Are You Sharpening Your Saw?
The start of this current school year has been anything but normal. The uneasy quiet in our buildings during the teachers’ strike was followed by an all out flood of expectations and urgent needs from students, staff, parents, and the School District. The first few weeks could be classed as a “hair straight back,” rush into the reality of the school year.
We are now into week four, and the dust has settled somewhat, but there are still plenty of deadlines and commitments looming. The 1701 submission is due on Friday and our final budgets need to be ready to present in the next few weeks. Teachers have course overviews, or classroom profiles and course plans to get ready. IEPs need to be done and then suddenly it’s time for report cards.
Amid all of this, we need to take time to catch our breath and ensure that we are taking care of ourselves. This thought has brought me back to thinking about Stephen J. Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” and his notion of “sharpening the saw.”
Covey uses the analogy of someone cutting wood. As the person cuts, the blade on the saw becomes increasingly dull. Over time, it becomes harder and harder to cut the wood. By sharpening the saw, the cutting becomes easier again. To explain this comparison, Covey states that, “Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have--you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. “
Sharpening the saw enables us to move forward refreshed and ready for the next challenges that we face. Self-renewal however, does not mean laying around and doing nothing. According to David Bater, that means, “putting the saw down.” Sharpening the saw is about doing other meaningful activities that will enhance you.
Bater suggests some ‘saw-sharpening ideas':
1. Exercise
2. Improve your diet
3. Educate yourself (read, listen to audio programs, attend a seminar)
4. Learn a new skill
5. Join a club
6. Meditate
7. Write in your journal
8. Have a deep conversation with someone
9. Set some new goals or review/update your old goals
10. Organize your home or office
11. Go out on a date (yes a date with your wife counts)
12. Clear out a bunch of little tasks that you have been putting off
What are you doing to sharpen your saw?
As Covey states, “You can revitalize yourself and face a new day in peace and harmony. Or you can wake up in the morning full of apathy because your get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone."
Mike Readman
References
https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit7.php
http://davidbater.com
Images
http://www.jrmcconnell.com
The start of this current school year has been anything but normal. The uneasy quiet in our buildings during the teachers’ strike was followed by an all out flood of expectations and urgent needs from students, staff, parents, and the School District. The first few weeks could be classed as a “hair straight back,” rush into the reality of the school year.
We are now into week four, and the dust has settled somewhat, but there are still plenty of deadlines and commitments looming. The 1701 submission is due on Friday and our final budgets need to be ready to present in the next few weeks. Teachers have course overviews, or classroom profiles and course plans to get ready. IEPs need to be done and then suddenly it’s time for report cards.
Amid all of this, we need to take time to catch our breath and ensure that we are taking care of ourselves. This thought has brought me back to thinking about Stephen J. Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” and his notion of “sharpening the saw.”
Covey uses the analogy of someone cutting wood. As the person cuts, the blade on the saw becomes increasingly dull. Over time, it becomes harder and harder to cut the wood. By sharpening the saw, the cutting becomes easier again. To explain this comparison, Covey states that, “Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have--you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. “
Sharpening the saw enables us to move forward refreshed and ready for the next challenges that we face. Self-renewal however, does not mean laying around and doing nothing. According to David Bater, that means, “putting the saw down.” Sharpening the saw is about doing other meaningful activities that will enhance you.
Bater suggests some ‘saw-sharpening ideas':
1. Exercise
2. Improve your diet
3. Educate yourself (read, listen to audio programs, attend a seminar)
4. Learn a new skill
5. Join a club
6. Meditate
7. Write in your journal
8. Have a deep conversation with someone
9. Set some new goals or review/update your old goals
10. Organize your home or office
11. Go out on a date (yes a date with your wife counts)
12. Clear out a bunch of little tasks that you have been putting off
What are you doing to sharpen your saw?
As Covey states, “You can revitalize yourself and face a new day in peace and harmony. Or you can wake up in the morning full of apathy because your get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone."
Mike Readman
References
https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit7.php
http://davidbater.com
Images
http://www.jrmcconnell.com