I'm having a hard time with balance right now.
I just started a new job, and I love it! But there is so much to do, and so much to learn, and everything takes me longer than it should because I am learning as I go.
There are some things I am really proud of, like taking the time to get into the schools and not getting stuck in my office all day long! The downside is that I am struggling to keep up with my email and office work, and if there's one thing I've heard clearly, it's that people want communication. This past week, I've just ended up staying late to catch up on it all. Every day.
On top of that, I still have things planned from my old job, such as the weekend event I attended today! Even though I didn't have to go, I wanted to! So what happened? I worked late every night this week and then went to an all-day work event on Saturday. Hmmmm...it doesn't take a genius to know that something is a little bit off here.
I know I can't keep up this pace, or I will burn out. But I don't know how to manage my time yet to get a little more in alignment.
There's a part of me that wants to chalk this up to it just being a busy season. While I think that's true (transitions are always a whirlwind!), there's got to be more to the story as well. I need to find a way to not let work take over my life so much and still get enough done that I can (mostly) keep up.
On Friday, on a whim, I texted a friend and asked if I could hang out with her and her family for a bit. It was a great couple of hours and the perfect way for me to break OUT of work mentality after a long week (because, you know, just because you leave work doesn't mean you stop thinking about work). It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.
I do not write this to complain. I'm writing to acknowledge a tension that many feel in education, and in society. The competing desires to do well in a profession and take care of ourselves as humans can feel so hard to balance! This week has been very heavily weighted one way, and I want to be open and honest about that. Next week, I'll shoot for more little victories to help bring things back into alignment.
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