Inspired Together Teachers

You are here: Home / Archives for Stress

Finding Balance Between Work Life and Home Life E. 70

by Leave a Comment

Finding Balance Between Work Life and Home Life S. 5 E. 70scale with work life on one side and home life on the other, Finding balance between work life and home life

Listen to this episode to learn strategies for finding balance between your work life and home life. 

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

We’ve all been too busy, too exhausted, and too overwhelmed to make the kind of difference we want to make for our students and still enjoy the rest of our lives.

School has a way of taking over your life. If you have struggled with overwork and exhaustion and are feeling like you are never good enough and will never get it all done, it might be time to take back your life.

We certainly don’t have all the answers. In this episode we’re talking about finding balance in our work and home lives. We’re going to tackle the real story about finding balance.

In this episode:

Finding balance- there is a loaded topic! It’s like the Holy Grail, if we could just find balance between work and home, everything would be so much better.

It is a constant push and pull. Sometimes school wins, sometimes home wins, and sometimes your personal needs win.

The real story is that finding balance is a misnomer. You probably won’t find balance.   However, there are some strategies that allow you to create a more balanced life.

How to create more balance and take back your life.

  1. Set boundaries.

You want to be responsive and helpful to students, colleagues and parents, but it can’t come at a cost of total lack of a personal life. You don’t need to be on call 24/7. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries for what you will and will not do.

  • Create a personal policy for returning parent phone calls and email.
  • Set a pleasant automatic response that tells others when you will return messages.
  • If parents or students are constantly texting you, reconsider giving out your phone number.
  • It is not part of your job to call a student every morning and wake him up for school. It is not part of your job to be awakened by a parent’s text at midnight- or to respond to it.
  1. Check your level of perfectionism.
  • If you have high standards and want to do everything perfectly, chances are it is causing you stress.
  • Perfection is not possible. There will always be a better lesson plan or a more perfect activity. A teacher’s work is never done, and the to-do list always exists.
  • If you like to have everything done and crossed off the list, you will be constantly frustrated.
  • Accept the fact that there are always things on the to-do list, but they don’t all have to be done
  • If you are exhausted, resentful and angry about how much you are working, look at your own expectations. Some things deserve 100% of your attention and skill. Other things might be just fine with B+ effort, or maybe even C+ effort. Spend your time on things that matter, and remember that sometimes, done is better than perfect.
  1. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Are you trying to keep up with the amazing teacher next door or the fun teacher on social media? Are you exhausted yet?

We each have our own gifts. There is something that you do that is unique and different from other teachers. Perhaps you give students amazing feedback. Perhaps you have a gift for making all students feel special. You might be the one whose jokes keeps kids engaged or the one whose passion for your subject inspires them.

Don’t try to copy other teachers. You can learn from them and borrow their teaching ideas or tools but recognize that you can teach in your own way.

Also, be cautious with social media; it is easy to compare yourself to influencers and come up short. Remember that you also have special things that you know and do.

  1. Start Your Day with Intention

The busier you are, the more you need to focus your time and energy on the things that are most important. When you have more things to do that time to do them, you need to prioritize where you put your attention.

Prioritizing is hard, especially when all the things feel important.

Without prioritizing what you do, your day easily gets hijacked.

If you don’t focus on what is most important, it is easy for others to make demands that seem like priorities in the moment but may not be your priorities.

Take a couple of minutes first thing every morning and list your top 3 priorities. Make sure those three things get done. That is a win.

  1. Focus on things you can influence.

Everything that bothers you is not within your circle of control. We can waste a lot of time and energy worrying about things that we can’t actually do anything about.

Look at your current situation. Identify which aspects of your situation you can control- and which you can’t. Then, let go of the things that stress you that you can’t control.

Identify the areas that you can control. These are the places where your actions can have an impact.

Pick one small thing you can control and do it.

Concentrating your efforts on small things that you can control helps you to realize that you can make a difference. Positive action increases our positive mindset and gives us a greater confidence in our abilities.

  1. Reduce stress by completing the stress cycle.

Many of the factors that contribute to stress are out of our control. There are things we can do to feel less stressed but most of those revolve around changing how we react to stress.

When we experience stressors-our body engages in a neurological and physiological shift.

You’ve felt the effects of stress on your body: increased heart rate, faster breathing, and heightened senses. Stress also messes with your digestive system, other organs, your immune system, and reproductive system.

Stress often stays with us, unless we do something to reduce the stress. That’s chronic stress, and it has many negative results including headache, anxiety, irritability, depression, insomnia, higher blood pressure, higher blood sugar, higher risk of heart attacks and even fertility issues.

All is not hopeless. Despite ongoing stress there are things we can do to complete the stress cycle so that our bodies can return to normal. We aren’t changing the stressors- just changing our reaction to the stress so that our bodies can let it go and reset to more normal pattens.

What can we do to complete the stress cycle? In the book Burnout, Emily and Amelia Nagoski suggest:

·      Do anything to help your body move and sweat.

·       Stand up and take a few big breaths.

·       Breathe deeply.

·      Engage in positive social interactions.

·       Laugh.

·       Show affection. Hug someone.

·      Cry.

·      Do something creative.

  1. Ask For Help

 Teachers often try to do it all. We fill our plates to the point of overflowing without the proper supports in place. Yet, even the knowledge that we are doing this to ourselves does not often stop it from happening again.

Consider that there are people who can help. They may be willing to share of their time, their talents, and resources.

As the old saying goes, “It never hurts to ask.  The worst they can do is say ‘no.”

Conclusion:

We want you to be here for the long haul. We need good, passionate, committed teachers. The danger of burn-out is real, as is the danger of losing good teachers to a less demanding profession. In order to continue to love your job, you need to find ways to rest, relax, and recharge. If things are feeling out of control, do what you can to take back your life. You might not be able to find balance, but you can create a more balanced life.

We have created a free resource to help busy teachers create balance. You can download the free guide/work book on the homepage of our website, inspiredtogetherteachers.com. 

Recap:

Finding balance between our work life and home life is a challenge. Learn to set boundaries, check your perfectionism and stop comparing yourself to others. Start your day with intention. You can also focus on things that you can control. Completing the stress cycle will reduce your stress, and you can ask for help. Chance you are won’t find balance, but with these strategies you can create more balance.

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 6 Set Priorities to Take Back Your Life

Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 7 Prevent, Eliminate and Reduce Stress

Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 8 Choose Your Battles

Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 11 Maximize Your Morning Routine 

Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 16 Real Self Care

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In:  Inspired Together Teachers

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

 

Tips to Reduce The Tension of Teacher Transitions Ep. 67

by Leave a Comment

Tips to Reduc The Tension of Teacher Transitions  S. 5 E. 67

stressed teacher with help sign, Reduce the Tension of Teacher Transitions

 

Listen to this episode to learn strategies for surviving teacher transitions! 

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

As teachers, transitions in our career are always happening. Some of these teacher transitions are voluntary and some are involuntary. Some are welcome and some are not. Learning to reduce the tension of  transitions can be a good lesson for all of us, no matter the time of the year or the place we are in our careers when the transition occurs.

Today, we explore common types of teach transitions as well as strategies we can use to reduce the tension that inevitably surrounds us as we make transitions. Whether your next transition is known to you, or is hiding around the corner waiting for the right moment to catch you off guard, you will definitely want to have these tension-reducing tips in your back pocket!

 In this episode:

The following show notes are a summary of the episode. In the discussion, we often add stories or examples. Listen to the podcast episode for the full discussion.

Introduction:

As teachers, we are always in flux. We continually have new colleagues, new students, new assignments, new….well you get it. The list goes on and on.

Teacher transitions often involve the unknown and the unknown can be scary. There can be a lot of tension and fear.

Let’s take a minute here and clarify one thing. In this episode we are talking about teacher transitions. We are not talking about the transitions that we help our students make between classes or between the classroom and the cafeteria. We do have a blog post about those types of transitions, titled Teacher Tricks for Triumphant Transitions, Today we are talking about the career transitions that teachers make on a regular basis. So let’s jump right in and explore types of transitions commonly experienced by teachers

Types of teacher transitions teachers commonly experience: 

Voluntary and involuntary transfers

Voluntary transfers occur when teachers choose to transition in their career. Maybe you’ve asked to teach at a different grade level or you have taken on more of an administrative role this year to see how you feel when you are out of the classroom. Even though voluntary transfers are sought out by the teacher making the transition, that doesn’t mean that they’re not scary and can leave a teacher feeling like they are far out of their comfort zone.

If you don’t know what an involuntary transfer is, consider yourself lucky. Involuntary transfers occur when a school district decides to transition a teacher to a different grade level or maybe even a different school based on student enrollment numbers or budgetary constraints. Involuntary transfers can be particularly difficult transitions for teachers to make because they often felt safe and comfortable and we weren’t ready to take on new roles, new responsibilities, or maybe even have to go to a different location to teach.

Moving to a different grade level

If you haven’t moved to a grade level other than the one you are currently teaching in, you probably know someone who has recently transitioned to a different grade level. Teachers transition between grade levels many times in their career. Some of the transitions are smooth, for instance if a teacher transfers from 2nd grade to 3rd grade in their current building on to a team where they are ready know all of the teachers well.

However, some grade level transitions can be much more difficult such as the case where a teacher who is certified to teach middle school and elementary, moves from teaching at the middle school to teaching lower elementary the next year. That is definitely a major transition when it comes to content, ways of teaching and behavior management, and the developmental stages of the kids.

New teaching teams

Teaching teams who have been together a long time start to feel almost like family. So when one person leaves the team and another one comes in, the transition can be very difficult. Whether it is the new person on the team feeling left out and like they don’t understand the inside jokes of the team, or it is the existing team members who are worried their new teammate won’t like them, this transition can often be difficult.

 Moving to a new school

Have you ever moved from one school to another? If you’ve made that transition you know how difficult it can be to pick up on all of the rules, nuances, and expectations of a new school. This can be especially true if you move at the beginning of a school year and are expected to teach all of this to your students when you haven’t even learned it yourself. It’s hard to be the new kid, which still stands true when you are the new teacher.

Moving to a new district

Moving from one district to another can be like moving from one planet to another. The transition can help any teacher realize how much they took for granted in their last district. Not all districts function the same in the transition from one district to another definitely can cause a lot of fear and anxiety for a teacher, even if the transition was one that the teacher wanted.

New careers in or out of teaching

Teachers definitely experience a time of transition as they move into the field of teaching or as they move out of the field of teaching. These are pretty major transitions so it can take teachers have while to get their feet on the ground. For example, imagine the teacher who transitions from teacher to administrator and then has to become the supervisor of their previous colleagues and peers. That can be a tough transition.

This quote from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sums up transitions well. “The transition was difficult. It’s hard to stop something that you’ve enjoyed and that has been very rewarding.”

Strategies for reducing the tensions of teach transitions:

Treat it like an adventure

Mindset matters. If you tell yourself the transition is like a jail sentence you will find things in your surroundings to confirm that. If you tell yourself it is like an adventure, you will find evidence in your new surroundings to confirm that too. Plan for the transition like you would an exciting trip- a safari into the unknown. What do you hope to see? To learn? To experience?

Make a “pros” list

If the transition is involuntary or a particularly large transition, you have probably already considered all the cons. This is our mind’s way of protecting us and keeping us safe, always looking for danger. But have you stopped to consider all the benefits? Make a list of the pros. You may be surprised at how quickly your list grows. Think about the new friends and colleagues you might meet. One positive outcome might be the opportunities you will get to play on your strengths that may not have been noticed before you made this transition.

Take action steps to ensure success in your new role

Instead of spending your time and energy worrying about the transition, repurpose that energy into action steps that will help you to be successful in the new roll you’re transitioning into. For example, if you are going into a new school or district introduce yourself to people before the first day of school. Switching to a new grade level? Read up on the content, pedagogy, skills, or knowledge that will help you to be more successful in that grade level. preparing for your new role will help you to reduce the stress about the transition.

Get yourself into a good place physically and mentally before making the transition

If you’re anything like us, and we’re guessing you are because you are human too, if you are feeling rested or happy, you can better handle the stresses that life throws your way. Because transitions involve so much unknown, the better you feel physically and emotionally, the better off you are, and the better you are able to approach the transition with optimism and energy.

Are you making a big transition soon? Try to get enough sleep, eat well, and have a few days of well-earned rest before you start. The optimism you bring to the transition, because you took care of yourself before the transition, will be noticed by others

We love this quote by Socrates, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new”.  That is what all of these strategies encourage you to do.

Don’t fight the transitions you encounter in teaching. See them as opportunities to build on the new.

Conclusion:

We wrap up today with these insights from author William Bridges who has studies and written about the differences between “changes” in our lives and “transitions”:

“It isn’t the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions. Change is not the same as transition. Change is situational: the new site, the new boss, the new team roles, the new policy. Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation. Change is external, transition is internal.”

When changes in your life and career occur, our hope for you is that you do the internal work and self-reflection of the transition. Using the strategies we suggested will help to ease the tension as you experience the many transitions of your teaching career.

Recap:

As teachers we are bound to face many transitions in our teaching careers. Whether these transitions are voluntary, involuntary, frequent or infrequent, how we prepare ourselves for these transitions makes all the difference in reducing our tension before and during the transition. By considering the transitions we are encountering as educators, and taking specific actions steps to reduce the tension during these transitions, we set ourselves up for success today and well into the future.

Quote:

“It’s hard to stop something that you’ve enjoyed and that has been very rewarding.” 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Children’s Picture book: First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

Transitions: making the Most of Change by William Bridges 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Epsiode 7 Prevent, Eliminate or Reduce Stress

Inspired together Teachers blog:  Teacher Tricks for Triumphant Transitions,

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In:  Inspired Together Teachers

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

What to Do When You’re Struggling to Focus Ep. 61

by Leave a Comment

What to Do When You’re Struggling to Focus

S. 5 E. 61

person with sticky note reminders all over her face, What to Do When You Are Struggling to FocusListen to this episode to find ways to improve your focus and get more done with fewer distractions.

Show notes:

Episode Summary:

We live in a society that makes it difficult to focus. Visual and audio stimulation surrounds us. Think about it, how long can you go without a phone call, text or notification on your phone?  How long before you are interrupted by someone needing something?  We are also plagued with too much to do, not enough time to do it, and the myth that multi-tasking will help us get it all done.

We need to focus.

Today we’re going to talk about things you can do to improve your focus and get more done with fewer distractions.

In this episode:

The following is not a word for word script of the podcast. During the podcast we talk back and forth and share stories and examples. For the complete content, listen to the podcast. Below you will find an outline with key points.

Introduction:

Distractions practically scream at us, “Stop!  Pay attention to me!”  Distractions are difficult to ignore and so we flit from thing to thing, switching gears midflight, stopping one thing to attend to another and finishing nothing. It is ineffective and unproductive.

Wallowing and feeling sorry for yourself isn’t going to help. Nor is endlessly scrolling. You can’t do ten things at once or try to move forward by tackling everything in sight.

Well, put your records on- it’s time to rock and roll!

Here are our suggestions to increase focus, regain energy, and get momentum moving forward again:

Sleep.

It’s a lot harder to get things when you are exhausted. Trying to do more by sleeping less is like trying to fill a bucket with a whole in the bottom. It isn’t going to happen. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by tasks because we are physically tired! Prioritizing sleep may help.

Eat that frog.

This idea, based on the book with the same name by Brian Tracy, is that if you do the most important, most difficult, and biggest tasks the first thing in the morning, the rest of the day gets easier.

Time Block.

Build out weekly calendars with time blocks including time for projects, phone calls, emails  and other routine tasks. Plan out your prep times. Build in social time and relaxation time.  A time blocked calendar  helps you easily see the times for work and for play, and it is easier to work hard knowing when a break is coming up or when you will have time for yourself.

Group like things. 

We’ve talked about this one before, and that is because it is really effective. Along with time blocking is the idea of grouping like items together and accomplishing them as a group rather than as a bunch of individual items. For example, group all of your emails and polish them off in one sitting. Make a list of all of your errands and then do them all together rather than dividing them out throughout the week.

If you haven’t tried grouping like items and tackling them as one block, give it a try. It is magical.

Get up and move.

Sometimes you need to allow yourself to get up and move. When your big muscles, like the ones in your thighs, are moving, they are pumping blood to your heart.  More blood circulation means more oxygen flows to the brain and more oxygen can’t help but improve your thinking.

Moving is good for the brain. If you are stuck and can’t focus, try getting up and moving around for a couple of minutes.

Another idea is to try a standing desk. Or set 15 minute blocks to accomplish things that include movement such as folding laundry or picking up around the classroom.

Stay hydrated.

Dehydration impairs our ability to think and to focus. This is an idea that seems obvious, but it is easy to ignore our need for water when we get busy.

In schools,  we often give water to students before they take standardized tests. Many teachers keep a water bottle on their desk so they can stay hydrated. If you aren’t already doing this, give it a try.

There are also apps that will help you track your water. If you are a visual person or like to complete with your results from the day or week before, consider downloading an app that will track your water drinking.

We also have a habit tracker where you can keep track of your water, sleep or any other habits in our book,  The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Your Best Self.

Use noise to your advantage.

Many people like to listen to soft music or other sounds in the background as they work. Try gentle water sounds, soft drum beats or other ambient noise. Set a timer for the number of minutes you have to work. Often, before you realize how long you have been working, a bell lets you know time is up.

You may also want to play music or a podcast to help pass the time quickly when you are doing tasks that aren’t fun but that need to be done. If you can batch those tasks and play fun music or an inspirational podcast, you will be amazing at how quickly the time will pass and how much less distracted you will be.

Enjoy guilt free downtime.

When you have a lot to do, it feels like you should be doing something. However, if you allow yourself a few hours with a good TV show or book, you will probably have an improved attitude towards your work. Give yourself the gift of guilt free downtime. You will likely find that you come back to your work feeling refreshed and get more done in less time.

Try the Pomodoro Technique.

We’ve also talked about this one before. Set a timer, or your watch, for 25 minutes and work on a task. When the timer goes off, get up and move for five minutes.  Then repeat the process as needed. When you know you are going to work for 25 minutes, you can usually accept that, get started, and focus for 25 minutes. Sometimes that’s all it takes to be more productive.

You can also create a nice combination of several of the strategies we already mentioned. Work on a task for 25 minutes, then in your 5 minutes of movement get up and move, hydrate, listen to fun music and have a little dance party! Focus on joy for those 5 minutes to you are refreshed for the next 25 minutes of tasks.

Conclusion:

There are seasons in our lives when we have heavy workloads or big projects to accomplish. Just when you need to focus, you sometimes find that you can’t get anything accomplished. It takes a more purposeful focus to accomplish things during times of stress, but it is possible to work through a seemingly insurmountable workload and get things done.

We end with this quote from Daniel Goleman:

“One way to boost our will power and focus is to manage our distractions instead of letting them manage us.”

Recap:

We all have times when we struggle to focus, which leads to procrastination and overwhelm.  You can learn to improve your focus with self-care activities, talking time to enjoying something fun, and learning to time block and batch your work. You can take advice from experts and Eat That Frog, or try a technique such as the Pomodoro Technique. There are strategies you can easily adopt to help you improve your focus and get those to-do things crossed off your list.

Quote:

“One way to boost our will power and focus is to manage our distractions instead of letting them manage us.”

Daniel Goleman

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Books:

Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

 The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Your Best Self

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In:  Inspired Together Learning

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

Time Hacks for Busy Teachers Ep. 48

by Leave a Comment

Time Hacks for Busy Teachers S. 4 E. 4clock, notebook, Time Hacks for Busy Teachers

Listen to this episode to learn more about ways you can make the best use of your time in order to avoid the frustration and overwhelm of not getting things done.

Show notes:

Episode Summary:

Do you often feel too busy, overwhelmed with things to do, and over extended? Are you fueled by caffeine, using sugar as a quick boost or living on adrenalin? If so, you might benefit from these time hacks that will allow you to make the best of your time and take control of your to-do list.

In this episode:

The following is a summary of the content in this episode. To hear all of the examples and stories, please listen to the podcast episode.

Introduction:

So many of us are chronically exhausted with all the things we have to do. Do you feel like you never get enough done? Are you constantly putting out little fires everywhere? Are you over committed and overscheduled?

Other signs that you might be out of control with your time is that you put things off to the last minute, creating stress and urgency as you rush to get them done. Likewise, you may speed while driving to avoid running late. You find yourself procrastinating not because you don’t want to do the things you need to do, but because you don’t even know where to start.

Dealing with a constantly overloaded system causes adrenalin to keep running through your body. Adrenalin is great, and it helps keep us safe in times of disaster or when we are in true danger. But when we aren’t in danger, it just overloads our system. We stay in fight or flight mode which causes chronic stress.

If you want to know more about that, listen to episode 16, Real Self Care, where we talk about ways to stop stress hormones from flooding your system.

We’re all been overloaded and stressed by our work load. We’re talking you today not because we have totally mastered time, but because it is regularly something that we think about and plan for.

Today we’re going to share some time hacks that might help you get back in control of your time.

Time hack #1: Eliminate distractions and interruptions.

Every time your brain switches from one activity to another, it takes up to 15 minutes to adjust to the new task and then back to the first task as we refocus. That’s inefficient. When we are busy, it is tempting to try to juggle several different activities at once, but means nothing is getting our best attention.

It’s possible to control the disruptions with a few of these ideas:

  • Turn your phone on silent when you are working. You don’t always need to answer the phone when it rings! Likewise with computer notifications.
  • Close your door when you are trying to get serious work done. It prevents the coworker from stopping in to chat during your prep time.
  • Watch how often you are scrolling on your phone. Scrolling is a serious time disrupter. You think you’re taking a break and then you look up and 30 minutes have passed.
  • Try using the Pomodoro technique where you focus on one task for 25 minutes before you take a five minute break.
  • Check email a couple of times a day, rather than checking it constantly. There is always going to be something new in your in box, but you rarely need to see it right away. You can set an auto responder that tells parents what times you will check your email and when they can expect a response from you.
  • Turn off push notifications on your phone and computer.

It is a great idea to control your time where you can.

Another way to get on top of your to-do lists is to use batching.

Time hack #2: Learn to batch tasks.

Batching tasks means that you put like items together and then handle them all at once.

Many of you already know that food prepping on the weekends makes your week run more smoothly and help you eat better. Apply that same idea to other tasks.

Instead of going to copy something every time you need copies, try to make all of your copies for the week ahead of time.

Put all your errands together and run them at the same time.

The same principal works with home chores too. It may seem easier to throw in a load of laundry every day, but it adds to your mental load every time you do it. You might actually save time or energy if you do it all on the same evening or weekend morning.

Consider how you can save time or mental energy by batching your tasks.

Time hack #3: Set up an environment for success.

You probably spend most of your time in one of three environments, your home, your classroom, or your car.

Consider how these spaces support you. How do you feel when you are in your spaces?

At home, are things fairly organized so you can find what you need easily? Is it over stimulating with too much stuff?

Is your home calm and relaxing or chaotic? What could you do at home that would support you throughout the week? Play soft music? Light a candle? Have dinner ready in the crock pot?

The same ideas work at school. Is it time for cleaning out and organizing the things in your room? Do you need a refresh? Is your classroom full of visual clutter that stresses you out? Try taking a few things off the walls. Over stimulus causes you to fight to attend to things. Some students are very susceptible to too much stimulus and it can act on their nervous system in a detrimental way.

Don’t forget your car. How does that environment support you? Could you pack your bags and put them in the car the night before? Keep your gym bag in the car, filled and ready to go? Keep an extra phone cord in the car for when your phone drains down?

It is difficult to relax and unwind on your drive home from work if you are surrounded by empty coffee cups and the French flies the kids spilled on the floor.

Time hack #4: Know your daily “must-do” tasks.

We often have expectations of getting more done than we can possibly handle. If you have one forty minute prep period and plan to grade assignments from 8 classes, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Narrow down your expectations:

  • What are your top three priorities for the day? If you only got these three things accomplished, your day would be successful.
  • Who needs you on your “A” game? This one reminds you that people are your priority.
  • What can I do for myself today to bring me joy, peace or fulfillment? Don’t forget about yourself in the process.

 Time hack #5: Spend a few minutes each day in silence and reflection.

You need room to slow down and breath. Silence also allows you to connect with your inner voice, which usually offers wisdom. It will allow your creative a chance to come through. A few minutes of reflection  will often slow you down enough to see the big picture, to help you make good decisions and good choices, all of which can improve your focus and time management.

Your silence can look like many things- a walk in nature, exercise, journaling, meditating, praying, or just spending a few minutes looking out the window.

A few minutes of silence and reflection is a way of plugging into your own energy source, a way of recharging your inner battery. When your battery is charged, things run more smoothly. There are fewer glitches and you will feel that you have more control over your day. And as a bonus, it often helps you to stay closer to your dreams and follow through on the goals that will make them come to life.

All of these ideas come down to making things less chaotic and more simple. Take control of what you can control. Taking control of what you can will allow you to take control of your to-do list.

Recap:

Most of us are challenged by not having as much time as we’d like, but all of us are challenged to work with in the same 24 hours per day. We can’t get more time, but we can make better use of our time and set up systems and processes that will allow us to use our time in the best ways possible.

Quote:

You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself.

The storm will pass. 

Timber Hawkeye

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Inspired together Teachers podcast episode 16, Real Self Care

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In:  Inspired Together Teachers

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

Conquering Criticism Ep. 45

by Leave a Comment

Conquering Criticism S. 3 Ep. 45

Conquering Criticism

Listen to this episode to stop fearing your critics and conquer criticism! 

Show notes:

The following is a summary of this episode. To experience the entire show, please listen to the episode.

Episode Summary:

Fear of criticism can be a powerful deterrent in our lives. Do you have a fear of failure? Are you afraid to let your real ideas and preferences known? Do your fears of what people will think ever hold you back from living a life you want to live? If any of these things are true, you might have a fear of criticism. Today, we’re talking about how to cope with and conquer criticism.

In this episode:

Fear of criticism is powerful because the criticism doesn’t even actually have to occur for the fear to set in. Just the memory of past criticism or the potential that people will not like or understand us is enough to shut us down.

Perfectionism is one sign of fear of criticism.

Many of us fear criticism. Nobody likes being criticized, but some people have people have a particularly strong fear around it.

According to thought leader and marketing guru Seth Godin, people aren’t afraid of failure. What we are really afraid of is criticism. We choose not to try new things, launch new initiatives, or say something remarkable or audacious because we worry that we will be called out. We worry that someone will hate our ideas. We don’t want to be laughed at or to feel foolish if someone remarks on something we have done.

You may have had a negative experience like that, and it changed your future behaviors.

That is why we are often afraid to step out of the box, to put new ideas into the world and to express our true feelings.

Fortunately, you can overcome fear of criticism.

Let’s look at some of the issues around fear of criticism and how we can overcome them.

Fear of criticism keeps you from sharing your ideas.

Have you ever been in a class or a workplace situation where a question or idea was shot down? Chances are, you learned not to speak up because you might get knocked down as well.

Holding back is sometimes safer than opening yourself up to possible criticism. We may not give our most genius selves to the world, but neither will we allow the world to crush us.

At work, this often shows up as not speaking up and sharing our ideas. Have you ever been at a faculty meeting and withheld a thought or idea?

We don’t want to be told, “that’s a stupid idea,” or “that will never work,” or “we tried that already and it didn’t work.”

It is a safe choice. It also keeps your unique ideas from getting into the world.

The next time you are hesitating to speak, take a few minutes to answer these questions:

Could my ideas offer something of value?

If you are thinking them, there is something there. Let it  out into the world. Not everything will stick, and that is okay.

What is lost if I don’t speak up? 

If it matters, it is worth bringing up your idea.

What if they don’t like my ideas? 

If people don’t like your ideas, that’s fine. You can’t please everyone. If they question your ideas, you  know they heard you. You know you said something worth remarking on.

What is the worse that could happen?

You might find that the worst thing that could happen is that someone will disagree with you or won’t like your idea. If that is the case, could you live with that? Usually, the answer is yes!

You worry about what people think.

This thought likely comes from someone saying this phrase to you as a child. It was meant as a reproach, as a way to stop you from doing or saying something. You may even have used this phrase yourself.

Why are we so afraid of what people think? Do we really care what they think? Sometimes, the answer should be no.

Too often, we worry about what people we don’t even know will think. Have you ever put on a clean shirt to go to the grocery store? Do you really care what the cashier thinks? Will they even notice?

Asking this question can be very liberating.

What other people think about us is none of our business.

That is an audacious and bold statement, and you may disagree. It takes confidence to let go of worrying about what other people think. After all, you can’t control what someone else thinks.

Sometimes you are your own worse critic.

External critics aren’t our only worry. Many of us also have a strong inner critic running rampant in our own head. Our inner critic is responsible for stopping us from doing many of the things we want to do.

It is easy to stop yourself from doing something. What if it doesn’t work out? What if they don’t get it? What if they think I am a narcissistic, raving lunatic?

Ask yourself what benefits you will get from whatever it is you are afraid to do. If the benefits outweigh the risks, it is worth a chance.

Tell that bully in your head to go away.

Then, commit. Believe. Go all in.

Reframe criticism as feedback.

Sometimes what we perceive as criticism is meant to help us, not to reprimand us.

Learn to listen to feedback without becoming angry or defensive. Even if you don’t agree with the feedback and didn’t invite, it might be an opportunity for growth or development. Ask yourself, “what can I learn from this?”

You might want to check out podcast episode 44, Finding Optimism in Silver Linings where we talk about finding the good in negative circumstances.

For example, put yourself into the shoes of a student. We are giving students feedback all day every day which they could easily interpret as criticism even if that is what we didn’t intend. Give ourselves the same expectations that we have for our student.

Don’t take everything so personally.

It is easy to take criticism to heart. It feels like a personal attack. It bruises our ego, which feels threatening.

Sometimes criticism is not about you. You don’t always know what someone else is going through. Maybe they are having a bad day and just need to vent, and you were the person in front of them.

The curt email from the principal might mean that she is super busy, not that she is upset with you.

Your friend didn’t text you back? She’s not mad at you, she just hasn’t seen it or she got interrupted before responding.

Discern if the criticism is worth your time and energy.

First of all, you listen. Then you analyze. It is true? Is it valid? Is it helpful? Is it for your improvement?

If it is worth listening to, act on it, if not, let it go.

Conclusion

We leave you with this quote for today from Aristotle, “There is only one way to avoid criticism: Do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.”

That’s no way to live. Instead, dare to be above average, original, and unique.

Recap:

Fear of criticism can cause us to hold ourselves back and play small. When you avoid doing things that potentially cause you to be criticized, you are also withholding something value from the world. Use criticism as an opportunity for learning, and recognize that it is not always about you. You can conquer fear of criticism!

Quote:

“There is only one way to avoid criticism: Do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.”

Aristotle

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Godin, S. (2008). Tribes: We need you to lead us. New York: Penguin Group.

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Inspired together Teachers podcast episode 44 Finding Optimism in Silver Linings

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In:  Inspired Together Teachers

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all written content and photos are created for the Inspired Together Teachers web site. Please feel free to share on social media, but we ask that you link back to this site or give credit to origins and authorship. Copyright 2017 Inspired Together Learning, LLC

Connect with us on Social Media!

Occasionally, posts on this site will contain affiliate links. We only write about or recommend products we truly like or use and would personally recommend to you. If you purchase a product through our link, we may receive a small percentage of the purchase amount. There is no additional cost to you. This allows us to pay for the costs of hosting this blog.

Additionally, we do collect a small amount of personal data so that we may create the best experience possible for our visitors. To learn more about how we collect this data please review our Privacy Policy.

Verified by ExactMetrics