Drowning in Admin? How Teachers Can Tackle the Growing Workload Efficiently …

Any modern teacher understands that unfortunately, a large part of our job revolves around administrative tasks. This can range from student notes, data collection, communication with staff, communication with students and parents, as well as policy documents, pastoral/wellbeing documentation, and of course, legal documentation covering a variety of things such as risk assessments, incident reports, student medication, regular late reports, etc. On top of these administrative tasks, there’s also the vast amount of documentation that goes along with lesson plans, curriculum/resource-related documents, and uploading evidence of learning through marking, assessments — you name it, we do it.

Australian teachers now spend an average of 6.5 hours per week on administrative tasks, which is 33% higher than the OECD average of 4.1 hours. This places Australia among the top three countries for administrative workload, behind Japan and Korea (educationtoday.com.au, aeuvic.asn.au).

We could easily go into depth about how this workload continues to increase year after year and how more is being expected from teachers. However, this article is simply here to acknowledge the current climate of education and share some tips and guidance on how to manage the workload effectively — all while respecting your own work-life balance and avoiding the trap of working around the clock.

Tip 1: An hour before the day = Two after the day

This is a bit of advice I received as an early career teacher, and it has stuck with me ever since. It’s incredibly simple but very effective. The idea is that rather than staying back after school to complete admin tasks, it’s better to arrive at work an hour earlier than planned, or even wake up a little earlier and complete these tasks at home before the day begins.

This could include responding to emails, messaging parents, marking, grading, uploading documentation, etc.

Why is one hour before school better than after school? Because before school is the quietest time of the day. No issues have occurred yet that need your attention, there are no phone calls coming in, no messages being sent, no students at your door needing something, and importantly, no colleagues dropping by for a chat or needing a hand. After school, on the other hand, we’re exhausted. We’re dealing with decision fatigue, we may have meetings or follow-ups to attend to, and most of us are simply ready to go home.

In the morning, we’re refreshed, the world is a little quieter, and our minds are too. There aren’t as many thoughts running through our heads about things to chase up or fix — it’s a fresh start. This is the perfect time to tackle admin tasks.

Personally, if I get to school an hour earlier than usual and find a quiet spot away from foot traffic, I can get so much done. I follow up on emails from the day before, complete any required documentation, upload tasks and resources, and make sure I’ve got everything I need for the day. Then, if I do stay back after school, it’s only for urgent matters — and I head home to relax, unwind, and switch off.

The saying really is true: “One hour before is worth two after.” The same tasks take much longer in the afternoon when you factor in distractions, fatigue, and last-minute things that pop up.

Another big reason I prefer to send emails and follow up on tasks in the morning is that it sets a clear precedent with colleagues and families. It gently reinforces that I respond during work hours, not late into the evening during my personal time. It helps establish and protect my work-life boundaries, and lets everyone know (in a kind, professional way) that I’ll respond as soon as possible — but that may be the next morning unless it’s urgent.

A final benefit of this method is that after a good night’s sleep, I can approach situations, messages, and responses with a clearer mindset. Responding to an email on the same day it was received can sometimes be influenced by your mood or how the day went. After a rest, you’re in a much better headspace to reply thoughtfully, calmly, and professionally — and avoid sending a message that sounds different than you intended.

Insight into non-teaching related tasks Australian teachers are doing day to day. (Figure 13: Time spent on non-teaching tasks per week, classroom teachers, 2022 AITSL, 2025)

Tip 2: Stop Self-Imposed Pressures

I do see many teachers put self-imposed pressures on themselves to answer or respond to everything extremely quickly. A lot of the stress around this comes from educators who care deeply and want to be organised and on top of their to-do list.

Unfortunately, this can result in teachers accessing their emails and work messages around the clock, responding to things as if they were personal messages or texts. This habit slowly integrates their work commitments into their personal lives, leaving no separation between the two. Over time, this can lead to a wide range of issues, including burnout, which is a major challenge in today’s teaching environment.

Establishing and maintaining healthy work-life boundaries is critical to your long-term success and wellbeing as an educator.

While this tip isn’t as structured as Tip One, a good general rule is to be okay with not getting everything done in a single day. At the start of the school year, I always send a message to parents explaining my communication expectations. I let them know that I will respond to their messages as soon as possible, but that may take up to 1–2 days (48 hours).

In this message, I explain that for the majority of my workday, I am explicitly teaching in front of my students, not sitting at a computer. My most important role during school hours is to support the students in front of me — not to respond to emails immediately. Of course, I make a disclaimer that for urgent matters, I will respond as needed. I also explain that if something is truly urgent, parents can contact the school directly, and they will get in touch with me.

I do this in a genuine and kind way, but also as a way to educate families about my role during the school day and the realistic constraints that may affect how quickly I can respond. I provide a fair timeline, such as two days, so that if they don’t hear from me right away, they aren’t alarmed.

For the most part, this has worked very well. There are rarely any issues, and I respond to messages when I can. Sometimes that’s the same day, and other times it might be longer than two days — it just depends on the week and the circumstances.

I have seen schools even have automated responses when emails and messages are received far outside of work hours so parents, staff members and students know that whilst their message has been received it is outside of the expected work hours and may not get a response straight away. This Is due to schools understanding that they need to ensure the wellbeing of their staff members and create that separation from work to home.

Trend leaning towards more administrative tasks each year! (Figure 14: Time spent on administrative tasks by classroom teachers, by year2022 AITSL, 2025)

Tip 3: Avoid downloading work communication apps on your personal phone or device

While it might seem helpful to have quick access to things like emails or school platforms, it can end up making it feel like you’re always “on.” Once those apps are on your phone, it’s easy to check messages during dinner, on the weekend, or even while you’re lying in bed. It starts to feel like you’re never really off the clock, and that can take a real toll on your mental load over time.

A Twinkl survey found that 86% of Australian teachers use their personal phones for work-related tasks. These include communicating with parents, accessing school apps, sending emails, and handling administrative tasks.

Personally, I’ve found it really helpful to leave those apps off my personal devices and stick to checking emails during work hours or from my school laptop. If that’s not realistic for you, try setting a clear time each day when you check and reply, then leave it after that. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but setting that boundary gives you space to actually rest and switch off properly. Protecting your own time is just as important as staying on top of your to-do list and your wellbeing will thank you for it.

It’s also worth remembering that just because a message comes through doesn’t mean you have to drop everything and respond straight away. A lot of us feel that pressure, like if we don’t reply within an hour, we’re being unprofessional or letting someone down. But the truth is, most things can wait. Setting clear expectations with your school community, such as letting them know you check messages during certain times, helps take that pressure off.

What is the data around administration task demands for todays teachers?

Increased Workload: Australian teachers now spend an average of 6.5 hours per week on administrative tasks, which is 33% higher than the OECD average of 4.1 hours. This places Australia among the top three countries for administrative workload, behind Japan and Korea (educationtoday.com.au, aeuvic.asn.au).
Full-Time Hours: Full-time classroom teachers reported a decrease in average weekly hours from 57.0 in 2019 to 53.1 in 2022. Despite this reduction, they still work approximately 15.7 hours beyond their contracted hours each week (aitsl.edu.au).
Policy-Driven Tasks: A 2024 audit in New South Wales identified over 100 high-workload tasks, primarily in student learning, management, and legal areas. Policy requirements were found to be the main driver of these tasks (education.nsw.gov.au).

Data Entry and Digital Workload

Datafication of Education: The increasing use of digital data in Australian schools has led to more administrative tasks for teachers. A study highlighted that teachers are expected to use digital data to improve instructional practices, adding to their workload (researchgate.net).
Impact on Teaching Time: Teachers in schools with higher levels of disadvantaged students spend almost 10% less time on teaching and learning compared to their colleagues in more advantaged schools. This difference equates to about six minutes per hour, or more than 100 hours over a year of schooling (acer.org).

Teacher Well-being and Stress

Stress Correlation: Teachers who spend more time on administrative tasks report higher levels of stress. For instance, 89% of teachers who spent five hours on administrative tasks reported being stressed “a lot” (unisa.edu.au).
Policy Impact: The introduction or amendment of numerous policies has overwhelmed teachers with administrative work, leading to increased stress and burnout (couriermail.com.au).

Efforts to Reduce Administrative Burden

NSW Initiatives: The New South Wales government has committed to reducing teachers’ administrative work by at least five hours per week. This is being achieved through a comprehensive audit of bureaucratic tasks and efforts to remove, simplify, or digitise them (education.nsw.gov.au).
Support Staff Expansion: In an effort to alleviate teachers’ administrative burdens, the NSW government is expanding its administrative support program to include 700 more schools by 2026, providing approximately 600 additional full-time equivalent administrative staff (dailytelegraph.com.au).

Sources:

Education Today (2025). Teacher Workload
Australian Education Union (2025). Australian Teachers Have Higher Workloads, Fewer Resources: OECD Report
AITSL (2022). Australian Teacher Workforce Data Reports
NSW Department of Education (2024). Audit of Teacher Administrative Tasks
ResearchGate (2020). The Data-fication of Education in Australia
ACER (2024). Snapshot of Australian Teachers and Principals
University of South Australia (2025). Teachers at Breaking Point
Courier Mail (2024). Teachers Burning Out from Administrative Work
NSW Department of Education (2024). Efforts to Reduce Teachers’ Administrative Workload
Daily Telegraph (2025). Expanding Admin Support in NSW Schools

Drowning in Admin? How Teachers Can Tackle the Growing Workload Efficiently

Apr 14, 2025