Teaser:

I’ve been having a lot of conversations with APs and other leaders recently and one of the common themes is how overwhelming the work is right now and how hard it can be to invest in self-care. Mara and I discussed some self-care strategies a couple weeks ago in episode 271. One thing we did not talk about is how to unplug from the day so your time away form work is… well, time away from work. We are going to get technical and discuss specific strategies and habits you can adopt to increase the likelihood that you can leave your work behind. There are a couple caveats to this: For many of you, there are job responsibilities you have in the evening (subs and buses) – and we will look at how to work from home in the healthiest way possible next week. The other caveat is these techniques are helpful but they are not a panacea. We’ll touch a bit more on that as we dive into the show.

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Show Intro

Celebrations:

Mara is getting married! (wish her well at mara@frederickbuskey.com or marabuskeyllc@gmail.com)

Key Points Part 1

• Let’s not sugar coat things – it’s hard right now
• Things probably aren’t going to get much better in the near future
• Burnout is an organizational problem (See also Helen Kelly in episodes 141 and 182)
• That said, there are things we can do to make it “suck less.”
• Today: transition home, next week: how to protect home time when you must work from home
• Opening with encouragement to do 5mc (it is about reclaiming purpose and being able to say, today, I moved my school forward)
  • Simple and fast
  • Gets you critical insights
  • Builds relationships
  • Builds teacher capacity

Sponsor Spot 2:I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…
Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions.
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Key Points Part 2

Begin with these three reflective questions:

1. If burnout is an organizational problem, what’s the problem?

1. Imagine 10-20 years into the future. If you keep working the way you are now, and your self-care habits remain the same, what word(s) pop into your head?

1. If you were out for three months, what would happen at work?

A leading cause of fatigue and burnout is the inability to leave your work at work. If you want to be successful - as a leader and a person/family member/friend - you must figure out how to leave your work behind. Yes, this is easier said than done (speaking from experience) but we can develop some practices to help.

Key components:

• Concluding the work day
• Transitioning to home
• Entering home mode

Concluding the work day

• Reflect on the day, including identifying:
  • Regrets and missed opportunities
  • Wins and celebrations
• If there is a serious issue that will be difficult to let go of, journal about it and do as much processing as you can. When you close the journal, close your mind. Also, do your journaling in a personal notebook you take home with you, not on a work-owned computer. When the issue intrudes on your thoughts at home, acknowledge and let it go.
• Identify the three most important priorities for the next day and time block them on your calendar.

Transitioning to home

• Be intentional about what you do with the trip home.
• You can use this as reflection time or professional learning (podcasts), but that undermines your transition. It is better to listen to professional podcasts on the way to work (that’s why we release at 6 am instead of 3 pm) and listen to music or something that grounds you in your non-professional life on your way home.

Entering Home Mode

• As soon as you get home, change into casual non-work clothes
• Create a specific routine to signal yourself that you are home, such as:
  • Spend time checking in with a loved one (including pets)
  • Imbibe your favorite food or beverage and do something relaxing
  • Exercise (consider stopping at a park to walk on your way home – even for five minutes. One step – literally- better than nothing; drive straight to the gym, do not pass Go, do not collect $200 😉)

Summarizing (The big takeaway)

• You may not be able to escape but you can make it better or at least suck less
• It’s not your fault (burnout is an organizational problem)
• Choose one thing: Reflection, trip home, walking in the door.

We’ll look at working from home next week.

Try this: turnoff this podcast now and reflect. What is ONE thing you could do to strengthen your transition home?

Special thanks to the amazing Ranford Almond for the great music on the show. Please support Ranford and the show by checking out his music!

• Ranford’s homepage: https://ranfordalmond.com
• Ranford’s music on streaming services: https://streamlink.to/ranfordalmon...