The document discusses strategies for teachers to achieve better work-life balance by energizing from within, setting clear goals, and establishing healthy boundaries. It emphasizes the integration of personal purpose and teaching obligations, providing practical activities for self-reflection and prioritization. Key strategies include focusing on purpose, managing energy sources, and scheduling priorities effectively.

1. Work-Life Balance for Teachers
with Patti Glasgow

2. Outcomes:
Learn how to:
1. Energise from the inside out
2. Set and action goals to get the
results you want
3. Create clear healthy boundaries
4. Say no easily (with less guilt)

3. Check-in:
1. Name
2. Family
3. Something you love about your work?
4. Your challenge when it comes to
work/life balance

4. Benefits of Work/Life Balance
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5. • Boost productivity: get more done, higher quality.
achieve your goals faster
• Notice opportunities (Positive relationships/emotions)
• More time and energy for what’s important to you
• Be more resilient, decisive and confident making
decisions
• Enjoy the moment: Savour it, be happy and calm
rather than rush, rush, rush
• Better health: Less likely to be stressed or overweight

6. Traditional definition
If we look at work-life balance with a traditional
approach, we would imagine a set of scales… to
create balance, we need less of one, and more of
the other.

7. Reframing Work/life Balance
Time and energy to do those things that we want to do in our
work, AND in our life. This allows for the fact that work and life
aren’t two separate entities that never meet.
Most teachers become teachers because they want to give, to
teach, to share. It’s part of their life’s purpose. Your life’s
purpose cannot be separated from your work, when it is your
work!!!

8. With that…
Today we are going to look at building your work-life balance, by
helping you to energise from the inside out, from your work.
With this increase in energy, you will have more time. Then, you
can CHOOSE how you spend your time, where you focus your
attention.
This is much more powerful than me standing here and telling
you to chill out, get a massage, and relax more. Because who is
going to do that!?!?!

9. Activity: Reality Check

11. Tapping into Secret Energy Stores
Strategy 1:
Why did you choose teaching? (Worksheet Page 1: Activity 2)
What impact do you want to have on the world?

12. Strategy 2: Focus: Are you focusing on your
purpose, or your obligations?

13. Purpose vs Obligations
Focusing on your purpose doesn’t make your
obligations go away. But focusing on your purpose
gives MEANING to those obligations.
This helps us to tap into the energy within.
E.g. Purpose is to grow future leaders
Obligation of paperwork: necessary to track
the growth that you are creating.
How can you focus on your purpose daily?

14. Purpose
Obligations
? Goals

15. Strategy 3: Goals and Action
Incorporating a personal goal into planning
a. Decide on the goal
b. Take Action
(Worksheet: Page 1: Activity 3)

16. Aspects of
your Life
Goal Specific weekly or
monthly actions
Self care Remain calm in
conflict with others
5 minutes of daily
meditation at
6.00 am
Health Lose 5 Kilos 3 x 45 minute walks
after work on the
Strand
Significant
other
Spend more quality
time together
Date night once a
week
Important v Urgent
Worksheet: Page 1: Activity 3

17. Thinking about what you have seen in
schools, what are some of the barriers
that prevent teachers from having
work-life balance?

18. “I don’t have the time.”
“I don’t have the money.”
“I’ve got too much marking.”
“I’ve got to be there for my family.”
“Admin won’t let me.”
“If you knew how much I had to do you
would understand why I can’t.”
“I have to do this, no-one else will.”

20. Strategy 4:Taking Back Control
What are we going to do about these reasons? ( Activity 4)
1. Draw a line through one, commit to using it no more.
2. What can you say instead?
“I have to do this, no-one else will.”
“What’s most important to me? I can choose to prioritise
where I spend my time.” or
“ I could ask for help, share the load.”
For accountability:
Total Teacher Support Face book Group

21. Above the Line Thinking:
Helps us to feel more energised, because:
• We are in control.
• We have a choice.
• We determine where we focus our energy.
• We take responsibility for how we feel.
• We choose what we make things mean.

22. Strategy 5: Topping up your Tank
If you think of yourself as requiring fuel, there are
two places that you can get your energy:
- From within (internal)
- From outside (external)
Activity 5:
a. Confidence
b. Current sources of energy
c. Internal/External
The difference between internal/external?

23. How to Fill Your Tank of Self Worth
Internally
•Setting goals and action steps, tracking them, taking time out to celebrate when
we achieve our goals
• Self Praise: Would you let your best friend say those things to you?
•Affirmations on your wall: “I am confident and capable in all that I do.”
•Journaling
•What do you make it mean about you? What else? What else?
•Letting go of the drama, the story “Let it gooooooooooooooo”
•Time out for connecting with self: Meditation, yoga
•Mindfulness

24. What internal source will you use this
week?

25. Pear Breathing

26. Mindful Eating

28. 6.Clear Boundaries
(Worksheet: Page 3)
You decide how many hours
you work, if you don’t some-
one else will decide for you.
Decide what time you finish work each day.
When you are technology free, phone off????
When check school emails, mark work, planning?

29. Job Hours Running Total 168
Sleep 56 112
Eat/Prep/Shop 21 91
Exercise/sc/hobby 6 87
Family time 15 72
Significant other 2 70
Driving/dressing 10 60
Work 45 hours Teaching 25
20 Prep for lessons 6
14 Marking 3
11 Meetings 2
9 Parent contact 0.5
8.5 PD 0.5
8 Coaching netball 3
5 Duty/lunch 4
2 Emails/phone 3
0 miscellaneous 2 15 hours spare

30. Build your “No” Muscle
• Work out why you fear saying no? Are you worried they won’t
like you, or you’ll create conflict or put some-one out? Do you
need others approval and affirmation? FOMO?
• What’s the bigger “Yes”? List all the activities that you have had
to miss out on when you over committed e.g.: walking your dog,
playing with your kids on Sunday morning, or sleeping?
• Avoid offering an immediate response. Let’s come up with your
way of saying “I really appreciate being asked, can I check my
diary first? Would it be reasonable to get back to you by
tomorrow?”
(Worksheet: Top of Page 3)

31. 7. Scheduling Before the Week Starts
Worksheet: Page 5: Weekly Planner
“Most people struggle with life-
balance because they haven’t
taken the time to decide what is
really important to them. The
key is not to prioritise what’s on
your schedule, but to schedule
your priorities.”
—Stephen R Covey

32. In Summary:
Reframing work/life balance:
Work and life are connected
Energise from your work
Strategies:
1. Connect with your purpose: Why you chose teaching?
2. Focus daily on your purpose rather than obligations
3. Set goals (including personal) and take action
4. Above the Line: Letting go of reasons why you can’t have balance
5. Fill up your tank internally
6. Clear Boundaries (It is okay to say “no”)
7. Scheduling before the week starts

33. Reflection and Action
for Creating More Balance
• One action you will commit this week?

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35. If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 32
people in his office at one time, all of
whom had different needs, and some of
whom didn’t want to be there and were
causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer,
or dentist, without assistance, had to
treat them all with professional
excellence for nine months, then he
might have some conception of the
classroom teacher’s job.
—Donald Quinn