How to finish lesson planning in under an hour

It’s Sunday evening. You’re sitting at your desk surrounded by papers, coffee in hand, and your laptop open to a blank lesson plan template. You glance at the clock — time is slipping away — and you haven’t planned a single thing for the week. Sound familiar?

Lesson planning can feel like it takes forever. Teachers spend hours writing detailed plans that may not even match the flow of real classroom life. 

The truth is, most of us don’t have hours to spare. Between grading, parent emails, meetings, and, well, having a personal life, lesson planning can quickly feel overwhelming.

Here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way. With a system in place, you can plan a full week of lessons in less than an hour — and still feel prepared and confident when you walk into the classroom Monday morning.

Let’s walk through the process step by step.

How to finish lesson planning in under an hour

1. Start With the Big Picture (5 minutes)

One of the biggest time-wasters in lesson planning is getting caught in the weeds before you know where you’re headed. Instead, zoom out first.

Spend the first few minutes of your planning time reviewing your curriculum outcomes, unit goals, or standards. 

Ask yourself:

• What is the main skill or concept I want students to master this week?

• Where are we in the unit? What’s next?

• What small steps will move us closer to the bigger goal?

You don’t need to write a five-page plan here — just a quick roadmap.

Example:

• Math: Focus on fraction strategies (adding, subtracting, comparing).

• ELA: Begin persuasive writing unit, introduce the idea of arguments and supporting evidence.

• Science: Start ecosystems unit, explore food chains.

• Social Studies: Review early explorers and their impact.

Once you know the big goals, planning the daily details is much faster.

2. Use a Weekly Template (10 minutes)

Next, save yourself a ton of mental energy by creating a lesson planning template you can reuse every single week.

Think of it like meal prepping — when you know Tuesday is always taco night, you don’t spend hours deciding what to cook.

Your template should include:

• Daily warm-ups or bell-ringers (math facts, journal prompts, silent reading).

• Regular routines (centers, partner practice, read-alouds, exit tickets).

• Class blocks are already filled with the subject you teach at that time.

Why this works: You’re not reinventing the wheel each week. Half your schedule is already pre-planned — all you have to do is fill in the specifics.

Example:

• Math: 10-minute warm-up, mini-lesson, guided practice, independent work, exit ticket.

• ELA: Daily reading block, writing workshop, grammar mini-lesson.

• Science/Social: 3 sessions per week, alternating focus.

Just like that, you’ve saved yourself from having to “create” a whole new structure every week.

3. Batch Your Planning by Subject (15 minutes)

One of the fastest ways to get stuck in planning is switching back and forth between subjects. Instead, batch-plan by subject.

Here’s how:

• Take one subject, like math, and quickly jot down what you’ll teach each day.

• Move on to the next subject.

• Repeat until the week is filled.

Example for Math (fractions week):

• Monday: Review equivalent fractions with visual models.

• Tuesday: Adding fractions with like denominators.

• Wednesday: Adding fractions with unlike denominators.

• Thursday: Subtracting fractions.

• Friday: Fraction review game + quick quiz.

Now you’ve set your whole week in about 5–7 minutes for math. Do the same for ELA, science, and social studies.

Batching keeps your brain focused and stops you from wasting time context-switching.

4. Reuse & Adapt Resources (10 minutes)

This is where teachers often lose time — hunting for the “perfect” resource. Here’s the truth: you don’t need a brand-new activity every day.

Instead:

• Reuse resources from previous years (if you’ve taught the grade before).

• Adapt materials instead of creating from scratch.

• Keep a folder of “ready-to-go” resources you can grab when needed.

• Use digital tools (Google Slides, Canva templates, Kahoot, Quizizz) for quick engagement.

Pro tip: Have a “sub folder” with low-prep activities. These can also double as lifesavers when planning time runs short.

Example: Instead of designing a brand-new fraction activity, use the same worksheet from last year, but turn one of the practice pages into a partner game. Same resource, new spin.

5. Plug in Engagement & Flexibility (10 minutes)

Here’s where you add the “fun factor” without overcomplicating things. Students remember the activities that feel fresh and interactive, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend hours planning them.

Ideas:

• Games: Kahoot, Jeopardy-style reviews, and board race on the whiteboard.

• Movement: Gallery walks, scavenger hunts, “Find Someone Who…” activities.

• Creative Additions: Short videos, picture books, quick STEM challenges.

You don’t need one every day — just sprinkle in 1–2 activities per week.

And always leave flex time in your plan. Lessons will run long, and fire drills happen. 

A student will ask a brilliant question that leads to an unplanned discussion. By leaving open space, you’ll avoid the stress of “not keeping up.”

6. Streamline Assessment (5 minutes)

Teachers often spend hours overthinking assessments. The truth is, not everything needs to be graded.

Ways to check learning quickly without extra work:

• Exit tickets (one question on a sticky note).

• Thumbs up/thumbs down checks during a lesson.

• Pair-share responses to review key concepts.

• Mini-quizzes that take 5 minutes at the end of class.

Save the longer, formal assessments for the end of a unit. Weekly assessment should be more about feedback than grading stacks of papers.

7. End With a Reset Routine (5 minutes)

The last step is to finish strong with a quick reset routine:

• Double-check that your weekly plan makes sense.

• Make sure materials are ready (copies, slides, manipulatives).

• Note any adjustments you might need for next week.

If possible, do this on Friday afternoon before you leave school. Walking out with your plans ready means you start the weekend stress-free — and Monday morning is so much smoother.

Final Thoughts

Planning lessons doesn’t need to take over your life. By zooming out to see the big picture, using templates, batching subjects, and leaning on resources you already have, you can cut planning time down to under an hour each week.

It’s about working smarter, not harder. You don’t need flashy, Pinterest-perfect lessons every day. What your students need is consistency, clarity, and engaging learning experiences — all of which you can provide without staying up until midnight writing plans.

So here’s your challenge: Next week, set a timer for 60 minutes and try this system. Stick to the steps, don’t overthink, and see how much faster it feels.

You might be surprised at how freeing it is to finish lesson planning and still have time left for yourself.

Because at the end of the day, good teaching isn’t about how fancy your lesson plan looks — it’s about the connection you build with your students, and the energy you bring into the classroom. Saving time on planning gives you more energy for what really matters.

Share your tips to save time on lesson planning in the comments below.