Postcards from the Funny Farm

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Personal productivity is one of my favorite things to read about. When I thought of this topic, I figured: well, its not all that clever, but maybe there are some people out there that want to hear a good rant about it so: PEEPS OF THE PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY TIP UNITE! This one’s for y’all!

I had too many things to do this week. Over the weekend I was dreading going to work to face them. Here’s the list (make the personal connections as possible):

1. Report cards
2. Report card supporting documents
3. 8 separate scores (on 8 separate sheets) for 27 students filled out on triplicate forms. (not fun)
4. MC a week-long assembly for an hour each day in front of about 500 people. (this one is still ongoing)
5. Make classes for next year with my team.
6. Pack up my room because I’m moving to 4th grade next year in a new classroom
7. Create a Summer School letter in English and Spanish and get at least 20 returned in order to be able to teach summer school (and make much needed “new member of the family” funds).
8. Rehearse and perform my own song in the assembly.
9. Create and deliver a sample lesson for an outside proprietor hired by our Principal to come in and critique a select few teachers (oh, these are so fun).
10. YOU get the idea. Ever had a week like this?

I’m happy to say I am on the other side of this huge mountain. I can tell you the way I got through it was through making a list. For me, it was a giant chart-paper list I made in magic marker and push-pinned to my wall in my classroom. It took away a lot of the fear when I could actually read the individual chores I had to do (the unknown can make me paranoid and I usually think I have more to do than I actually do). As I did each item, I checked them off . . . as if they were dead. WOO HOO victory!

As I sit here I still have a bit more to do. I haven’t packed up my room and my report cards have to be resubmitted to my Principal because I put one thing when I should have put another on one box. But aside from that, I feel much more relaxed. The list really helped. BUT as we all know, life is about breaking things down and then building them up again over and over in what could often be considered a “vicious cycle.” One needs to learn to roll with that and get comfortable with it to have a productive and happy life. In a quip: “It aint over ’til your dead!”

As Josh Groban sings in his amazing single from “The Polar Express,” “Destinations are where we begin again,” we are never truly done in our lives. There are little tricks we can do to make the ride less cacophonous. For me this week, the list of destinations and crossing them off as I finished them was my rudder. Now, as the song goes . . . time to begin again. It looks like there will be at least a little break in the action though, and you better bet I’m gonna enjoy it!