Almost everyone today balances their personal and professional lives. It's a constant challenge and one that profits from good strategy.
I returned to school after the Thanksgiving holiday happy that I was all planned and ready to go. The strategy of staying ahead with planning and prep is definitely a keeper when it comes to the professional-personal life balance.
I want to do the same as I look ahead to the December break. I want to return in January ready to go with regard to science lessons, the division unit, and reading/math RTI prep.
One challenge upon the return was the fact that I underestimated the holiday time I would have for work--family life took up all the time and there was simply no time to work. In the future, I don't want to expect to add work to family time, but instead get that wok done ahead of time when there's no holiday or special event. A good life means making time for family and making time to earn a living and do your professional work too.
I'm a fan of reasonable expectations at home and at work so people can live good, full lives. Finding a reasonable balance will look different for everyone due to their different personal and professional decisions and situations. This balance will also look different at different times in your life and we have to make room for that with our colleagues and in our work places. I found that the balance was particularly challenging when I was a mom of young children--a time when the home demands are exponential, but a time when you typically have a lot of good energy to give at home and at school.
