6-The 3 C's of Teacher Organization (+ How AI Makes It Easy)
Episode #6
Organization isn't about being Pinterest-perfect—it's about protecting your sanity!
Listen Now
Available on Apple and Spotify
About This Episode
Can't find your lesson plans when students walk in? Spending planning time searching for papers instead of actually planning? Your Google Drive is a graveyard of files named "Copy of Untitled Document"?
Your disorganization isn't just inconvenient—it's draining your mental energy and contributing to burnout.
In this episode, host Aimee Urdiales introduces a simple framework you can actually remember: The 3 C's—Contain, Categorize, and Communicate. No complicated systems. No 47-step processes. Just three principles you can implement immediately, plus AI tools that make it easier.
"Organization isn't about being perfect. It's about creating systems that give your brain a break so you can focus on what actually matters—teaching and connecting with students."
In This Episode You'll Discover:
The 3 C's Framework - A simple organizational system you can remember without taking notes
Contain strategies - How to give everything a home (physical and digital) with portable systems that actually work
Categorize tactics - File naming conventions that make finding things instant, plus time-blocking strategies that reduce decision fatigue
Communicate systems - Weekly reset rituals, student-friendly organizational routines, and backup plans for when you're out
AI organizational prompts - Ready-to-use prompts for designing systems, creating templates, and generating labels
The wellness connection - Why disorganization is a mental health issue, not just a productivity problem
Pick your starting point - How to choose which of the 3 C's will make the biggest impact for you right now
Key Takeaways:
This episode introduces the concept of the "3 C's"—a simple framework that makes organization memorable and sustainable. You'll learn how to:
Create portable organizational systems that travel with you
Use AI to design customized organizational solutions without doing it all manually
Implement a 10-minute weekly reset ritual that prevents Monday morning chaos
Make organizational systems work for students, substitutes, and stressed-out future you
Protect your mental health by reducing the cognitive load of disorganization
Key Timestamps
[02:00] Why Disorganization Is a Wellness Issue
[05:30] The First C: CONTAIN (Everything Has a Home)
[10:15] Aimee's Week-to-Week Folder System
[12:45] The Second C: CATEGORIZE (Sort Things Logically)
[15:00] File Naming Conventions That Change Everything
[18:30] The Third C: COMMUNICATE (Make Systems Clear)
[21:00] The Weekly Reset Ritual
[23:45] AI Prompts for Each of the 3 C's
[26:00] Your Action Step: Pick ONE C to Start
Ready to Take Action?
Don’t just listen—implement!
Organization is just ONE piece of working smarter. Want the complete system for reclaiming your evenings and building a sustainable teaching life?
Join the "Stop Working Until 9 PM:How to Reclaim Your Evenings in 5 Days" workshop—a 5-day program for just $19 that shows you how to cut planning time, grade faster, automate communication, and actually leave school on time. In just one hour, you're getting a complete 5-day plan to cut your lesson planning time in half, grade three times faster, automate your communication, and actually set boundaries that stick.
