As anyone who is retired knows, time management in retirement is a struggle. It comes as a surprise that having “all the time in the world” does not actually help you get anything done. It’s ironic and annoying. Recently, I discovered the work of Nir Eyal on Distraction and I’m trying his time management technique… Continue reading The Day Planner Experiment
Tag: retiredteacher
Retirement Is Saying Hello And Goodbye
All change is saying yes to the new thing and also, saying no to the old. When I retired, I was saying hello to a new exciting, chapter of my life. But, as with many hellos that I’ve had over the years, I didn’t see all the goodbyes until much later. I’m experiencing desiderium: a… Continue reading Retirement Is Saying Hello And Goodbye
Are You Adventurous?
The stories we tell ourselves about who we are have a tremendous impact on our decisions. As a teacher, I saw the students who believed that they were good at math, be happy to try new math problems. Students who thought they were good writers, eagerly scribbled away in their journals, and students who believed… Continue reading Are You Adventurous?
A Work/Life Balance Doesn’t Make Sense
I’m determined not to get sucked into that whirlwind of work again. Before I retired from teaching, I was a chronic over-worker. I enjoyed my job (for the most part), and filling my out-of-school hours and weekends with work felt necessary and purposeful. Perhaps it was just easier to do more work than to figure… Continue reading A Work/Life Balance Doesn’t Make Sense
Where Planning Falls Short
Having a detailed plan sounds like a solid idea, something an adult who is organized would do. A positive. As a teacher, I was required to have lesson plans in case I was absent and a supply teacher needed to take over my class. I was also required by my administrators to have weekly plans,… Continue reading Where Planning Falls Short
Value Your Time
One of the first things that I learned as a new teacher was how to value my time. I remember spending hours cutting out and “mac tac-ing” (covering in plastic) over 50 teddy bear name tags for my first kindergarten students. I had a sore hand for days. An experienced teacher reminded me to never… Continue reading Value Your Time
Creating A Work Community
I know I took for granted the importance of the community that I had when I was working. I didn’t take the individuals for granted, I failed to appreciate the importance of my co-workers as a group, a community. We were people in the same industry, affected by the same whims of policy, and working… Continue reading Creating A Work Community
The Benefits Of Mistakes
As a teacher, I often made mistakes. I realized when I started teaching the older grades that there were going to be times when the students would know more than me, or recognize that a word had been spelled incorrectly, or a math question had an error in it. It was inevitable. But, it was… Continue reading The Benefits Of Mistakes
Barriers To Asking For Help
Part 2 in Rethinking Help (click here to read part 1) I see the value of accepting help for the giver, who shares their support, and the receiver, who is supported. It builds connection between friends and family and is mutually beneficial. Accepting help is like accepting a gift, it strengthens bonds. But my independent… Continue reading Barriers To Asking For Help
Rethinking Accepting Help
I will admit that I’m not great at accepting help. Recently, it came as a revelation that allowing others to help me, may be truly meaningful to them. I’d never considered help from the perspective of the giver before. I thought that I was “taking” from others when I asked for their assistance. I resisted… Continue reading Rethinking Accepting Help
Retired, And Now What? 