Now that we’re in to 2007, what are your new year’s resolutions? What do you need to do to make your home life run more smoothly? How about booking appointments for the dentist, optician and doctor during the holidays so you don’t have to cope with things going wrong with your body when you are really busy?

Have you been keeping up with domestic chores? There’s something very rewarding and cathartic about having a good tidy and, with a bit of luck, you’ll remember where you put things so you don’t waste time looking for them.

Get round to fixing those silly little things around the home: dripping taps, light bulbs which need replacing, missing curtain hooks. Internet shopping is a wonderful time-saving invention. Do you get your groceries delivered? Even if you’re on your own, it’s good value because it saves time and money. And it could help ward off the January germs because you’ll eat more healthily if you have some decent food in stock.

What are your new term resolutions? Your workload has got to be made manageable if you’re to survive so how are you going to do it?

Can you make better use of support staff? How about setting up some improved rules and rewards, perhaps changing some displays, rearranging the classroom? Did you make the most of being on induction last term? Set some targets which will really help you make progress towards meeting the induction and QTS standards.

The 10 per cent reduced timetable needs to be treated like gold dust, so think about the professional development which will help you and start booking visits to other staff and other schools.

Perhaps you should consider improving the meetings with your induction tutor: moreless frequent, longershorter time slot or a tighter agenda.

But, most importantly, what resolution are you going to set to make you happier?

Getting a work-life balance is hard for teachers, but keeping a social life going is essential. It will keep you sane and may lead singletons to the man or woman of their dreams. This is a great time to book a holiday, making the most of the long summer break.

Pop a picture of your venue on your screensaver. Now that’s what I call a motivating, energising thing to do Sara Bubb is an education consultant specialising in induction