Essentially, Being Less Busy

Zane Shelfer

Essentially, Being Less Busy

As I was reading the two assignments for the Twitter Book Club for EPEL 8970, the topics of both the article and the book were clearly relevant to the world we live in and to my own work life. I thought about how being too busy and taking on too much is linked to my career and potentially the impact that will have on me as I transition into a school leader. I work in a school system within a state agency (Department of Juvenile Justice), so not only do I deal with the deluge of emails, phone calls, texts, and meetings related to our school system, I also deal with all of that from the larger state agency. Medical, Office of Behavioral Health, Programs, Community, Commissioner’s Office, and Reentry all interact with me on a daily basis. I’m also taking classes to complete a Leadership Add-On.

I remember several years ago distinctly making the decision to start saying “maybe” and “no.” I had always been someone who had all the answers or had to say “yes” to someone at work to please them or so they would know that I was competent at my job. Always saying “yes” led to a strain on time and created stress. I decided to look for a balance in my professional life. I became comfortable with saying “maybe” or “I’ll check on that” or “no.” I still usually give a qualifier when I say no. J

I think as educational leaders, we are going to often be expected to have all the answers. People may say, “that’s what they are being paid for, right” or “didn’t they go to school for that?” I think leading doesn’t just mean having all the answers or going to every meeting or always accepting every single task request that comes my way. For me, it is really about demonstrating to people through the work we do, the attitude we have about our work, and our human interactions what leadership is. If I don’t have an answer, I’ll look for it and follow up with the person who asked. If I can’t make a meeting, it’s not the end of the world. With technology, attending a meeting can happen in various ways. We have examined in this class what it means to delegate resources. Part of that is relying on those I lead and supervise to assist me with not being overwhelmed and allowing me to focus on what is really important.

It is extremely easy to become overwhelmed by today’s world. We are all so overstimulated. I have had to work hard to minimize and sometimes avoid that over-stimulation. I limit the use of social media. I’ve never had a Facebook account. I work hard to maintain in-person interactions with my friends, family, and co-workers. I have to have down time without any stimulation. I like the quiet moments in my work and personal life. Essentially, being less busy.