This time last year, was the start of an exciting year in my SBL life – we were expanding our Nursery from a 28 to a 68 setting and we were going to be converting to an academy and joining TPLT. It was also exciting at home, as we had decided to trade in our old diesel and purchase a new car – a plug-in hybrid, a VW Golf GTE. The battery fully charged can do 28 miles without using any unleaded petrol but can switch between modes at the press of a button or when the engine demands it. Unfortunately, due to the popularity of the model we didn’t get it until 9 months later in June. In that time SBL me had unexpectedly had Ofsted, set up catering in-house and become an SBL Fellow. It was a busy old year, which required a lot of energy and stamina, a bit like a Duracell Bunny! During Term 7, I had a lovely two week family holiday, which gave me opportunity to “recharge my batteries” and also reflect on my desire for this academic year to be slightly less intense.
Be the energy you want to attract.
The new car’s battery is quite fascinating / a distraction. The dashboard shows how much energy is left in the battery and when the car brakes how much energy is being returned to the battery. Gradual braking fills the battery slowly and for longer. Sudden braking doesn’t fill the battery quicker, just for a short amount time. My commute is tiddly – to my furthest campus its 7.5 miles, however sometimes I could arrive at work and the dashboard would show significantly more miles left in the battery than the expected 20.5 miles. Stick it in GTI mode and the battery power is gone before you know it, but it was fun using up the battery! Sound familiar? Put yourself in full-on high performance SBL GTI mode – long hours, Governor meetings, unexpected interruptions, constant interruptions, demanding & tight deadlines, no #SBLLunch, etc.. – and your “battery” is drained and quickly.
Become more aware of what really needs your energy.
So, I’m slightly intrigued by my energy levels, how am I going to protect and preserve them in order to achieve SBL GTI mode for longer? What triggers massive drains on my “battery”? How can I consistently and effectively recharge my “battery”? All these reflections have made me realise, it has taken my car to teach me that by depressing the brakes gradually, earlier and for longer, without coming to a full stop, will also recharge my batteries. I believe this approach will help maintain a constant momentum, which is obviously what we all need to do. However, I very much hope this academic year has slightly less significant events than last year. I would really like to consolidate my SBL projects not create massive new ones…yet (never say never!). I want to give my energy to less projects but achieve more. I wrote last month that I would like to do my hours rather than all the hours, I still hope to achieve this as this is another way of preserving the “battery”. I’m appreciating that sometimes the passion for the job blinkers the awareness of the battery gauge.
Working hard for something you don’t care about is called stress, working hard for something you love is called passion. – Simon Sinek
Another aspect I appreciate about the car, is that when I return home, after the end of another full-on day at work, I have to plug it into to a special unit on the outside of our house. It feels like a significant moment, which grounds me – I am making the physical transition from work life to home life, when I reconnect to the house. I breathe a sigh of satisfaction, which triggers a boost of renewed energy to get on with the rest of my evening. Meanwhile my car is charging ready for the next day’s journey to work.
Thoughts have energy, make sure your thoughts are positive and powerful.
Helen Burge
Academy Business Leader
Waffles of a School Business Leader 