How's it Going with My Commitments?

Before this school year began, I sat down and established some goals and commitments to myself. For years, I have been a "yes" person. I sign up for everything, I volunteer my time, effort and skills. I love to help others. This is still true, but as I have learned over time, this can take a toll on me. It can impact my sleep, my time outside of school, and it can leave me feeling stressed. 

So I set up some commitments to myself to help prevent burnout. In many of the books I've read by Brene Brown and different podcasts I've listened to, boundaries is a reoccurring theme. I love the idea of boundaries and have often stated my boundaries, but keeping boundaries is hard. Here is what I set up for myself. 

I put them right next to my computer at work to remind myself. As I reflect on the fall and early winter, I can see a lot of progress in some areas. I would say I am showing up for my students and really enjoying them. I am working to build relationships, design instruction that meets their needs, and really get to know each individual. 

I've done a lot better with not working past my contractual time, but sometimes it is a struggle. It's almost a habit that I have to continually work to break. I will say that my thoughts are not always on work when I'm not there, but there are times when I want to develop a lesson or work on a presentation or a different approach that I think things through while at home. I don't know if that will ever go away.

It was weird to have extra time initially. My goal is to be present for my family and myself. I've always been a busy person. As I intentionally have put in some extra space for myself, I wasn't sure what to do with myself. That is a work in progress. 

I feel like overall, I am growing in my ability to follow through on my personal commitments. When I have time to rest, restore myself, be present at home and with outside interests, I come to school more present and focused. I'm not overwhelmed and can appreciate the joy of teaching and connecting.