We’re closing out the first of a couple of breaks we have this season. How do you turn off all that goes through your leadership brain, when you’re supposed to be “not” thinking about work? I think when you lead the way that we all lead, it’s almost impossible to separate your everyday thoughts from your every day “I’m still a leader and responsible” thoughts, right?

Here are three ways I’ve found to “let it go” when you are able!

Plan activities that you can do while you’re off.

From a massage to a manicure to a latte with a good friend…make sure you have something to look forward to.

You need to focus on what you are going to do instead of working. Create a plan for your time away from work. (Principal self-care, perhaps?)The more you can do that reminds you of that, the better leader you will be. It’s been an interesting month for me, leaving one position and remembering that SO much of what I did and how I did it was defined by my “principal” title. Who are you when you’re not that person anymore?

Turn off notifications and RESIST your email.

If your problem is that you’re constantly worried about missing an important email or something important, try going a night without checking your email — and discover that all of the work you need to do is still there in the morning. Then increase the amount of time you leave your email unchecked. Try to get through an entire day of the weekend without checking. Then — gasp! — an entire weekend. You may find that many people manage to answer their own questions if you don’t get back to them right away! The more you check email, the more you have to check it. The harder it is to regulate impulsivity, the more you self-distract and flit from one thing to another. Plus, in 2020, when things happen, they seem to be happening BIG, so you’ll more than likely get a PHONE CALL if someone needs you. I learned, in all my years, my to-do list always rolls over.

Surround yourself with the people that deserve the BEST of you, instead of the rest of you. 

You deserve quality time with the support system that keeps you sane. This may be friends, family, or even coworkers that are like family. Spend your weekends relaxing with them, as they may not be used to getting 100% of your attention. While we’ve had more “home” time than usual, I really think the stress of being an educator in 2020 means we haven’t actually stepped away from thinking, planning, worrying, and thinking some more.  Jobs, titles, coworkers are going to come and go…but building memories with your family can last forever. Take advantage of not knowing what’s going to happen when you get back, by actually not worrying since it will probably be different anyway! 

It’s ok to take a REAL break and it doesn’t make you less of a leader. 

Yes, there is a lot of overlap and intermingling between work and home these days, thanks to technology and our dealing with #allthethings. It’s not always possible to get the separation we need, but the goal isn’t perfection. It’s creating enough space to allow ourselves to feel refreshed and like we are more than what we do. 

 

Here’s hoping that if that didn’t happen this break, you can get a do-over in December, 🙂

 

Rest seeking &