Summer’s over. I need a break!
Summertime isn't for sissies!
Phew! I’m back after summer vacation, and I could use a break! I suspect many of you can relate. When I tell people I’ve just returned from 6 weeks in my hometown they look at me with envy. I’m sure they have images of lemonade on the back porch on a hot summer day, lounging by a pool, window shopping on Main Street, lazy afternoons in a hammock with a good book …
I wish.
For many of us who are still thickly in the ‘sandwich generation,’ summers are just another version of the usual tug-of-war, juggling care for aging parents and our young’uns, trying to create memorable summer experiences for those in our orbit, and managing the day-to-day responsibilities that continue to arise, no matter the date on the calendar.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed my stay in my hometown, visiting with my mother and taking her to various appointments, hanging with my children and my partner and our extended families. It just wasn’t exactly relaxing and restorative. You can be in paradise and still have to decide what to feed your crew for dinner.
I saw a post from Brene Brown this morning, likening attention to a flashlight. Actually, she pulls from an observation by Dr. Amishi Jha. Here it is:
Bottom line: we are not wired to multi-task! Yet for most of us, it’s the way we get through the day, with so many demands for our flashlight. The effect on our brain and being of too much flashlight-switching is draining at best, destructive at worst.
I’m keen to read Dr. Jha’s book: Peak Mind. I’m sure I’ll find great nuggets in there that I’ll incorporate into my own life and pass along to you.
Meanwhile, some thoughts:
Train Your Flashlight Muscles: What measures can you take to cut down on task switching in your daily life? What boundaries can you put in place to protect your time and space? What can you delegate? What can you (gasp) say no to? What rewards can you set for yourself for keeping your flashlight on one task at a time for as long as the task deserves?
Make a No-Decisions Date with Yourself: Consider putting a date on your calendar for a day or two where you focus only on yourself, where the only decision you have to make is what to eat for dinner. That someone else makes. Unless you have a truly enlightened and saintly significant other who will do this for you (I’m lucky, I know!), this may mean checking in to a hotel somewhere. This is not an indulgence. This is an investment in your well-being and effectiveness.
Register for Sidecar Summit Portugal 2024. November 14-18, just north of Lisbon. Our focus is on “Pursuing Happiness,” by which we mean prioritizing psychological safety, holistic well-being, and personal growth and fulfillment, for ourselves as leaders and for all in our schools, to create flourishing learning communities. Here’s the link to flashlights: The only decision you’ll have to make is where to sit at the dining table. You’ll be treated to delicious gourmet vegetarian meals served up by the lovely Quinta Carvalhas staff. Oh, and maybe we’ll use flashlights to find our way to the firepit once dusk descends. Early Bird Registration deadline is September 1. Save your spot (5 left as of this writing) and $200.
Best PD ever!
A final idea: sit back in your easiest chair, close your eyes, and listen to the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald, put you into a true summertime mood. You can do this whenever you need a quick flashlight-switching break.
Yours in switching off the multi-tasker and lazing in a virtual hammock,
Bridget
