Happy New Year! January is an exciting time for me because I get to start a new yearly planner. Anyone else with me here? As a human who moves through the world with ADHD, yearly, monthly, weekly and daily planning is crucial for me to get anything done. I have tried a bunch of planners, and they are never quite right, so I started making my own templates in Canva to craft the perfect planner just for me. I spend time over winter break on YouTube and Pinterest looking over planner and journal ideas to update my personal planner templates. While watching planning videos, I stumbled across a video by Jashii Corrin on YouTube entitled ‘Mental Reset for 2024’. While Jashii’s process has way too many steps for me, the notion of a ‘reset’ for returning to teaching after break was intriguing. A reset is more appealing to me than a resolution.
Jashii sets three steps in outlining the reset:
- What is the purpose – what I want and don’t want
- How to achieve the identified goals – create an action plan
- Execute the plan – put systems in place to encourage and measure success
To craft my ‘reset’ I modified the steps from the tutorial into something a bit more manageable for my brain.
1. Purpose
To determine the purpose of the reset, I asked myself to make a list of what I WANT and what I DON’T WANT to carry into the second half of the teaching year.
As we near winter break, and concerts are in full swing, I find myself tired and less patient with my musicians. The short days and cold temperatures can make me feel a little down and cranky. I WANT to reset my attitude to its usual cheery, friendly, excited teacher self. I DON’T WANT to be short-tempered, tired and cranky. When I have a positive attitude and cheerful demeanor, lessons and rehearsals run better, the young musicians mirror my energy, the learning environment improves, there are fewer interruptions and teaching is more fun!
Next, I have been learning about how ADHD can cause me to feel perpetually overwhelmed. Sometimes folks are actually overwhelmed, and it is not usual to feel that way all the time. I want to recognize the feeling of overwhelm when it arises, determine if I am actually overwhelmed or just feel like I am overwhelmed and put strategies in place to manage either situation. When I feel overwhelmed, I am easily agitated, have trouble sleeping well, and have a hard time staying present with people or tasks. Then I get cranky and….see goal one. In this case, what I WANT is to feel calm and competent as I move through lessons and tasks. What I DON’T WANT is the stress, anxiety and energy drain that comes from feeling perpetually overwhelmed.
2. Action Plan
I need a plan, specifically a system to make lasting change. Now that I have identified what I want and don’t want, how will I keep my reset top of mind so I don’t slip back into being cranky and feeling overwhelmed? Sunday through Friday I will write my reset goals in my planner to keep them in focus. Before I begin each day, I will take a moment (probably on my way to school) to visualize positive and pleasant interactions in class. These will include times when musicians are not 100% on task and how I will respond. When I catch that feeling of overwhelm, I will notice what I am feeling in my body. I will stop and take three, deep breaths, then reassure myself that I will be ok. At my first free moment, I will ‘brain dump’ the tasks and thoughts that are making me feel overwhelmed, craft a priority list and look for tasks that I can delegate or ask for help to complete.
3. Systems
I tend to be most successful when I tie new systems to an established one. I have an established system of beginning and ending the day with my planner Monday through Friday. The daily planning section of my template has a ‘don’t forget’ box and an ‘end of day reflection’ box. Writing my reset goals every day in the morning and a quick sentence on how I felt, (happy working with my musicians and competent and calm) before bed will up the chances that I will achieve a consistent ‘reset.’
Why a system and not a habit? Habits work great for most folks and many of us “ADHD’ers” quite literally cannot form a habit in the true sense of the word. There is deliberate thought, effort and energy to make each task happen. Tasks never become habitual or routine. A system is a way to manage tasks with the least amount of thought, effort and energy to allow it to be completed at the desired interval without running out of energy or ‘spoons.’ If you are interested in learning more about this, look up “spoon theory.” Secondly, I set two, small goals. Jashii’s reset was much more complex, with many moving parts. This style of reset would cause me to feel overwhelmed and I would abandon the plan fairly quickly. Two small goals or one more complex goal is manageable and has a realistic chance for success. You may be able to manage more or only one. Each one of us has a different tolerance for change, listen to your mind and body and do what makes you happy.
Will everyday be a success? Likely not. There will be days when I am cranky, or the children work my last nerve. There will be times when the weight of expectations and deadlines may get the best of me for a day or two. Reflection will help me to identify when I am most likely to feel cranky or overwhelmed, allowing me to plan the day with the grumpy or frantic ‘me’ in mind. I will oversleep or crash on the couch after work and skip time with my planner. That is how life works and grace is part of the process. More than not, is better than not at all.
In which areas of teaching and learning would you like a ‘reset?” Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments. If you are unsure where to start, experiencing a challenge that you are not sure how to approach or are just looking to improve your teaching, book a FREE discovery appointment today at www.threelittlebirdsmes.com and we can develop a plan for success.