Work to Live or Live to Work?
Work to Live or Live to Work?
Now that we are teaching fully virtually, I feel like I have less work-life balance than ever before. In the good old days, I would at least try to leave my work at school. Yes, I was constantly toting papers to grade back and forth from the school to my house, but I rarely checked my emails or worked on planning at home. I somehow found time for these work tasks during the school day, and felt secure that students could wait until the next morning for me to respond to an email. Now, I feel like there is no break. I'm constantly checking and responding to emails, working on lesson plans until 1:00 in the morning, and creating assignments on weekends. I now only teach two lessons a week instead of five, and I gain back two extra hours a week because I don't need to commute. But I still feel like there are less hours in the day than ever before, and like I have less and less time to focus on my own well-being. I didn't really realize how many extra hours I was spending on work until a colleague retweeted this infographic earlier this week:
While I feel like I am doing some of the "dos," I'm also doing most of the "don'ts." It already feels like I don't have any time for me or my personal life.
I'm not a big breakfast eater, but I do enjoy my morning coffee. However, more often than not, I run downstairs to make my coffee, then take it back to my desk to drink while I catch up on emails from the evening before. Coffee has never been a me-time activity, always a beverage to be enjoyed while en route to school. My goal: drink my first cup of coffee outside on the porch, then take the second cup upstairs to drink while answering emails. Will this require waking up earlier? Yes. Will it be worth it? I don't know. I'm a big fan of sleep.
I always keep a running to do list, and I prioritize my tasks by when they are due. However, I have to admit that I don't always complete the tasks in that prioritized order. Sometimes, I need a break from a task, and I give myself that break by working on a different task that seems more manageable at the time. I definitely also "work long" - jumping from one task to meeting to another. My goal: add due dates and time limits to my to do list to help me stay on track and complete tasks in a more orderly fashion. Will I spend way more time on a task than allotted most of the time? Probably, but hopefully not.
I almost never eat lunch during my allocated lunch break. I work through lunch, and then try to shove my lunch in at the last second before my next class. And, though I am a big fan of outdoor walks for mental wellness, I find it hard to take a walk break during the day. What if an email needs to be answered? What if I'm not back in time for my next class? I find myself stressing about work on the mid-day walks instead of using the time to destress. My goal: take a 30 minute lunch break each day, away from my computer and phone. Bonus points if I eat lunch outside on the porch instead of in front of the TV.
This one is really difficult for me. I want to please everyone, and I know that others are depending on me to complete my work at a certain level. This year, I am in a new leadership position as the Content Specialist for my department, I am teaching a new grade level, my department is using a new curriculum, and I am in my first semester of grad school. On top of this, my admin wants me to take OAT as soon as possible so I can start conducting formal observations of my department members. I have tried saying that I am overwhelmed and don't feel like I can take on any more at this time. I have asked if I can push the OAT class to the spring or summer, but my requests have gone unanswered. I don't know how I'm going to have enough time or brain power to take on another responsibility. My goal: ask again? I'm really not sure about this one.
Now that we are working 100% from home, this is even worse for me than before. My desk is in my bedroom, so I feel like there is no separation from work. I also often stay up late working from my bed. Technology makes it so much easier for us to blur the work-life separation that we all really need. My goal: don't work from my bed anymore! Complete all work at my desk, and leave my laptop at my desk when I am finished. Maybe set a turn-off time? is midnight too late?
I try to go for a walk outside every single day. I will admit, I let this slip once the school year started up again. However, after about two weeks off, I made it a point to start up again and stick with it. I much prefer to walk after school instead of during the work day, but I will say this is one of the areas where I think I'm doing the best. My goal: keep it up!
I so wish I could plan a vacation. I'll just have to skip this one for now. My goal: plan a trip as soon as it is safe to travel.
This may be the area where I do the worst. I am a night owl, and do a lot of my work at night. This also causes me to have a difficult time waking up the next morning and feeling productive during the day. It is a vicious cycle. My goal: set a recurring alarm for bed each night to keep me on track. Will I always listen to it? Who knows.
Overall, I know that my work-life balance needs to change, or I'll drive myself crazy. Now that I've written down my goals, they will hopefully be easier to accomplish.
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