Educator’s Guide to Work-Life Balance: Boundaries, Bandwidth, and More

It’s time to start aligning the priorities in your life with the time in your day.
#PrincipalinBalance

Self-regulation during the return to school is not just important—it’s essential. Building habits, setting boundaries, and creating margin in your day will help you not just in September, but throughout the school year—especially when February and May roll around.

Here are three strategies I’ve found for managing my bandwidth during busy seasons:

Purpose in Planning

Does your calendar run you, or do you run your calendar? To bring more purpose and accountability to my days, I use the Full Focus Planner for a weekly preview every Sunday. This helps me think ahead, prepare for what’s coming, and adjust to ensure that I have both time in my day and mental space to complete my tasks.

Pause in the Pace

It may seem counterintuitive, but during busy seasons, it’s crucial to find time for breaks. Commit to leaving work at a reasonable hour at least three days a week, and try to disconnect when you do (e.g., turning off email for the night). Modeling these boundaries can have a ripple effect in your school or organization, helping to reset the expectation that work stays at work, leaving time for life outside of it.

Praise in the Process

Too often, we race through our days without giving ourselves or others the recognition we need. As educators, we can easily fixate on the negative noise rather than celebrating the positive. Shifting your focus to what’s going well will help build resilience for the year ahead.

One practice that helps me do this is my morning routine, which I’ve followed since 2016. Every morning, I wake up, complete a devotional, journal, and do some form of exercise. My journaling always includes the following prompts:

• Three things I was grateful for (from the day before)
• Three things I’m looking forward to (for the day ahead)

I’ve kept these journals over the years, and looking back on them, especially during tough seasons, reminds me that even in dark times, I could always find three things that kept me going.

Closing Thought: Gratitude Through the Grind

While you’re reflecting on what’s going well, take a moment to send a message or note of gratitude to someone else. An extra dose of gratitude during a busy season helps us stay grounded and ready for the work ahead.

Looking for more ideas? Check out Principal in Balance: Leading at Work and Living a Life.