Do you ever feel as if you need 36 hours in a day to accomplish all you have to do?
Do you feel overwhelmed as if you are just too behind to ever catch up?
When is the last time you had some time for yourself? or time with family and friends?
Well, July 5th came and our annual family and friends Fourth of July party at our house was over! My husband and I were able to relax because our house was clean and the mess from the basement project was no longer taking over the main floor of the house. My husband got a major promotion, which enabled him to work from home. Awesome, right? Well, it was an amazing opportunity, yet we knew we had to finally clean up the clutter in the basement (After 2 kids, the pile of crib, baby swing, high chair, stroller, car seats, playpen, baby toys, crawlers, and boxes of clothes organized by size was just getting out of control).
The weeknights and weekends of the past few months were spent building an office in the basement for my husband, making sure I had a space in the office for a desk for me and for my boxes of books, and organizing the clutter to make it accessible while trashing the stuff we know we don't need anymore. Our deadline was our Fourth of July party and we made it! We are extremely proud of what we accomplished; even though the kids are home for the summer break, they know when daddy is in his basement office they can't bother him.
But, as I was able to relax on July 5th, I began to realize that my first month of summer break was over and I have so many other projects I wanted to accomplish and they haven't even been started. I was starting to panic, especially since I had an all day meeting July 7th where I had to utilize my Blended Learning lessons and create Learning Spaces for the new school year. I was beginning to think that I wasn't going to be able to accomplish all the projects I planned during the school year; yet, I hate to be defeated. I wasn't giving up. That's when I went downstairs to my office space and was able to see all the books that have been put away in boxes. Yes, my precious books were finally showcased on all the beautiful bookcases, which were built by my very handy father.
Guess which one caught my attention? Juggling Elephants by Jones Loflin. I decided it was time for a refresher and started reading the book. I was blessed to see Jones present at the ICE conference this past February and I think it was time to finally put all of his ideas into practice. This was the perfect time because I did feel like I was juggling elephants and it was my summer break.
I'm sure there are many educators rolling their eyes right now, because I'm sure we have all heard others, especially non-educators ask us:
Are you enjoying your summer?
Don't you like your summers off?
Yet, truly, educators do work during the summer. And, though we might not be teaching daily, many of us are teaching summer school, attending professional development conferences, taking courses, planning for next year, and so much more. We try to enjoy our summer, yet we are definitely not spending the entire summer break on a beach....though that would be nice!
If you look at the image with the tiny person trying to juggle three enormous elephants AND you feel like you could relate to that person....then you definitely need to read Juggling Elephants by Jones Loflin, or at least visit his Juggling Elephants Website. It might save you a trip to the hair salon to cover up the gray hair... though many of us probably need that yearly haircut since we are so busy.
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| image from dreamstime.com |
Think about it, in the past week, have you spent an equal amount of time and energy on these three parts of your life? (Jones would call them the three rings of your circus. Yes, I can be honest and admit that life sometimes seems like a circus. I just hope my circus is organized enough to be productive and worthwhile. No one wants to devote precious time to a mismanaged circus....or, we would complain that we want our money back.)
I have learned that I'm the Ringmaster of my circus and I need to lead my life as if I'm leading a circus because "the result of juggling elephants is that no one, including you is thrilled with the performance" (Loflin 25). That statement really spoke to me. It is definitely true that when you try to get everything done right now, it's not completed in the best way.
Another great piece of advice is that "the ringmaster cannot be in all three rings at once" (Loflin 33). I now realize that I need to give my full attention to what I am doing at the moment and then I can move onto the next act or task when possible. Do you ever feel like you are trying to quiet down your kids while you are trying to clean the kitchen or engage in an #edchat or organize your emails or fold the laundry or anything else and you can't really focus 100% on any of these tasks, which of course means it takes much longer to get them done? Then you are aggravated and your mood just plummets to the ground, leaving you totally unmotivated or moody. Well, I have learned to plan out my day better.
I know that while the kids are eating breakfast, I can answer emails and create my daily To Do List. I usually put a time frame next to each item so that I'm realistic about what I can accomplish in a day. If I simply listed things to do without thinking about the time it took to complete the tasks, I might get disappointed by the end of the day.
After I drop off my older son at football camp (or soccer camp last week or basketball camp two weeks ago), I can come home and spend some quality time with my youngest son. He knows that he gets that one on one time with mommy and then he is happier the rest of the day....and he plays better by himself with his toys or outside, which gives me a break to do something on my list for the day.
After I pick up my oldest son from camp, we can either go home and eat lunch OR get some errands done (like grocery shopping) and then eat lunch. The kids usually need some rest around this time, which means I have some time to get more things on my list done. Or, mommy takes a break as well.
I absolutely love LA Fitness because they have a childcare center in the building. I can drop off my kids and enjoy an hour or two of workout time. I rotate between Zumba, Body Works, Yoga, Pilates, and Treadmill classes. I get to do my exercise for the day and I know my kids are taken care off. And, guess what? My kids love going there. How do I know? Well, it's because I hear "Is it time to go to workout place, mommy?" And, when I say yes, they both jump up and down in joy. Maybe they won't be so excited once they get out of elementary school, but I have several years before I have to worry about that issue. Right now they are just 3 and 6, with lots of energy to use in the play area while mommy works out.
Once we get home, it's dinner time, bath time, and bed time. Reading a book together before bed gives us some more family time. Praying together gives us some spiritual time to be grateful for our day. And, then mommy has the rest of the evening to relax or get back to the to do list. And, if my husband finishes work earlier, we can all spend quality time together.
That reminds me, I finally got a babysitter. My husband and I realized, we need some date nights. So, I now have a babysitter that I trust and my kids LOVE so that my husband and I can work on our relationship and get that alone time that couples need as well.
Life has gotten better and I have been more relaxed because I feel like my circus of a life is under control. I am the Ringmaster and I can control how my day progresses; I no longer feel like chaos is controlling my day. Another piece of advice from Jones' book is that "every act must serve a purpose" and I have realized that my day needs to be filled with meaningful work. Yes, I want to have fun with my family and friends. Yes, I want to prepare for the next school year. And, yes, I need to get the housework done. And, definitely yes, I need to give myself some time to breathe and relax because I deserve to rest so that I can work more effectively and more happily. That is why every item on my To Do List needs to be meaningful and it needs to have a purpose. If it's not worth it, it shouldn't be on my list. If it doesn't fit into my Professional, Family, or Self Ring of my circus, then it doesn't belong on my to do list. Plain and Simple.
Another major quote from the book that really spoke to me in an AHA MOMENT kind of way was: "the relationship between the ringmaster and the performers affects the success of the circus" (Loflin 73). Wow, that is so true! Think about it, if I'm yelling at my kids cause they won't let me finish my work, then neither of us are accomplishing anything. But, if I give some time to spend with my kids, then they are happy. And, they then want to play by themselves, which gives me time to get something accomplished on my list. If my husband and I don't find any time to spend together, then our relationship will suffer. We all need to work together to improve and connect our lives more effectively. And, I believe this truly works for Admin and Educators. Administrators need to build positive relationships with their staff members so that the school environment is positive and successful. Teachers need to build their relationships with their students and parents so that the enhanced communication and respect between the group members leads to more success for the students.
WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER!
Have you been to a circus where the ringmaster is NOT in control? Was that a fun experience? Well, think about your life or your classroom or your school? What can you do to work better together? How can you Juggle Elephants more effectively? We definitely don't want an elephant to fall on us....that would be too painful.
Yes, educators are enjoying a more relaxing summer break, which is important and well-deserved. "Intermission is an essential part of creating a better circus performance" (Loflin 105). We all need a break. If we work too hard, without a break, then we are miserable and too tired to be productive or effective. Enjoy your break, like I'm enjoying mine. I love my personal time, my family time, and my professional time. I now know how to move back and forth from all these essential parts of my life more efficiently. Lesson Learned! Now, all I have to do is keep practicing what I have learned.
Is your life a well-organized circus or is the circus you call life taking over your days?
Do you spend too much time in the Self Ring? Relationship Ring? or Professional Ring?
Do you need more balance in your life? What will you do to be an effective Ringmaster in your circus? When will you start? How will you start?
Remember, YOU are in charge of your life. I'm glad I finally got that message. Happiness is definitely contagious....I noticed my husband is now reading my copy of Juggling Elephants. I wonder what he thinks; it will definitely be a nice conversation to have together.
I know that now that I'm juggling and balancing my life more effectively, the elephants (or tasks) have gotten much smaller and more manageable. Just Juggle...and your life will Jive together better!
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| image from southharbor.org |
