Sharing Good Practice the freedom and confidence to just W . A . L . K . away from the pressure of the “ What Elses ”. Let ’ s explore what this means .
Just W . A . L . K . Away
To find balance and rest in the rigors of educational work , without the guilt of addressing all the “ What Elses ?” practice learning to W . A . L . K . away . The W . A . L . K . Away approach finds its home in the merged fields of leadership and psychological research .
W – Wait and Weigh - With each demand , take a deep breath , WAIT a moment , and ask yourself , is this really that urgent ? If we recall Stephen Covey ’ s Time Management Matrix ( from The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People ), then we know we can weigh each demand through the lens of “ urgent vs . important ,” coming to a rapid decision about whether any given demand requires an immediate or a delayed response . There is no need to address everybody ’ s crisis yesterday . Some crises are not crises , nor should they create conflict for you . Wait and weigh your options before taking action , unless it truly is a matter of life and death .
A – Acknowledge and Admit – Acknowledge that the people demanding your time and expertise have a right to do so and Admit they have demanded your time because you carry some level of expertise needed to help them move forward . A 2016 Psychology Today article that considered the full definition of “ Expertise ” started with the idea that an expert knows how to do something . People don ’ t turn to you unless they see value in what you can contribute . Sometimes , in the hustle of meeting everyone ’ s demands , we forget that our knowledge and “ know how ” is important and valuable , and that is precisely why most things feel urgent , even when they are not . You ’ re in a limited pool of expertise at times , so praise yourself for what you know and can do and realize that your expertise was not designed to destroy you physically or mentally .
L – Listen – It goes without saying that good leaders listen carefully to the people making demands of their
time and attention , but have we forgotten that we must also listen to ourselves ? By listening to ourselves we can more accurately assess when we are not empowered or capable of addressing someone else ’ s needs . It ’ s not a sign of weakness to say to a colleague or stakeholder : “ I appreciate your concern / need , but right now I must attend to something else . I will address your concern tomorrow or by next Monday .” Doctors tell us to listen to our bodies for improved health ; counselors tell us to listen to our hearts and souls for improved relationships , so why is it that we too often forget to listen to the thoughts in our head that say , “ You ’ re tired and need to rest .” Or you ’ re too exhausted to comprehensively address this need today .” The world won ’ t stop spinning if decisions are delayed a day , in many cases . Slow down and listen so you can find rest .
K – Keep - When we lose the passion behind our professional calling , we rapidly become ineffective and unavailable to ourselves and others . If you want to continue to do what you love long-term without extreme burn-out , fatigue , and frustration , then KEEP your passion alive by regularly building knowledge and skills in your field of expertise , along with areas totally outside of your day job . If you love bowling , then go bowl . If you enjoy hiking , go hike . If you want to teach others how to properly apply make-up , write a resume , or how to bake cakes , then do it . Your whole life should not be about the professional passions . Find a balance of professional and personal passions . The more you challenge your passions , the better you ’ ll become at holding them sacred , and the happier you ’ ll be .
The global pandemic has shown that life can change in the blink of an eye , and that calm can transition to chaos faster than we can spell “ CHAOS .” But let ’ s be honest … this has always been true of life in schools . It ’ s just how we roll in our classrooms , offices , and athletic complexes . But rolling that way – in a way that drives us to the brink of utter exhaustion - threatens our health and wellness , and that ’ s not good .
For the remainder of 2021 , I challenge you to W . A . L . K . away from the swirling demands and recognize that you ’ ve not been called to “ super hero ” status . You ’ re human – not Hercules . Help yourself by stressing less about everyone else ’ s “ What Elses ” and you ’ ll love what you do for years to come .
Dr . Lori Brown is an experienced educator who lives in the mountains of western North Carolina . She works full time for Scholastic and spends much of her free time writing about matters related to safe and secure schools and leadership . She enjoys traveling with her twin sister and reading mystery and legal thrillers .
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