When I was a principal, I would get home from school and my husband would ask me a simple question, like where would I like to go for dinner. And at the end of a long day, I remember that the idea of making another decision sounded painful. And I know that I’m not alone in this experience.

As school leaders, we make decisions all day long and it can be extremely taxing to our brains. Not all of them are big decisions, but they all take a little (or a lot) out of us. Have you really considered how you make decisions and what goes into reaching them? I want to bring some awareness to our decision-making process this week because the way we make decisions impacts everything in our lives.

 

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We are now into the second half of the school year, and I hope you’re all rejuvenated after the winter break. This is the perfect time to talk about how to take a good look at our beliefs and begin the process of renewing our faith in them.

The best part of a brand-new year is the anticipation of what is possible in our future. We love a new year so much is because we spend time before January planning and dreaming of the impact we can make on our own lives and our school, and we have a clean slate with which to do it.

 

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I’ve been looking back on 2019 – the actions I’ve taken, the emotional states I’ve been in, the thoughts I’ve been thinking – and while I’ve had some huge successes, I’ve found it hard to ignore the flops and failures.

“Failing is not an option.” We are inevitably going to fail at some point or another, but as humans, we still inherently believe that failure is bad and that we should avoid it at all costs. So, it’s time to see failure for what it is and begin to embrace it so we can get back on track afterward.

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Over December, we’ve been discussing what self-care is, what it isn’t, and how to hone your self-care discipline so that time for yourself is scheduled and boundaries are set around it so you can honor your body’s needs. And while physically attending to ourselves is important, today’s focus will be on how you can empower your emotional and mental wellbeing.

This is a topic that is less a part of the discussion around self-care because there’s something vulnerable about exposing our mental health needs to others, especially as administrators of a school. However, it’s time to talk candidly about our own emotional self-care and how taking the time to see to your emotional needs will transform your work as a school leader.

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One thing I took from working as a principal is that the hours are long and it can feel like the work is never done. I even know some school leaders who, after they’ve finished up for the day at their school, will go and volunteer at their child’s school.

With such an incredible workload, there is one thing that almost always falls by the wayside – self-care. When you’re focusing so much of your time on work, a little self-care can go a really long way to helping you be the effective leader your school deserves.

 

 

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