Work-Life Balance
I’m sitting here on a Sunday evening worrying about the mound of work I didn’t complete over the Easter break. Last night I woke in a panic numerous times thinking it was Monday and I’d slept through the morning.
I love my job.
But there has to be another way.
Teaching naturally attracts conscientious people and we often put others’ needs before our own. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and/ or feel guilty we haven’t ‘done enough.’
I’ve been teaching for well over a decade and I still don’t always get it right (see opening paragraph) but here are a few strategies that I’ve found work:
A diary. I’ve tried putting dates in my phone, iPad, and email calendar but I found it was overwhelming having reminders constantly popping up. The best way I’ve found is a paper diary. It means I’m only looking at ‘school stuff’ when I’m at school.
Stop taking work home that you don't have time for. Do you have that teacher bag that travels to and from school, you know the one? You’re not even sure what’s in it half the time. A bag of books or learning journals staring at you from the corner of the room will spoil your evening when you should be relaxing and switching off. Leave it at school.
Stop writing your to-do lists on Post-It notes and plastering them all over your laptop or wall. This creates the perception that your workload is out of control and the visual of all the Post-It’s will overwhelm you. Have a notebook and centralise your to-do lists.
Set a time to finish each day. Teachers have an endless list and there will always be ‘one more thing’ you can do. Setting a time to leave each day will help give you a deadline to your working day. Prioritise, ensuring everything is ready for your next teaching day. If you’ve got time for other jobs, great. If not, they can wait.
Stay clear of staffroom politics and gossip. It wastes time and is often negative and unproductive. Of course you should take a break in the staffroom away from the children, giving yourself time to switch off for a bit. But ensure your time at school is productive. Don’t hang around talking because before you know it, it’s half 5 and you’ve done nothing.
Recover. The first 2-3 days of the holidays I have found I need to recover. For me that means I sleep until my body wakes up, I laze about doing jobs like laundry in between watching Netflix. If I do this, I find my holiday is much more productive and enjoyable as I am recharged. I then have space in my mind for socialising, and other things I love to do. Definitely DO NOT fill the holiday with work you have not been able to do during term time.
The above strategies are not exhaustive and are things I have found work for me. I don’t always get it right and I am sure there are other strategies I could be applying. Have a go at my suggestions, see if they work, adapting them where you need to.
Find what works for you.
If you’ve got any strategies that work for you, share them in the comments box below - every little helps!
Final note
The effects of a heavy workload or no work/life balance can have detrimental effects on your physical and mental well-being. It can cause stress, burnout, and anxiety to name a few.
If you’re struggling with your workload and you feel that it’s starting to affect your mental health, you should bring it up with SLT immediately or reach out to a friend to talk it through.