Chad Wallace starts his day at 7 a.m., heads to school to teach until 3 p.m., and then goes to practice after finishing last-minute schoolwork. Practice lasts until 6 p.m., after which he heads home, eats dinner, and grades papers for an hour or more. For some, this may seem like an extremely busy schedule, but for Wallace, it’s just a normal day.

On Thursdays and Fridays, he spends about an hour inputting runners’ names into a timing system.

Time management is key for teachers who also coach. Establishing a schedule allows them to stay calm and maintain energy throughout the day.

“I try not to take work home. Once I go home, I like to enjoy my time and set that aside for me-time [or to] hang out with friends,” geometry teacher Jimmy Lawson said. For Lawson, using class time for grading and saving home time for rest is the best routine to prevent burnout.

Lawson, who is in his second year as varsity girls soccer coach, has quickly found a manageable routine to balance both roles.

“During the season, I try to do a little bit of work before classes start and then after school, if we have a game, there’s a lot of setting up that needs to happen—and sometimes we don’t get home till 10:30 p.m., but knowing I’m caught up on my work is nice,” Lawson said.

Science teacher and girls cross-country coach Chad Wallace has combined his passion for teaching and coaching to stay on top of his responsibilities for the past 10 years.

“There are times during practice where runners have a longer run, which might take them an hour to an hour and 20 minutes, where I actually get done some of the work I’d need to do,” Wallace said.

Being creative with time management like Wallace has done can help balance teaching and coaching, but many say it’s also important to keep work and personal time separate. Completing schoolwork during the day, coaching at practices and meets, and then stepping away from work afterward can help prevent burnout.

“It’s just—you’ve got to flip your mode,” head varsity basketball coach Kevin Gant said. “You have to make sure you’re prepared.”