What a year 2020 has been already! Even though it is only half over, the school year has come to an end. This was a school year like no other. July has finally come and it is time to rest and renew yourself. These past few months you have had to pivot and make tough decisions like you have never had to before. The distance learning required us to all dig deep into learning new technology and figure out innovative ways to keep the students engaged and moving the learning forward. I am sure you are exhausted!
Rest is a lovely notion but it is hard for some people to do it effectively. It can be difficult to shut down your mind or take a break and be fully present to resting and relaxing. Leadership is about doing and action and leaders are so driven to accomplish and achieve. These can be amazing qualities until it is time to rest. Often, leaders can resist rest, however, it is so important that we learn how to invite rest and actually enjoy it. By taking an intentional break, it allows you to obtain the stamina to move through the different seasons of leadership and have a greater chance of leaving a residue of a lasting impact.
Make rest a priority and schedule it in. July and August are a great time for this! Set intentional times where you are not doing anything with work. If you are a scheduler, like I am, I actually write my rest into my calendar. I write exactly what I am doing to rejuvenate myself. I make sure that I am pouring into the same three buckets that I talk about in previous posts each day. The first bucket is family/friends. I look at how I can rest through spending time with them and being intentional and present. The second bucket that I schedule in is wellness/mindset. This is where I schedule in a time in the day where it is just for me. I work on developing habits that bless my mind and my body. The third bucket that I look at is craft. This is where I might learn something new or work on a different passion that has nothing to do with work. I try to pour into each of these buckets equally each day.
Scheduling rest doesn’t just happen in July and August. It needs to happen frequently and therefore it may be more difficult to schedule in weekly but it is so important that it is in your calendar. I often schedule rest in on the weekends. These are my ‘work on me’ days and they are sacred. I make sure that I pour into the three buckets and I also ensure that I am there for my kid’s activities but my rest is also a priority. I also educate my own children on the importance of scheduling in rest for them (without an ipad…). They don’t always love it but they know that it is important to generate renewal and energy in them so that they can perform at their best in their learning, health, and sports.
Another thing you might want to consider when it comes to rest is to engage in activities that renew you and generate energy. I know when I first think of rest, I think sleep. Sleep is important and definitely renews you but resting doesn’t always just mean napping. Rest can be doing things that light your heart on fire and make you happy. Think of things that you have been really wanting to do but have been putting off and make time for them. It might be journalling or taking an online course. It could be training to run a race or taking a walk by yourself each day. It can be whatever you want. However, the important thing to remember is that you actually want to do it and it does not stress you out.
Sleep is a must! Try to get around eight hours of sleep each night. Work on going to sleep at a decent time and getting those eight hours. Get up earlier most mornings instead of sleeping in and continue your morning routine. I know sleeping in is definitely in the cards when you are on your holidays. I would suggest doing those some days and other days set your alarm. I promise you that going to bed earlier and getting up earlier will give you more energy than staying up all night and sleeping in.
According to certain sleep studies, conserving and restoring energy, building memories, and taking in new information comes with sufficient sleep. Sleep improves cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and the ability to make connections and inferences. Scientists who study sleep state that sleep allows people to regulate their emotions and lower stress levels. Notably, sleep impacts exactly the human capacities that are most important for leadership effectiveness: creative problem solving, interpersonal savvy, sound decision making, self-awareness, and energy.
If we are not getting enough sleep, often we compromise effectiveness, we become moody, make poor decisions, and we struggle to find our creativity, innovation, ability to collaborate and to manage solution based ideas. We are better leaders if we are well equipped because we have taken the time to rest and unplug. We can juggle different mindsets and perspectives more effectively, demonstrate learning longevity, accomplish more, produce results, collaborate, and find more joy in our work if we make rest a priority.
Leadership requires you to be a warrior and that weighs heavily on a person. Rest requires us to counter the workplace warrior culture and become a warrior for ourselves. Support the ability to detach from work and spend time with your family and with yourself. It will make you a better leader all around because you have found a balance, renewal, and the pause between seasons. We have a very important job to do and that is take care of ourselves along with serving others. Enjoy the rest, go all in to relaxation, and the joy will surface!
Want more? Check out my freebie, “A Guide to Cultivating A Thriving Culture, Using the Three Bucket System.”
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Another freebie! Click here for my guide on “How To Assess Students In A Distance Learning World.”
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