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On this episode, we’re talking about time management over the summer and creating a productive break. That’s all coming up next, right here on The Principal’s Handbook. Stay tuned.

Welcome to The Principal’s Handbook, your go-to resource for principals looking to revamp their leadership approach and prioritize self-care.
I’m Barb Flowers, a certified life coach with eight years of experience as an elementary principal. Tune in each week as we delve into strategies for boosting mental resilience, managing time effectively, and nurturing overall wellness.

From tackling daily challenges to maintaining a healthy work-life balance, we’ll navigate the complexities of school leadership together. Join me in fostering your sense of purpose as a principal and reigniting your passion for the job. Welcome to a podcast where your wellbeing is the top priority.

Why You Need a “Productive Break”

Welcome back to the podcast. Today we’re talking about time management over the summer and creating a productive break. That might sound like a [00:01:00] contradiction—creating a productive break—but I think it’s so important to think about a productive break because if you think about summer break, holiday breaks, or even your spring break, if you are not intentional with how you use that time, it’s like you leave and come back and nothing happened between it. It goes so quick.

If you’re not intentional, you don’t get the things done that you want to get done, and before you know it, your break is over. That’s why I really encourage principals, teachers, anybody who has the summer off—even my husband who’s not in education, we talk about this. If he’s off for an extended period of time and doesn’t plan his break, he gets stir crazy. Before you know it, his break is over and he’s like, “I got nothing done that I wanted to get done.”

So I think it’s really important when you have this time off to take advantage of it, be intentional, and create a productive break—make it the break you want it to be.

Lessons from My “Lazy Summer”

I remember one summer I had this idea—I have kids, right now they’re in second and third grade, but this was probably two years ago, so they were a little bit younger. I was going to have this summer where we didn’t have routines. I was basically theming it a lazy summer, which I’m not good at anyway, for me and the kids.

It did not go well. They did not do well without structure, and I did not do well without structure. One thing I’ve learned about myself over time is that I love structure, and I think a lot of educators do.

So I’ve just learned that if I have a break—summer break, spring break, whatever—even now as I’m working from home while recording this, I have to have structure. I have to have a routine in my day, and I have to be very intentional about how I’m using my time. Otherwise, it makes me crazy and I’m not in a good headspace.

That’s what I want to talk about today—how do you create a break that’s productive, where you’re managing your time over the summer so time doesn’t just slip away and before you know it, the break has passed?

Intentional Time Management for Summer

If you want to listen to another episode about making the most of your summer as a principal, go back to episode 42. I did a podcast on that last summer, and that could be really beneficial for you as well.

As we go through this episode, I want you to think about yourself—think about what you need in the summer. Do you do well with structure? Do you do well without structure? How do you balance rest with the need to still plan, reflect, and do the things you want to get done?

Because it is really easy, like I said, for time to fly and before you know it, summer is gone. You want to have intentional time management during the summer for both personal wellbeing and professional growth.

I say this too because as educators—and this is something I do—I put off projects in my house during the school year because I get so busy. I say, “This is a summer project when I’m off work.” But then before you know it, I didn’t do it. So again, it’s being intentional with what are the things you want to get done, or the things you talk about doing over the summer.

Tips for Making It a Productive Break

Tip 1: Understand What You Want from the Summer

Like I said, I made an intention two years ago that we were having a lazy summer. That’s what I wanted. After having that summer, I realized I never want that again because it did not go well with two little kids.

But maybe that’s you. Maybe you want to have that lazy summer without a lot of structure. Maybe you’re a person who gets all that stuff done during the school year and wants a truly lazy summer. Or maybe you decide, “I’m off for six weeks—I want one week of a lazy summer.”

You get to decide. That’s the fun thing. Reflect on what you need from your summer break to make it the best break for you.

For me, I always need time to recharge and reset. I need to be intentional about that. Like I said, I’m a structured person—I don’t do well without things to do. But if I tell myself, “These are the tasks I’m going to get done every day to feel productive, and then in the afternoon I’ll have time to recharge and rest,” that’s what works for me.

For some people, they can do that all day or for a couple weeks. Know what you want.

Also think about what you want professionally. Do you want to read books, do courses, get PD in the summer? I’ve had summers that were very PD focused and others where I needed the break and focused on personal development.

In the last podcast episode, we talked about making a summer action plan for PD. If that’s a goal of yours, go back to that episode.

Also, do you want extra time for family, hobbies, or personal goals?
For me, my husband isn’t an educator, so it’s not like he’s off in the summer. But I get extra time with my kids. Hobbies pretty much stay the same, but personal goals—like some people try to lose weight in the summer, or want to set habits and routines.

Think about those goals—maybe you want to read a couple books, travel somewhere, or just have intentional plans. Knowing your priorities will help you structure your time.

Tip 2: Create Structure for Your Summer

During the summer, you need clear expectations for yourself:

• What do you want the break to feel like?

• What do you want to accomplish?

You have to know what you want, then set expectations. For example, I often want my mornings—because I’m a morning person—to be productive. Then by lunchtime, I can have lazy afternoons reading a book in the sun.

Or maybe you want a couple weeks of getting things done around the house, then a couple weeks to relax. If you’re a principal who works a year-round contract, you might take vacation time. At my old school, we had early summer office hours—I left work at two o’clock. That’s different than leaving at four during the school year. Summer work was just a different vibe—more relaxed, and you get so much done.

The key: time block and schedule what you want to get done.

• If you want to organize the laundry room, put it on your calendar.

• I even do this on weekends. If there’s something I want to do with my husband, I schedule it.

• The summer is like a long weekend—if you don’t have a plan, it’s gone.

Maybe your mornings are for PD or personal development—reading, planning for next year, or doing a course. Then afternoons are personal time, evenings are downtime. Decide what that looks like for you, based on your personality and what relaxing means for you.

For me, relaxing with no productivity actually makes me more stressed. I do better when I’m productive at some point in the day.

Tip 3: Create Habits for the Next School Year

I highly recommend this. I talk to principals all the time who want better work-life balance, to start working out, eating healthier, or having more time for themselves. There’s no better time than summer when you have more time to build habits that will set you up for fall.

Some examples:

• Time blocking (like we’re talking about now) so it becomes second nature.

• Setting boundaries, like not checking your work email for a stretch.

• Prioritizing self-care—maybe it’s walking daily or working out in the morning.

Summer is also a great time to experiment with meal prep and healthy eating. I’ve learned this the hard way. One summer I gained 10 pounds, went back to school, and couldn’t fit into my work clothes. It happened so fast over six weeks. Now, I use the summer to double down on healthy habits—more walking, getting outside (I’m in Ohio, so summer’s the best time!), prepping healthy meals.

Any habit you create now is going to shape your daily routine and influence your leadership. The more you take care of yourself, the more you can take care of others.

I also have a product called Leadership by Design: The Custom Habit Tracker. It gives you four different ways to create habits so you can find what works for you, plus examples and trackers for accountability. It’s only $7. You can use it for self-care habits now and leadership habits during the school year.

Tip 4: Find Balance Between Rest and Productivity

I’m not good at just resting—but I also can be too productive and not rest enough. So find that balance.

Time blocking has helped me with this. When I’d just have a traditional to-do list, I’d overload it and not leave space to recharge. Now I actually schedule both productivity and rest.

Focus on intentional work periods—maybe it’s just an hour of productivity a day. Then balance that with time to relax.

Also allow room to be spontaneous. This is hard for me, but if I have nothing blocked off on the calendar, then I know I have time to do whatever I feel like. Maybe it’s the weekends, maybe it’s three days during the week—whatever you want.

Just make sure you’re unplugging—disconnect from work, email, and your phone. I’ve done this every summer as a principal. My teachers shouldn’t be emailing me because they should be disconnecting, so there’s really nothing urgent. Parent emails? I’d have an away message. Nothing is that urgent.

Recap & Encouragement

So just to review:

1. Understand what you want from your summer.

2. Create structure.

3. Create habits for next school year.

4. Find balance between rest and productivity.

Because without structure, your summer can literally fly by. Before you know it, you’re walking back into school feeling like you didn’t get anything done and didn’t rest the way you wanted. That can be so frustrating.

So I encourage you—set mini goals, set milestones, and really think about what you want this summer to look like.

Share this episode with a colleague and encourage them to take time to rest and relax, but also to make it a productive break.

Thanks again for listening to the podcast. Keep in mind, you have the power to shape your life according to the mindset you choose. I hope you have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next time.

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