Depending on your experience, you will know about many of the challenges you face, but how well do you plan for them? Use the resilience chat cards (planning) t support you. If you do not usually feel ready or well prepared, then this step will help.
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.”
Paul J. Meyer
Do you find yourself in any of these situations?
“I feel constantly stressed with the amount of things I am expected to do.”
“I feel a lot of pressure to hit a lot of targets and I don’t know what to focus on!”
“The direction from senior management keeps changing and I can’t keep up.”
“I’m so busy that mistakes keep being made and I’m feeling frustrated.”
“I don’t have enough time to plan. It feels like I’m always fire-fighting.”
If so these are actions you can take
- Prioritise planning: taking time out to plan will save you a lot of wasted time down the line. What are your most important goals and tasks – these are the only things that should be on your to do list.
- Review the plan: if you feel that your efforts are not making a difference or working towards your goals/plan then review and re-evaluate what’s going on. Maybe you need to refresh yourself or create a new plan?
- Focus on what you can control: if you’re starting to feel stressed, write a list of all the things you can control and have a positive impact on (and exclude those you can’t). That will tell you where to focus your attention
- Take a break: as soon as you feel too much pressure or worry. Don’t fall in to the trap of thinking working through all of lunch and breaks will help you get more done. Taking a short break will boost your productivity and levels of resilience. Switching tasks will also help.
- Work in focused batches outside the classroom: Timetable your full day, not just in class. Make specific time available for others, and avoid interruptions as much as possible. Try and work on one thing at a time, rather than multi-tasking.
Click here to see the next chat cards – positive mindset
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about building resilience or improving staff wellbeing, please get in touch.
Other articles in our resilience and wellbeing toolkit
Resilience and wellbeing toolkit (introduction)
The difference between pressure and stress
The symptoms of stress and lower resilience
Managing stress and building resilience
The major causes of workplace stress
13 tips to build your energy and wellbeing