I recently read Johann Hari’s excellent book on Stolen Focus. I realised that as a HT my clarity of thinking is regularly impeded by a lack of focus. Is it stolen? I think so.
We are required to be strategic and yet have to have solutions to staff shortages or pupil behaviour at the drop of a hat.
The other day in a 10 minute burst I talked about and acted upon these 6 things
- A staffing plan which was now overdue
- A new after school club staffing plan
- A staff member absence and how I needed to cover a child who needed 1-1 support outwith the classroom
- A child with a scraped knee who needed first aid
- A shortage of paper
- A meeting with a site contractor on my extension regarding a kitchen survey
None of this was strategic and I would say that to think through any of these issues with clarity I also needed to focus.
I prioritise bigger chunks of time to things like childs plans, child planning meetings and teaching and learning quality assurance activities… but … these
chunks of time are interrupted too
Switching off emails at certain times of the day has become necessary.
Alongside shutting my office door.
I never thought I’d be the type of leader who does that.
But I have to, to get the job done.
And complex and unfathomable firefighting issues can seep into time I have ring-fenced for strategic work.
What I actually get is stolen time snatched from where I can…
-In the toilet
-On the way to see person or pupil
-In the pauses between sentences
This pattern repeats adinfinitum until the day is done. It’s no wonder I am exhausted by the end of a day.
Add in break and lunch supervision, and that truly chops up the time I have to focus.
I seem to work with stolen snatches of time.
So now I’m seeking to snatch my time back.
To slow down, to have more clarity, and to be able to think.
If anyone in this wondrous and busy job as a HT has anything which works and reduces stolen focus I am all ears.
My enquiry has become:
How can a snatch back time which will give me more focus and clarity of thought?
The Enquiring Head Teacher 