Every day is a gift, unwrap them with your “why” and “gratitude.” –Brenda Yoho In each day you will find what you seek. The time clicks, tics and flies by, but it is in how we choose to fill, remember and remind ourselves to appreciate all they bring.
Monday’s are the best! I love them because the weekend gave time for family and friends. We had time to rest, relax and reflect. A great time to renew and refresh our spirit. Now, this is me speaking as a retired educator and grandmother.
My hard-working, teaching daughter and mother of three would maybe add a few more things to her weekend. I imagine she would add catching up on laundry, grocery shopping, meal prepping for the week, house cleaning, organizing the schedule for the week, and doing any other repairs needed around the house with the help of her husband. She adds to her plate many other things to volunteer for and I look at her with pride as I know I lived life like that as well!
At different times in your life journey, your path leads you to different destinations and opportunities. It is how we react and respond to them that determines our next steps. If you review your days, I am sure you would say, “I cannot add one more thing to it!”
Balancing Act
There is no magic wand or way to ensure you have a balance in your life. The only way to achieve this is to manage your time with an intentional purpose. If you do not manage your time, others will. The balance in your life with time is up to you.
There are going to be things that come up, unexpected emergencies, unexpected calls to meetings or to handle a situation. The best way to handle this is to expect the unexpected. Always plan in your daytime for these kinds of situations, because they will happen. Remember, it is in how we respond and react to every situation that determines how we fill, remember and remind ourselves of the time.
SOLUIONS
- Maintain a color-coded calendar to highlight the areas of “how” you spend time (Discipline issues, Instructional time, Emails, Phone calls)
- Schedule personal reflection time
- Keep a journal
- Have a day or a specific time that is a “Do Not Interrupt or Disturb.” I had a Friday evening, Family and Friends Night. This is when I had dinner with Family and Friends. We schedule a dinner every Friday evening. Also, I came to work an hour before anyone else arrived for a “Getting Ready” time.
- Schedule 15-minute breaks in the day. Now you do not have to use them, but it is there for unexpected time so you can tackle something on your calendar you need to get to.
- Never waste a minute- Try to make time count twice? So if you are in a classroom observing as a walkthrough data point, also select a student to notice. Make some notes on a card you carry with you so you can drop it in the mailbox along with the one you will send to the staff member. (I can go into more detail about how impactful card sending is if you email me yohobren@gmail.com)
- Tag teams- if you work with a team, share calendars so if you need help you can message and ask if someone can help you with blank at this time. It makes it so much more effective when the team works together in this way and can tag each other when those “Unexpected” situations occur.
- Prepare when you can for things you hope will never happen, but they sometimes do when you do not expect it to happen. Have a letter ready for the death of a student, teacher, school leader, or a person dedicated to your school. These come in handy because if you are like me, the situation overwhelms you with emotions. Being prepared helps so information can get out to individuals quickly. Make sure these are addressed in your crisis and emergency plans on what steps to take. I would like to say I have never had to deal with any of these, but unfortunately, I have more times than anyone should.