When was the last time you truly disconnected on vacation? Not just a quick weekend away with your laptop in tow, but a real break—no emails, no work calls, no notifications buzzing like a swarm of bees in your pocket. If that sounds like a distant memory, you’re not alone. Many of us struggle to unplug, but learning to truly disconnect is the key to recharging and making the most of your time off. Here’s how to do it.
Read MoreHere are some strategies that can help individuals cope with distressing news while still focusing on work:
Acknowledge Your Emotions: Recognize and accept your emotions rather than suppressing them. It's okay to feel upset or distressed about such events.
Set Realistic Expectations: Understand that during times of distress, your productivity might not be at its peak. Setting achievable goals for the day can help manage expectations.
Create a Supportive Environment: Surround yourself with supportive colleagues or friends who can provide a sense of community and comfort during difficult times.
Read MoreProlonged holiday seasons, like those just concluded in the Hebrew month of Tishrei, present similar challenges.
Even with a schedule like this year, with much if the most stringent holidays occurring on weekends, observers found their workflows and routines greatly disrupted.
Since R+R is often associated with a weekend’s gift of “rest and relaxation,” let’s use R+S to connote our “return and success.”
Here are some “R+ S” tips to rebuild your routine and start getting things done.
Read MoreWhile school administrators are typically not “off” from school to the same extent as teachers (there is still plenty of planning, ordering, interviewing and the like that occurs over the summer months,) the relaxed days of June, July and August present school leaders with a special opportunity that is unique to this time of year. I like to think of them as a principal’s own set of summertime “R’s.”
Read MoreSummer is now fully upon us. School is out and many of us have planned or will soon get around to planning summer vacations with family and friends.
The relaxed days of late June, July, and August present all of us with some special opportunities that I like to think of as summertime “r’s.”
Review – Summer is a great time to take a step back and reflect upon your professional practice. Were you successful in meeting your goals? If not, what stopped you?
Resolve and revise – Set new goals over the summer. (Need help with goals setting? Grab a FREE copy of my Clear Targets Action Sheet here.) Also, be sure to review your personal mission statement and core values. (You can grab a values list here.) Much can happen in a year, in terms of shaping your direction and principles. Use these months to make new commitments while also revising your existing purpose and value documents.
Summer is now fully upon us. School is out and many of us have planned or will soon get around to planning summer vacations with family and friends.
The relaxed days of late June, July, and August present all of us with some special opportunities that I like to think of as summertime “r’s.”
Review – Summer is a great time to take a step back and reflect upon your professional practice. Were you successful in meeting your goals? If not, what stopped you?
Resolve and revise – Set new goals over the summer. (Need help with goals setting? Grab a FREE copy of my Clear Targets Action Sheet here.) Also, be sure to review your personal mission statement and core values. (You can grab a values list here.) Much can happen in a year, in terms of shaping your direction and principles. Use these months to make new commitments while also revising your existing purpose and value documents.
This weekend, my family (wife and three youngest children) went on a brief, local staycation. They were off from school (midwinter break) and my older three kids were all away for one reason or another.
Circumstances prevented us from taking the kids on a more elaborate trip (such as to Florida) that many of their classmates and neighbors enjoyed, and so I thought that our planned “trip” to a nearby hotel (with a big TV, a “private” pool, and other amenities) and then to visit Manhattan attractions would seem lame by comparison.
I am delighted to report that the kids really enjoyed themselves and not once whined about not doing something else.
A few lessons that I learned from our local excursion:
