I could easily work 12 hour days and still feel behind. That, unfortunately, is the culture of education. We are constantly asked to do so much with so little in return. Every time I blink, it seems "one more thing" is added to our plates. I don't hold admin at fault because they too are accountable to higher ups.
But being a work-a-holic is not sustainable. It's not healthy. There's no medal in working twelve hour days all the time. Fellow colleagues seem to enjoy bragging about their long hours, as if staying at work until the late evening is a badge of honor.
News flash, it's not.
There are days when long hours are unavoidable. They seem to exist around the beginning of the year (setting up classrooms is time consuming), parent/teacher conference time, report card time (writing comments takes a while when each one is three individualized paragraphs about specific strengths and weaknesses), carnival time, or end of the year (again, report card fun).
In an attempt for balance, I start each day with a to do list. I write out the items that absolutely must get accomplished that day and then leave space for additional tasks that are needed, but necessarily time sensitive.
At the end of the day, I remake the list for the next day so I can come in with a purpose.
I also keep my door shut from 7 until 8 am. I prefer working in silence because it's when I'm most productive. Our start time is 8:26, so I'll open my door around 8 if others want to come in to chat, problem solve, etc. I try not to seek out others before school unless it's absolutely necessary because I know I easily get caught up in chit chat.
I don't bring work home unless I absolutely have to and stop responding to parent messages after 5 pm. I know all my students' parents mean well, but I don't appreciate frantic messages on class dojo after 7 pm wanting to discuss grading. There are boundaries.
(I have gotten middle of the night texts about family emergencies and hospital visits. That I understand. I don't respond until I wake up, but it's good to have the heads up about things that are happening.)
My weekends are for me, family, and friends. We've had some rather full weekends this year. In the first seven weeks of the school year, we attended three different weddings. B was in one of them as a groomsman. Another weekend brought hosting out of state friends who were in town for a wedding (that we weren't invited to). Weekends are for movie marathons, Netflix binging, lunches with friends, and dinner dates.
Without balance, individuals are at a much higher risk of burn-out.
What are you doing to promote balance this weekend?
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