102. TEACHER PEP TALK: How to Manage Busy Seasons without Teacher Burnout [Replay]

[0:00] I don't know about you, but this time of the year is always one that's just like really overwhelming to me.

One, because obviously there's standardized tests, there's end of the year programs, awards day, prom.

In our family, three out of five kids have birthdays back to back to back.

And no matter how often I reflect and how often I can find those patterns in my life, it always strikes me as a surprise.

And so I realized when I was getting ready to do a full new episode, edit it, all that that stuff, that I just, I needed a pep talk.

And right now feels super busy and more than likely you feel that way and you need a pep talk too.

This episode is not just for a specific time of the year.

[0:43] No, this is an episode that I hope you will go back to and listen when you find yourself in one of those, what we might call busy seasons.

And so if you're anything like me, you're struggling to figure out how to get it all done, how to reduce stress, and you just need to to pick me up, where things are feeling like there's just too much on your plate, keep listening because this episode is here to help you shift your mindset. So let's get into it.

[1:47] Before we get into this episode, I wanted to let you know that I am so thankful that you are here.

For those of you who tune in every week, send me messages on Instagram.

Those of you who are sharing the podcast with your teacher friends who are struggling or leaving reviews for the podcast, it truly means the world to me.

Knowing that something I said helped you shift a perspective or do something different that helped you get through this week and feel better means a lot to me that you tune in.

For those of you who are just tuning in for the first time, hey, welcome to the podcast.

[2:20] My whole goal in creating these episodes for showing up is to remind you that you're not alone, even when, gosh, like I know it feels like it.

To bring you that, that pick me up, that pep talk on the ride to work or that tip that you try and it completely changes the game for you.

To get you doing things differently so you're are not so overwhelmed, so that you don't feel so down, to help you realize that your job is not your identity, to reignite your passion so you can make it a sustainable career for you.

Or honestly, just be that supportive person that maybe you don't have in your school building or at home that's got your back, that pushes you to remember how resilient you are. That's what this podcast is all about.

So if you haven't done so before, please take just a quick minute, leave a little review you or screenshot this episode and share it in your stories because doing so helps the podcast to get into the ear holes of more teachers who need it the most.

And so the end of the school year is really tough, right? It's tough every year, no matter how long you've been in education.

You see, we all go through these seasons of time where it's just a lot to pack in and it can.

[3:33] Be really easy just to let that season overwhelm or stress us out.

I know, trust me, I get it.

Lately, it seemed like a lot for me too.

[3:43] I'm a mom. I'm a bonus mom of five kids. They all have different stuff going on.

They've got birthdays because three out of the five of them are in March and April. Then they've got soccer and prom.

I'm still in the classroom as a teacher. I've been dealing with family stuff that we really didn't plan for.

I run this podcast, my business, my programs single-handedly.

But I can honestly tell you that as much as that sounds like, whoa, I am not allowing this season to get the best of me.

And if you're in that predicament too, you need something that's going to change your mindset.

There's this article that I read in Fast Company that really changed my mind about the way I call them busy seasons.

The title of the the article was, you'd be a lot happier if you'd stop saying you're so busy.

If you ask most people how they're doing, at least half of them are going to give you this response that they're busy or some like variation on that theme.

In America, we often see busy as this badge of honor, like busyness equals value, like it's a status symbol.

We've nurtured this narrative that busyness equals equals value, equals worth. And that's not true.

The American Psychological Association states that anxiety and burnout from our busyness is at an all-time high, with 71% of Americans reporting stress during their workday. But here's the thing.

When we think of ourselves as busy.

[5:12] We're making ourselves victims, and I highly doubt that you want to be a victim.

You're listening to this podcast, so I know that you're stronger than that.

In many ways, being busy means I have too many things to do and everything's outside of my control. I'm overwhelmed.

You have more control than you're giving yourself credit for.

Instead of saying, this is a busy season, I'm changing my narrative, changing the vocabulary. And instead, I'm using the season phrases like full or push.

For example, right now, I'd say that not only is the season full for me, but it's also really pushing me to do something outside of my comfort zone.

And I think that simple mindset shift has really given me a lot of peace.

When you think about busy people and productive people, busy people aren't making real progress.

They're overwhelmed. They're in this perpetual state of stress.

Way too many priorities, like a chicken with their head cut off.

And for me, like, I don't want that. I don't want to feel stressed. Like who does?

Being busy isn't this focused energy. It's chaotic.

Instead of seeing yourself as a victim of this, choose instead intentional actions that reduce the stress.

[6:27] Purposely having a full or push season, that's okay. It's going to get you to a a place where you're meeting your goal.

Busy seasons are just unfocused.

That's why push or pull seasons, they give us ownership to ourselves.

Instead of feeling like, ah, there's too much on my plate, it's transformed into the tasks on our plates are not these burdens, but rather choices, blessings.

Like for me, that feels so much more empowering.

Like, yeah, maybe there's a lot going going on. But what is being done is pushing me towards my vision.

It's aligning with my values, my priorities, and I can choose to be driven in my mission and working smarter, not harder.

I know that my family is important.

So sometimes they're going to take up a lot more of my plate than other areas.

That's been a challenge, but it hasn't deterred me from what I want to do.

I think the way that we speak to ourselves and about ourselves has this real power.

And so changing how we go about speaking about specific timeframes is.

[7:36] Maybe is just a small change, but it's got some really big power.

I chose to experience some of these extra tasks on my plate.

So if I don't like them, let's kick those out. Let's set some boundaries around our time, our energy.

So how can we feel less overwhelmed, less stressed, other than just saying, I'm in a full season?

Because for some of you, just changing the narrative, that's not going to work.

It's still going to feel like you're lying to yourself, self, especially if you've been in the stress cycle for a really long time.

It's going to feel unnatural just to call it a new name.

[8:12] It's still the stress cycle regardless, right? So my first tip for you is, number one, define your priorities for this chapter of your teaching journey.

Now, I want to emphasize the importance of considering the current chapter you're in.

When When it comes to these non-negotiable priorities, we got to recognize that they're fluid. They're responsive to change.

Just like seasons transition, so should our priorities.

Like for me currently, this season requires me to be a little less visible on social media.

My priorities are with my family, you guys here on the podcast, my students in the Automate Your Classroom program.

So I'm not as focused on making a TikTok or showing up there because I know the value you that I want to provide in those areas and in my priorities.

So sometimes I have to take a couple of things off my plate to show up where my priorities lie.

[9:06] Think about how your priorities as an educator may differ from a year ago.

[9:11] Maybe you've taken on new roles. You've experienced big life changes.

It's really only natural for your non-negotiable priorities to kind of evolve alongside these shifts.

Your absolute priority should be in line with the time of the year.

So it's going to be too heavy for your current season to continue lugging around all your priorities from previous seasons.

Think about it. What if you never put up your winter clothes?

[9:40] It's going to clutter up your closet. It's going to make it really difficult to find the clothes that you need to wear for your current season. It's a lot like that.

So to truly optimize what your non-negotiable priorities are, they have to resonate with your current circumstances.

If something's non-negotiable, it's non-negotiable. There is no room for debate.

It's not a, well, I've got time for this. I'll get to it.

No, it's an essential thread that weaves through the fabric of your life and it impacts your daily choices.

The true power of non-negotiable priorities is in how selective you are with it.

Having an excessive number of non-negotiables makes it less impactful.

It diminishes your ability to dedicate yourself fully.

You're only one person. Spreading yourself too thin is going to hinder how you show up.

So I want you to think about that. What chapter do you find yourself in as an educator?

And what are the key areas that hold profound significance to you?

These are going to serve as those unwavering or non-negotiable priorities, those focal points where you can invest your time, your energy, your resources.

By aligning your priorities with your current circumstances, you're going to start to see the progress in those full seasons.

You'll start to recognize, hey, I'm doing this for a reason. This isn't chaos.

This is what I need in order to see my goals manifest.

[11:08] So the number one thing that you need to do in this season is really call out what's taking up the most of your time and your energy in this full season.

Is it planning out what you're going to eat each day? Is it creating more engaging lesson plans for your students?

Is it changing positions in your current school or planning a trip for the summer?

Is it going back to school to do something different?

You've got to to name the reason why the season is full and then make sure that this thing actually needs to be taking up so much real estate in your life right now.

Number two, decide what habits you're committing to daily, weekly, monthly, during the season.

These are these non-negotiable priorities.

So it's really important to explicitly name these so you can actually show up for them.

Like imagine a day in in your life or a week in your life. Think about your whole life.

So personal, professional, what do you need.

[12:05] To show up for in the season to make sure that what matters to you is actually being nurtured.

Think about your relationships, your health, your personal growth, your self-care, your work, your education, your finances, your home.

Again, these are just things to kind of get your wheels turning so you don't need to have priorities in all of these categories for every season.

But then put that on your calendar. Literally write it in there.

Pencil that crap in. If you're working on your health and your fitness, don't not write down your Zumba class. Put it in there.

That way, when you sit down, you're not trying to frantically figure out how and when you're going to show up for these non-negotiables.

You already know, and you can focus your energy, your brainpower on just showing up.

A little pro tip that kind of piggybacks on this one.

[12:53] Don't let yourself be busy in too many areas of life at once.

I've done this way too many times. If you know work is going to require more of your energy for the next month, put boundaries, those routines in place that don't allow you to be stretched too thin.

That might look like being more regimented with your meal planning or delegating your cleaning to a cleaning service or not planning a huge project in your classroom that's going to take up a ton of your energy during times where your family is actually going to need more of your energy.

Heed my wisdom. I have done these things and it's still a process even to this day. The second tip for these full seasons is to prioritize that pause and nurture your non-teaching needs.

It's typical to feel stretched thin through full or push seasons, but it makes it really, really simple to feel overstimulated.

You know what I mean when I say when life is full, it gets loud.

Loud, whether it's your email inbox ringing nonstop, your kids in your classroom asking where the pencils are when they have been in the same spot all year long, the caps are left off the glue, or your kids at home are loud, or your dog's barking.

You feel like you're losing your marbles, right?

[14:09] If I'm in a full or push season, I don't know about you, but I tend to become oversimulated more quick or have less patience.

So what I found is I need a breather. I need that space to prioritize a little pause.

Maybe this means you take a break in your car in the parking lot before picking up your kids. That's a transition ritual I do every day.

[14:30] Maybe it's taking a silent walk around your neighborhood, listening to a podcast in silence without anybody asking you a question, going to get your toes done, or just taking your planning period to stare at a wall.

Whatever feels good to you. I encourage you to write that in your calendar too.

You intentionally set aside that time where you're going to intentionally take some time to recharge for you.

[14:56] Then the last tip I have is when it comes to these full or push seasons, reverse engineer your way through this season.

So if you're listening to this around the time that I'm releasing this episode, maybe it's the end of the school year and your end goal is summer break.

What do you have to do before you can sign out and start your summer break?

Well, you might have to pack up all your stuff. But before you can pack up all your stuff, you need to organize your stuff.

Before you organize your stuff, you're going to need to complete all of your grading and report card comments. But before you complete that, you also know that there's some activities that are going to be graded for the remainder of the semester.

You see where I'm going with this? All the way up into your current spot.

So your current space is just figuring out what the remainder of the stuff is you're going to grade for the rest of the school year.

[15:41] Planning that out and then having a timeline, you get to see your end goal with ease.

[15:47] You can apply this principle to like lots of different types of projects, goals. Again, really, the purpose is so you're not wasting your time and energy on tasks that don't really push you forward during this full or push season.

Save those tasks for when you have more time, more space, more energy.

Just be aware of those little distracting tasks like scrolling on TikTok that feel important, but they don't really align with your current season.

They can be important, just not necessarily like a priority.

Priority so if you're in this full or push season right now remember it's just that it's just a season it's not forever seasons change and you want to keep your eyes on the prize when you're in these seasons just remain focused one thing I like to do is I like to remind myself of when I once dreamed about the season I'm in now yeah it's difficult juggling a bunch of kids but I once dreamed of having a husband having a family because I was once a single mom of two kids I like teaching in my school district, podcasting, teaching the students in the Automate Your Classroom program.

These are all things I dreamed of. I wanted to show other teachers how I recovered from burnout. I dreamed of making these changes.

And it's truly amazing that I'm now living that dream.

Our minds are so powerful. So start to change your mindset about these times, these seasons.

[17:12] Remember, you're a resilient teacher. We're in this together.

Together, you've got this.