t just about tasks — it’s about people. Marotta emphasizes that trust and engagement are essential parts of school leadership, and he encourages activities that foster community and promote reflection among staff. These efforts create a more cohesive and supportive school culture — one that inspires collaboration, reduces miscommunication, and prevents time-wasting conflict that can derail progress. Here are some tips for fostering connections:
Create Moments of Connection
Utilize simple interactive activities to build trust and open lines of communication across the team. Fostering this kind of supportive culture doesn’t just improve communication — it plays a direct role in better time management within staff routines.
Reflect on Daily Interactions
Encourage each staff member to contemplate how their daily interactions impact both their professional work and personal relationships within the school.
These strategies show that effective time management is closely tied to how well we understand, support, and communicate with our colleagues. When a principal and their school leaders build strong relationships and foster a collaborative culture, they reduce confusion, streamline decision-making, and prevent the time drains caused by miscommunication.
Strategies for Sustainable Time Management
Owning your time also involves long-term planning and sustainability in your practices. Marotta touches on this topic by explaining the importance of setting up systems and routines that ensure time is used efficiently, not just today, but every day. “You have to schedule it. You have to work with it,” he asserts.
Developing these systems requires understanding the ebb and flow of school life and adapting to its rhythms without losing sight of your goals. Here are some ways to improve your time management strategy:
Systematic Planning
Implement routines that standardize daily operations so each task has a clear time and place, reducing the need for last-minute decisions.
Adaptability
Stay responsive to unforeseen challenges while maintaining core schedules and priorities.
Regular Reviews
Set aside time weekly to review outcomes and refine strategies as necessary.
These actionable tips highlight the driven nature of time management, where planning and adaptability come together to create an efficient work environment that supports school improvement and equips school leaders to become more successful in their roles.
Stepping Into a More Organized Role
Owning your time in educational leadership goes beyond checking off a to-do list — it requires a mix of clear priorities, sustainable systems, strong team connections, and a mindset rooted in reflection and adaptability. Andrew Marotta’s course, Owning Your Time, offers a comprehensive approach to mastering these elements. By embracing Marotta’s methods, from strategic prioritization to fostering connections, school leaders can transform their approach to time management by turning chaotic days into structured opportunities for success and growth.
Time becomes not just something to manage, but a tool every school leader can use to lead with purpose, clarity, and confidence.
Want to set yourself and school leaders up for success with continuous, year-long support? Explore the School Leadership Academy.
