Choose Your Battles S. 1 E.8

Listen to this episode to learn how to choose your battles in order to take more control over your life.

Show Notes: 

Episode Summary:

Do you sometimes feel like you are facing too many obstacles at home and at work? Are there times when you question which issues you should engage with and which you just need to let pass you by? In this episode we explore strategies you can use to decide which battles in your work and home life are worth fighting and which you should ignore.

There are so many things each day battling for our time and attention. We only have the capacity to fight so many battles at a time. Choose your battles wisely.

In this episode:

1. Why is it important to pick your battles?

• Teachers are often overwhelmed with all of the things they need to do. Teachers make approximately 1,500 decisions in a day. There is the potential for A LOT of issues to arise. You can’t give every one of them your full attention.
• As teachers, we are natural advocates. We see the problems, and we want to make them better. Many times we know what needs to be done to solve the problems, but it becomes overwhelming when we are constantly working to fix things.
• Teachers are jacks- of -all -trades. They are expected to expected to jump in when and where it is needed.
• Teachers have opinions and they are usually backed by solid experience and knowledge. We want to make things better and are quick to identify areas and issues that need improvement.

2. Recognizing the type of battle is key to deciding if you want to engage.

• Major battles vs minor inconveniences
• Your battles vs someone else’s battles
• Systematic battles vs local battles

3.Two approaches to use in order determine what to pay attention to:

• Use Your Filter

In his book, What Great Teachers do Differently, Todd Whitaker suggests that the best teachers choose their filters carefully, choosing what negatives around us that we let filter in and which we can ignore.

• Use Steven Covey’s Circle of Control
• In Steven Covey’s book  The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People he shares that issues fall into two rings: the Circle of Concern and the Circle of Influence.
• The Circle of Concern is everything that troubles or concerns us. We really don’t have influence over most of these issues. These are areas where a lot of worry often occurs.
• Our Circle of Influence is everything that we can control or somehow affect.
• If something in your circle of concern is a big enough concern, you can decide to do something about it and move it into your circle of influence. If not, learn to let it go.
• Focus your energy on things that fall into your Circle of Influence. You are likely wasting emotional energy and time on things that are in the Circle of Concern.
• When you waste time and energy on things outside of your control, you can’t focus on positive aspects of your life or use your energy toward things you love to do.

4. Action Steps:

• Focus your energy on things in your control.
• The next time you feel yourself getting pulled into a battle, ask yourself, “Is this in my circle of Influence or should I filter it out?” If it is not in your circle of influence, filter it out.
• Focus your energy on something that matters most to you.
• Focus your energy on your concerns, not someone else’s. It is ok to politely decline an invitation to engage in or engage with a battle that is not yours.

Recap:

There are many things each day battling for our time and attention. We only have the capacity to fight so many battles at a time. Choose your battles wisely.

Quote:

“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.”

Winston Churchill

 

Resources mentioned in this episode:  

What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Blog: Mindset Shift: Circle of Control

Podcast: Episode: 6 Set Priorities to Take Back Your Life

 

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