Tuesday, March 3, 2015

SOL - Day 3 -Discombobulated

In our team leader book study we have been reading The 15 Laws of Growth by John Maxwell. As I have been reading and responding to our discussions, I have become aware of the fact that I keep talking about balance...the lack of it between work and my home life. I know it will never be equal but I would like more of a balance. I often put my work ahead of my daughter and family.

So, I have consciously made an effort to leave school earlier to follow through with the commitments I have made not only to my family but also to my health, in terms of exercising more. I must say that is has not had the intended effect on me!

I find myself worrying more, scatter-brained, and not feeling as  focused. I find myself thinking that maybe this wasn't the best time in the school year (right before STAAR) to start making these new changes. We all know that there is never a "right" time though. If something is important to you then sometimes you just have to take the plunge.

This brings me back to finding balance...I'm still looking...do you have any suggestions?
For tonight, I think a hot bath is in order and trying to get some actual sleep! Tomorrow is a new day.

8 comments:

  1. I work on balance every day. I was diagnosed with a chronic disease...and it forced me to work on balance...choose just one small change at a time...that is the cognitive task...until you do it with automaticity!

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  2. I work on balance every day. I was diagnosed with a chronic disease...and it forced me to work on balance...choose just one small change at a time...that is the cognitive task...until you do it with automaticity!

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  3. you are so right..I think so many could concur with you. It IS so unbalanced at least in time. 8:00am -4:30 pm 8 1/2 hours at school each day. That leaves maybe only 4 waking hours with my family??? That in its self is unbalanced ...Don't forget we have to still have to grade papers, plan etc which takes even more time away from my home and family life. I don't have all the answers either. I just try enjoy and make the most of the time I do have.....:)

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  4. you are so right..I think so many could concur with you. It IS so unbalanced at least in time. 8:00am -4:30 pm 8 1/2 hours at school each day. That leaves maybe only 4 waking hours with my family??? That in its self is unbalanced ...Don't forget we have to still have to grade papers, plan etc which takes even more time away from my home and family life. I don't have all the answers either. I just try enjoy and make the most of the time I do have.....:)

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  5. I think it's so easy to say to just prioritize. However, employers aren't always so understanding when you want to get home to spend time with family. Family definitely isn't understanding when you are taking time away from them to do more work. It's a never ending battle for mothers. I hope you know that you are doing a wonderful job at both, even if you don't always feel that way.

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  6. Greetings fellow Texan (STAAR Reference) :) For years, my focus was on balance. I wanted more balance especially between home/work/personal time. It took me years (and a lot of therapy) to realize that I was looking at "balance" as a static state where I felt perfectly aligned in all areas of my life. Never too much or too little of anything. I've finally found peace with the fact that balance is not one static place...it is dynamic and what we should strive for is to continually move back toward center. But sometimes...the scales tip and work needs to be more of a priority. That's o.k. as long as when that crunch time (STAAR) is over, you can go back and give more to yourself and your family. It's the way I get through the tough times at work when I have to give more of myself there, than at home. I know in a week or a month, it will even out again! IThanks for the post.

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  7. Balance is a constant work in progress for me too. I talk about it a lot with my pre-service teachers because without balance, I don't think longevity in the classroom is possible. I don't have any tips because it's such a struggle for me too! I do try to be fully present at home, put devices away, stay off computer, and give my son my full attention.

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  8. I know we've been writing for the past few days as part of the challenge so it is taking me awhile to get around to everyone's blogs since there are many slicers. That said, WELCOME to our writing community!

    It is so hard to find balance when you're an educator. I've written quite a bit about it on TWT through the years. Here's a look at one of them: https://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/say-no/.

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