As I get older, I am much more aware of my energy level compared to when I was younger. I am referring to all the different kinds of energy - physical, mental, emotional.
For both groups - educators and parents - we are tapping into energy stores at varying rates throughout our day. I think you’ll agree that some days can be better than others.
I recently re-read one of my favorite books by Brendon Bouchard. If you have not read High Performance Habits, I highly recommend it.
In this book, Bouchard speaks about how to release tension, to then set intention. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to become more proficient at managing transitions. Bouchard writes about how everyday people lose tremendous amounts of focus, will, and emotional energy by managing transitions poorly. This results in less mental and physical stamina towards the end of the day. Hmmmm... this really got me thinking.
As an educational leader, I am fascinated by this concept. I think it’s brilliant and that we could all benefit from making this a bigger priority. Most educators spend way too much energy (for the wrong reasons) by rushing around from activity to activity or task to task - with little attention to restoring or preserving energy. Bouchard challenges our thinking here, big time!
A transition is basically a shift from one place to another, one task to another, one mindset to another or one role to another. Our whole day is nothing but a series of transitions strung together. Especially as we go from home to work and back again. We go from caregiver mode to worker mode. We go from creator mode to task-driven mode. We go from wife mode to boss mode. You get the idea.
Bouchard is suggesting that we make better use of the few moments in between the transition. On page 98, he writes: “These transitions are immensely valuable - a powerful space of freedom between activities. And it’s in this space that you’ll discover your greatest restorer and amplifier of energy”.
Isn’t this statement a game-changer? I think so.
If we were to intentionally pause between transitions - just for a few moments, we could avoid the energy nose dive. We could avoid carrying over negative energy from one activity to the next. We could avoid feeling like we just have to keep going despite the fact that we’re totally depleted. We could avoid feeling less present and less appreciative.
So, I invite you to adopt the Brendon Bouchard mindset around getting better at managing transitions - especially if you’re an educator. I wholeheartedly agree with him. If more of us did this more often and with intention, it would certainly allow for much needed revitalization.
That's all I have for now. Thanks for sticking with me.
Jen