From Firefighter to Fire Chief—Taking Charge of Your Time and Priorities

When Jessica Johnson, Sarah Johnson, and I wrote Balance Like a Pirate, my oldest child was still in middle school (he’s now a sophomore in college!). Back then, our favorite show to watch together was Chicago Fire. I couldn’t help but notice the parallels between the first responders on the show and the lives of educators. Both groups share a deep sense of loyalty and dedication to their work. However, one difference stood out: everyone knew their role in the firehouse. The firefighters and the fire chief had clear and distinct responsibilities, and each did their job well.

As educators, we often wear many hats—juggling multiple roles without clear boundaries. Maybe you’re doing a great job in one area of your life, while other parts are left to chance, squeezed into the rare spare moment. But what if we started treating all aspects of our lives—personal, professional, positional, and passion—as equally important? What if we gave each quadrant the time and attention it deserves to help us succeed holistically?

Finding Your Core in the Quadrants

In Balance Like a Pirate, we introduced the Balance Quadrants to help identify the key areas of our lives:

• Personal: Who are you at your core? These are your roles and titles outside of work—parent, partner, friend.
• Professional: How are you growing, learning, and continuing to develop in your career?
• Positional: Your day job—what you’re paid to do.
• Passions: What excites you? What brings joy to your life and your family? These are the sparks that keep you going.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of being a “firefighter” in your life, running from one urgent task to the next. But what if you embraced the role of “fire chief”? What if you made intentional decisions about where your time and energy go, leading with vision rather than reacting to crises?

Take Action: Prioritize and Let Go

To help you step into the fire chief role, below is a link to the BLAP Quadrants Worksheet. Take just 10 minutes to list everything you are doing in each quadrant of your life. Once it is on paper, take a moment to reflect:

• What truly needs your attention right now?
• What can you let go of, delegate, or save for another season of life?

Closing Thought

This week I challenge you to take charge of your quadrants. Align your time with your true priorities. Lead your life like a fire making intentional choices that all you to not just survive, but thrive.

Call to Action:

Ready to stop putting out fires and start living with intention? Take the next step in your journey to balance—download the BLAP Quadrants Worksheet and map out your quadrants. Reflect on what to prioritize, what to delegate, and what to let go. This is your time to lead with clarity, purpose, and control.
Click this link for a pdf of the Balance Like a Pirate Quadrants to use.