How I Stopped Burning Out as a Teacher Using Only AI (My Real Routine)
December 2024 I was done.
Crying in the car, doom scrolling at 2 a.m., counting the days until summer like a prison sentence.
Then I started using AI for me, not just my students, and everything changed.
Here’s the exact routine that pulled me out of the hole. Zero extra time. Zero extra money. All free tools.
My 22 Minute Evening “Teacher Decompression” Routine
- Minute 0 to 3 → Claude.ai
Prompt: “Act as my therapist. I had a rough day teaching. Help me process it in 5 bullet points and end with one kind thing to tell myself.”
→ Instant emotional unload without texting my already burned out friends. - Minute 3 to 8 → ChatGPT
Prompt: “Write me a 150 word love note from my future well rested self thanking today me for not quitting.”
→ I read it and cry happy tears instead of sad ones. - Minute 8 to 13 → Perplexity.ai
Prompt: “Quick 10 minute bedtime yoga YouTube video for exhausted teachers.”
→ Finds the perfect one every single time. - Minute 13 to 18 → Canva Magic Studio
Prompt: “Create a cozy phone wallpaper that says ‘You did enough today’ with autumn vibes.”
→ New lock screen = instant mood lift every time I check my phone. - Minute 18 to 22 → Gemini
Prompt: “Plan me a 5 item self care menu for this weekend under $20.”
→ Coffee shop visit, thrift store browse, new candle, actually doable.
My Sunday 11 Minute “Prevent Next Week’s Meltdown” Routine
- MagicSchool.ai → “Create a feel good weekly overview for a teacher who’s overwhelmed” → print it and stick it on the fridge
- ChatGPT → “Write me 5 affirmations for a teacher who feels like she’s failing” → save to phone notes
- Claude → “Help me set one tiny boundary this week so I don’t burn out again”
Real Messages I’ve Saved From These Sessions
“You showed up for 24 kids today while running on 4 hours of sleep. That’s not failing, that’s heroic.”
“Future you is drinking coffee on a Saturday with zero papers to grade because present you protected her time.”
I haven’t cried in the car once since October.
Drop your biggest burnout trigger below (grading guilt? parent emails? planning?) and I’ll run one of my prompts live and send you your custom self care plan right now, for free.
You deserve to be okay. Save this post for the next hard day.
