My Number One Tip for Efficient Lesson Planning By an Online Teacher

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 If you're an online teacher, you probably know the pressure of having to juggle multiple tasks—planning, teaching, providing feedback, and still making time for professional development (and maybe even a lunch break). Over the years, I’ve experimented with all sorts of strategies to make my workload more manageable. But there’s one simple hack that consistently makes a big difference in my week: reusing and customizing lesson formats.

Why It Works

Lesson planning doesn’t need to start from scratch every time. I have a structure I really like and stick to it for most of my classes. It gives me a strong base to build on, whether I’m teaching photosynthesis to KS3 students or guiding younger learners through the states of matter.

The key benefit? It saves me mental energy. I don’t have to reinvent the wheel—I already know what sections to include and how to pace the lesson. From there, it’s just a matter of adjusting the content to suit the topic and learner needs. This gives me more time to focus on engagement and differentiation rather than layout and design.

How I Use This Strategy

  1. Start with a Reusable Template
    In Canva, I’ve created a layout I like that includes sections for a mind starter, short quiz, content presentation, and an end task. Whenever I plan a new lesson, I just duplicate this file. It’s visually appealing and helps maintain consistency for my students, which is great for building routines.

  2. Pull Content from Trusted Resources
    Inspiration doesn’t have to come from your own head every time. I regularly look at BBC Bitesize, Seneca, and Oak National Academy when planning. These platforms help me get a quick sense of how others are breaking down the same topic and give me ideas for comprehension checks or extension questions I can adapt to my lesson.

  3. Batch Similar Tasks
    When I’m planning lessons for the week, I try to do similar tasks in batches—like creating all the quizzes in one go or prepping all visuals in a single sitting. Batching helps keep me in a flow state and gets things done faster than switching back and forth between tasks.

  4. Keep a Library of Past Lessons
    I also keep a folder of lessons I’ve already delivered. This growing library of ready-to-go resources has become a lifesaver when I need to cover a topic again or teach a last-minute class. Often, a few tweaks are all it takes to make an old lesson feel fresh again.

Before I developed this system, lesson planning could easily eat up several hours of my day—especially when I felt pressured to make every lesson completely unique. Now, I spend far less time staring at a blank screen. Instead, I’m building from a foundation that already works. That gives me more flexibility and less stress, which helps me show up better for my learners.

If you’re looking to streamline your lesson planning, I highly recommend creating a format you love and sticking with it. Save your creativity for the parts that matter most—like helping a learner understand a tricky concept or sparking curiosity through a thoughtful question.

Have you found a planning system that works well for you? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments!

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