Establishing a Balance Between Leadership Priorities: A Qualitative Study on How School Heads Manage Their Time for Administrative and Instructional Tasks

This qualitative study explored the time management practices of school heads in balancing administrative responsibilities and instructional supervision in Socorro, Surigao del Norte. The purpose of the study was to examine how school heads allocate their time, identify the strategies they employ in managing their dual leadership roles, and determine the barriers that affect efficient time management. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were gathered from ten school heads through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that school heads devote more time to administrative tasks, such as report preparation, meetings, compliance requirements, and stakeholder concerns, due to their urgent, deadline-driven nature. Although instructional supervision is recognized as essential, it is often postponed, interrupted, or rescheduled. School heads utilize strategies such as prioritization, scheduling, delegation, time-blocking, and collaboration; however, they continue to face challenges, including heavy workloads, overlapping deadlines, limited personnel support, frequent interruptions, and connectivity issues. The study highlights that administrative leadership tends to be reactive and compliance-based, while instructional leadership requires planned, focused, and protected time. Based on the findings, a localized capacity-building program, Project BALANCE, was developed to strengthen school heads’ time-management practices. The study contributes to improving leadership efficiency by emphasizing the need for institutional support and structured time management systems in enhancing both administrative and instructional performance.