As school-based OT practitioners, we know how fast our days fill up. Between therapy sessions, IEP meetings, documentation, teacher consultations, and the unexpected challenges that pop up, finding enough time to do everything well can feel impossible. But small shifts in how we plan, document, and communicate can make a big difference in how efficiently we work—without sacrificing the quality of the services we provide.
Let’s explore some time-saving hacks for school-based OT practitioners to reclaim our time and focus on what truly matters: supporting our students.
Time-Saving Hacks for School-Based OT
Planning Smarter with Multi-Session Programs
Planning therapy sessions every week from scratch can be exhausting, and eventually, you will likely give up. Instead of reinventing the wheel every week, we can save time by developing programs or even simple treatment plans that last multiple sessions. Whether it’s a four-week fine motor program, a self-regulation series, or an executive functioning intervention plan, using multi-session programs allows us to plan weeks in advance while ensuring consistency for our students.
For example, I once helped a student to write a short book over 6 weeks. Of course, she had no idea this was really a six-week executive functioning program. Here’s what it looked like:
Week 1: Brainstorming and planning out the structure of the book.
Week 2: Outlining the content, breaking it down into manageable sections.
Week 3: Writing an initial draft, focusing on organizing thoughts.
Week 4: Editing and refining ideas with executive functioning strategies.
Week 5: Adding images, finalizing content, and ensuring completion.
Week 6: Reviewing the entire process, self-assessing progress, and celebrating the finished project.
Sure, this took some planning on the front end, but then I didn't have to worry about planning for this session for over a month.
Maximizing Our Therapy Time
Scheduling Back-to-Back Students in the Same Class
When possible, scheduling students from the same classroom back-to-back allows us to maximize our time in one location. Fewer transitions mean less time spent walking across campus and more time spent working with students.
This also gives us flexibility—if one student is absent, we can see another from the same class instead of losing that time altogether. And when an entire class is unavailable due to a field trip or special event, we suddenly have a larger block of time to use for make-up sessions, documentation, or starting an evaluation.
Using Warm-Up and Wind-Down Routines
Predictable routines at the start and end of sessions can help us make the most of our therapy time. They may also give you a much-needed three minutes to plan your first session of the day.
A structured warm-up, like a quick fine motor, sensory-motor, or executive functioning task, helps students transition into therapy mode, reducing wasted time. Similarly, a consistent wind-down routine, such as deep breathing or a quick reflection, helps students prepare to return to class. So long as you are using these warm-ups and cool-downs in a way that supports goal achievement, then it is perfectly fine. A warning, though: don’t use a fine motor warm-up for a student who has an executive functioning goal (unless you can justify it, of course).
As a bonus, wind-down time gives us a moment to jot down notes while students complete a quiet activity. When this isn’t possible, batching documentation (more on that next) can help us stay on top of paperwork.
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Streamlining Documentation
Using AI to Turn Voice Memos into Notes
Instead of trying to recall every detail from our sessions at the end of the day, we can use AI tools to transcribe quick voice memos into structured notes. A short recording after a session—covering what we worked on, how the student responded, and any key observations—can be turned into a formatted SOAP note, progress update, or IEP present level with just a little refinement.
Quick reminder: When in doubt, avoid any personally identifiable information. Use initials or some other identifier that will help you remember who the note is about later.
Batching Documentation When Needed
If you don’t have time to take notes during sessions, setting aside dedicated time to batch your documentation can be an effective alternative. Blocking off 30 minutes at the end of the day (or another consistent time) allows us to focus on paperwork without constant interruptions. By grouping similar tasks together, we reduce the mental load of switching between therapy, meetings, and documentation, making the process more efficient.
Here are a few other time blocks to add to your calendar each week:
MTSS intervention time
Time for Evals
Tx planning time
Time for consults
Lunch
Speeding Up Goal Writing with a Goal Bank
Writing individualized goals from scratch for every student is time-consuming, but we don’t have to start from zero each time. A well-organized goal bank allows us to pull from pre-written, customizable goals that align with our students' needs.
If the idea of creating a goal bank is overwhelming, the OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank is a great resource for fine motor, sensory, social-emotional, executive functioning, and other functional goals. Having access to structured goals helps us ensure we are writing high-quality, meaningful objectives while also saving time during IEP season.
Using SMART goal templates can also help us maintain consistency across our documentation while ensuring that goals are functional and measurable. To help get you started, here is one of the templates I often use when writing a new goal:
By [date], [student name] will [specific skill] with [measurable criteria] in [number] out of [number] consecutive trials, using [accommodations/supports] as needed.
Simplifying Teacher & Parent Communication
Using Email Templates & Google Forms
We often find ourselves sending similar emails—whether it’s requesting teacher feedback, updating parents, or scheduling meetings. Instead of typing out new messages each time, using pre-written email templates allows us to quickly adjust and send what we need. This can be done in both G-Mail and Outlook.
Google/Microsoft Forms can also be a game-changer when it comes to collecting teacher and parent input. Instead of sending multiple emails back and forth, we can create a simple form where teachers can provide quick updates on student progress. Not only does this save time, but it also keeps all responses organized in one place.
Bonus tip: At the start of the school year, pre-schedule a data form to go out to a teacher once every 2-3 months. That way, you don't forget to send it later in the year.
Providing Quick-Reference Guides for Teachers
How many times have you answered the same pencil grasp question from the same three teachers?
Instead of explaining the same strategies over and over, consider creating a few quick-reference guides that offer practical, easy-to-implement strategies.
A great place to start is with these free OT Month handouts I created a few years ago. These resources help you share with your school colleagues about OT and how you can directly support them and the students.
Final Thoughts
Time is one of our most valuable resources as school-based OT practitioners, and small changes in how we plan, document, and communicate can make a huge difference in how we manage our workload.
Whether it’s developing multi-session programs, batching documentation, using AI for notes, or scheduling smarter, these strategies help us focus more on student support and less on administrative tasks.
What time-saving strategies have worked for you?
Share this article on Facebook, LinkedIn, or your IG story, along with your top time-saving tip for school-based OT practitioners.
Thanks for having a read and I hope this can help to save you at least 1-2 hours every week!
👋 Jayson
Ps. Thank you to everyone who responded to my weekly newsletter asking about this topic. There were many of you, so I hope this helps.