Are you feeling the extra pressure of meeting deadlines and completing reports before spring break? Let’s discuss easy-to-implement tips guaranteed to make your report writing more efficient.
Tip #1: The Art of Batching Tasks
We all have our go-to rating scale, whether that be the BASC or another favorite tool of yours. If you have several of the same rating scales to score, try batching them together! It is more efficient for our brains to focus on the same task rather than switching between different tasks. Keep reading to discover two more tips to help you write efficient reports. If you are interested in watching a replay of the live recording where I discuss these tips, please click here.
Tip #2: Ideal Report Writing Time
When school psychs are in crunch time mode, we may find ourselves working during evenings and weekends simply to stay afloat. Sound familiar? Take some time to reflect on what time of the day your brain is working best. For me, that’s early in the morning. When I need the brain power to synthesize assessment results and write a legally defensible report, I will clear my morning schedule and utilize the time to write. When is your ideal time to write reports? Look at your schedule and try to insert as much report-writing time within that time frame as possible. You can even try turning off your email and closing your office door to minimize distractions.
Tip #3: Technology at Its Finest
Have you ever heard of Text Expander? This can be used while using Microsoft Word or Google Docs and saves school psychs tons oftime by activating what you type most with a few keystrokes. Typing out the “Beery-Bukentica Test of Visual Motor Integration – Sixth Edition” several times in your report is daunting. Instead of typing out the full name, you can type #VMI, and the computer will automatically write out the full name for you! The next time you’re writing reports, start jotting down key phrases you often use and try this tech tool. Reaching out to other school psychs in your district or school psych Facebook groups are also great ways to learn about additional tech tools that can make your report writing more efficient!
