Tomorrow Will Be Better

cc flickr photo by azjd

The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.  ~ Abraham Lincoln

Today was one of "those" days.  Chaotic from the beginning.  In the past, I have compared the experience to playing a game of Asteroids -- frantically trying to shoot down all of the issues before a massive collision occurs.   The longer you "play," the more likely you are to miss the "rocks" hurtling around you.  Today, I definitely took some direct hits.

I was at a district training all day yesterday, so of course, I was behind before I walked in the door.  My email inbox was overflowing.  I had several discipline referrals -- with other issues popping up during the day.  A few parents called with concerns, and to top it off, I had a couple hours of flag football supervision (something I would normally enjoy if not for the 108 degree temperature, and the fact that I was wearing dress clothes).  By the end of the day, I was tired, hot, frustrated, and as you can tell from this post, not extremely positive.

Even in my third year as a principal, I am still really struggling to manage my workload in a way that allows me to be "in the moment" throughout the day.  While I suspect everyone has their struggles, I envy those school leaders who make it look easy.  I don't feel effective when I have "asteroid" days, and when I reflect on the experience, I am appalled at how quickly my focus shifts from people, to tasks -- when I am overwhelmed.  That isn't a good thing.

In spite of today's struggles (and I know there will be more to come), tomorrow is a new day, and I will find a way to make it a better.