Stop Staring at a Blank Screen (Part 1)

Lesson planning shouldn’t take your weekend

TL;DR: Systems > hustle

Stop letting blank screens steal your time.
Start using the same creative energy—with better shortcuts.

You don’t need more hours. You just need a plan that works for you.

You know the drill.
You open your laptop to start planning, the cursor blinks at you like it’s judging your life choices, and suddenly it’s 9PM and you’ve typed “Objective: Students will…” and nothing else.

Sound familiar?

Let’s clear something up right now:

You’re not bad at planning. You’re just starting from scratch way too often.

This post is here to help you fix that—without losing creativity, rigor, or your mind.

The blank page is a time thief

Teachers are expected to make content magical, personalized, standards-based, engaging, trauma-informed, and visible on an anchor chart by 8:03 AM.

But we were never meant to do that with a blinking cursor and no system.

So let me show you how I started planning faster—and better—without making 30-slide decks or staying up past midnight.

#1: Use prompts, not pressure

Instead of trying to think of a lesson, start with a prompt that gets your brain moving.

Try one of these:

• “What’s the mistake they always make here?”

• “What’s the one thing I need them to walk away with?”

• “How would I explain this in one sentence?”

• “Where do they get stuck—and why?”

Planning is a lot easier when you’re not trying to be profound.
You just need to know the next step—and how to help students take it.

#2: Pick 2–3 structures and rinse/repeat

You don’t need to reinvent your lesson layout every day.
You need a couple go-to formats that you can plug and play.

Here’s one I’ve used 100+ times:

Rae’s Favorite 3-Step Lesson Format:

1. Start with a challenge (a mistake, debate, misconception)

2. Unpack the skill (demo, explain, model - keep it tight)

3. Let students try (with your support - not chaos)

The magic? You can plug in any content, from reading to ratios to reflection journals.

#3: Anchor your time - even if the plan’s loose

If it’s one of those weeks and your plan is basically “vibes + hope,” try this:

• How are we starting? (hook, warm-up, brain-on moment)

• How are we ending? (reflection, exit slip, preview)

• What’s the actual point? (the one takeaway you care about)

If you can name those three, you’re in solid shape—even if the middle’s still fuzzy.

Want a copy of the prompts I use every week?

I turned them into a free guide called:
“Time-Saving Prompts for Teachers”
Steal it. Screenshot it. Use it whenever your brain feels like scrambled eggs.

Get it free inside the TDI Learning Hub with code tdisummer:
https://tdi.thinkific.com