The Value of Balance
Work : Life Balance . . . what does that even mean??
I’ll be honest- structure and routine are not my strongest skills. Other than appointments and day to day normalcies, I have never been one to operate on a set routine each day. Typically, my days each look different - I don’t wake up at the same time everyday, some days I eat breakfast others I don’t, I don’t work out at the same time everyday or even every day, my bible time (while usually in the morning) occurs at random times, we don’t eat dinner at a set time, and my nightly routine does not exist. I’m just not a natural routine person.
This willy nilly style has both helped and hindered me throughout my entire life. On one hand, I am not bound to a schedule, thus freeing me to live spontaneously. When you’re a creative, this is a good quality because you’re free to think of something, and just do it. On the other hand, not having a routine sometimes makes my life chaotic, which in turn causes me unnecessary anxiety.
I’m already an anxious person, and this has only grown as I’ve had kids and started doing this really awful thing called “adulting”. But when I started teaching . . . that’s when my anxiety pretty much exploded. It’s just So. Many. Things!
When I started teaching, an undeniable need for some structure and routine emerged. As my luck would have it, school is the perfect place to learn routine. Every day is planned out to the very minute. And sometimes they’re not even normal time increments like 1:30 or 5:15. No - school minutes are like 10:37am or 3:56pm. They’re precise because the very balance of the entire day-for the entire school-for entire year-is resting on this schedule!!!!! And then there's the alarms and reminders and bells and all the things that are put in place to help us stay on said schedule.
I literally lost a fraction of my hippie heart when I became a teacher, you guys.
After 10 years of teaching, I can finally say that I have found joy in SOME routine. Don’t get all “I told you so”, all you Type A’s . . . I still go to bed way too late and at a different time every night, which means I wake up at a different time every day. However, I have started to put together time pockets within my day to get certain things done, and I set very hard boundaries for myself in order to prevent work from encroaching upon time for myself and my family.
When you’re teaching, your days are pretty mapped out for you. What’s not mapped out are the hours before and after work, and your “breaks”. (I have to put that word in quotes, because, c’mon.)
This time - this unscheduled time - is where you get to choose. Yes, you will have the non-negotiables like kids’ practices/games or appointments. But managing your unstructured time wisely is absolutely essential to your health.
Growing up, and even up until I had kids, I operated under the “Play Hard, Play Hard” mentality. Working or anything like it was boring to me, so I just preferred having fun. Obviously, this way of life can get you into trouble, as it did me many, many . . . many, many times!
HOWEVER, many teachers have started operating under the “Work Hard, Work Hard” mentality. Don’t feel bad - being a teacher almost tricks you into this way of thinking. “It’s for the kids” or “working tonight will make for any easier day tomorrow”. It’s so easy to rationalize evening work when we’re doing it for the children, right?!?
But it’s wrong. And it’s not healthy. And it will ultimately lead to a bitter, resentful root that will be hard to dig up.
Sure you will have the occasional “work nights” - this is normal and sometimes unavoidable. But when that becomes habit and routine, you are putting your well being and the well being of your loved ones at risk. Setting hard stop times, no matter what does or does not get done, can save you from guilt and overworking yourself.
Making yourself & your family a priority over your students does NOT make you a bad teacher, it makes you a devoted and present parent. Don’t ever forget, as amazing a teacher as you are, no matter how many “you’ve changed my life” cards you get, your family is your FIRST ministry. You may not get those sentimental statements from your kids on the daily, or even on the yearly, but make no mistake . . . you are impacting their lives more than any teacher ever will.
You will get a new class of students year after year after year. You will have a new stack of to-dos day after day after day. But, you only get one set of loved ones. You only get one body, one life. Those things don’t replenish.
Don’t let the pride of being a teacher, the mantra of “influencing little hearts & minds”, cloud your discernment when it comes to the sanctity of your time for yourself and your family. Creating a healthy work / life balance means honoring your choices and your time in each area of life. It means being ok with letting go of some things & enjoying the time spent on others.
You are valuable - to your students, yes. But you are irreplaceable to your loved ones.
Take care of you.
