This week’s tip: Get Unstuck.
It’s funny. The busier we are, the more pressure we feel, the less certainty we have all tends to lower productivity and our sense of accomplishment.
This leads to a condition of being stuck. A feeling that no matter what you do it won’t make any difference. TimeTrack and the SAM Daily Meeting are designed to get you unstuck, moving forward with permission to feel good about your work because you can see what you accomplished on your dashboard and in the response from the people who matter to you professionally.
One SAM principal stopped using her TimeTrack when her school closed and they moved to remote instruction. She reported she felt adrift and kept saying she would start scheduling again when things calmed down. She was stuck. She got unstuck by holding a SAM Daily Meeting via Zoom with her SAM. It made all the difference.
Elizabeth Grace Saunders wrote about getting stuck in a New York Times article last week. She suggests that when you are feeling stuck you should start somewhere, anywhere:
One of the biggest reasons I see people stay stuck is that they lose confidence that they know where to start. So they spend a great deal of time thinking about what’s the most important thing to do but accomplish little to nothing of significance.
Unhelpful mind-set: “I need to know with absolute certainty that this is the top priority and if I move ahead on this part of this project, I won’t regret having prioritized it above anything else.”
Helpful mind-set: “I can’t always know for sure what should be the priority. However, I can make a reasonable decision to pursue something that I know is among my most important activities.”
Action: Pick a project (or some portion of one) you will focus on first.
Saunders is right. Starting somewhere, anywhere is the first step. It is why you schedule in advance as a SAM team. It gets you started and you feel a lot better.
To read Sauder’s April 1, 2020 article about getting unstuck in the New York Times click here: https://bit.ly/3aRWLnK
PS: Here’s how Lansing, Michigan Principal Steve Lonzo stays unstuck. Send us your examples of how you have made lemonade out of the lemons of the new normal and we will share with everyone next week.
On Friday, March 27th at 11 am, the staff of Willow Elementary School in Lansing, MI., conducted a school zoom meeting/check in. Prior to the Zoom, we have been communicating via group text. For the past two weeks, members of the Willow staff have joined in delivering food to our families that are homes and/or without transportation.
Since we have been out of school, members of my neighborhood association has prepared over 200 snack bags for us to deliver to our students. We have also gathered supplies from our school, that were donated, and shared with as many of our families as we could.
We posted a survey on our school’s Facebook page to get feedback on families well being and needs and we plan to check it and respond daily.