School has been crazy. You’ve stayed up way too late way too many times. You’re exhausted, you’re overwhelmed, you’re stressed. And you constantly feel guilty that you don’t have more to give to your family.
Teaching is totally taking over your life. But that’s just how it is. If you want to be a good teacher, this is what it looks like?
But we keep going because we believe in what we’re doing. We might even say we love it, despite the challenges. So we slap our faces, somehow make it home, and dive right into the next item on our to-do list, determined to do our best for the kids.
HOW TO FIND BALANCE AS A TEACHER
6 resolutions that will help you reclaim your time and work balance
1. Stop making choices out of guilt.
Realize you can’t do everything, start choosing what is best, and let go of the rest.
2. Do the main thing first.
Choose the most important thing you must get done today and do that first – before everything else gets in the way.
3. Maximize planning times.
Eliminate distractions and get focused so you can get more done at school – and take less home.
4. Use schedules to put boundaries around your time.
Plan your days so you get done what you need to and still have time for what matters most.
5. Ask “how can I?”
Stop feeling stuck. Rather, release your creativity with the question, “How can I do this task in a reasonable amount of time?”
6. Stop trying to figure it all out yourself.
Find support that keeps you from having to constantly re-invent the wheel.
5 KEYS TO KEEP UP YOUR ENERGY & PASSION
1. We need sleep
There is an ancient proverb that described “anxious turmoil” , basically calling rising up early and going late to rest as being in vain. Our bodies are designed to need rest to replenish.
An occasional necessity is one thing, but if we are habitually going to bed too late and getting up too early, we are going to be exhausted – which means we are going to be less effective, and we likely will burn out.
3. We need Rest.
Taking one Day to rest. But what about you? Do you take a day off each week?
I’m not counting Saturday where you run around like a chicken with your head off cleaning your house, running errands, and trying to accomplish everything you didn’t have time for during the week. That’s not a day off.
Neither can you count Sunday if you spend the entire evening planning and stressing about school. Ask yourself what would have to happen in order for you to be able to take a day of rest each week?
Maybe you can find ways to work more efficiently. Maybe you need to be more focused when you work . Or maybe you need to simply realize that the work of a teacher is never fully done, so we have to build wise boundaries around our time.
4. We need friends.
Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, God designed you for fellowship – not only with Himself but also with others. We are unwise to try to go it alone – to push aside our friendships because we’re too busy.
Not only do friends encourage us, but our friends (and/or spouses) should be the one helping to keep us in check. When they say, “you’re working too much,” we need to heed their warning and make adjustments while we still can.
5. We need inward renewal. I truly believe that we have our inner self that needs self-care and replenishment. Some do this through prayer or meditation, at time that is a quiet where you can reflect and think and dwell on good things, to centre our thoughts our affections through times of quiet, refreshing exercise, wonderful music, wholesome reading and conversations, doing a sport you love. These are key to replenish, they are key to prioritize so that you are refreshed and energized. To NOT view them as luxuries we wish we had time for.
Edu-bytes with Trailblazer Tours 