Rest Is Not Earned.
Vacation time, uninterrupted.
A while back, Kristin sent me a card and inside was a sticker that read: “Rest is not earned.” I stuck it on my laptop to remind myself that rest shouldn’t only come after an intense period of hard work. Rest is essential, and it is not something we earn through hard work — or anything else, for that matter.
Rest is a healthy habit that we all need. It is how we recharge and improve our health and well-being.
This summer, we desperately need rest to quiet our minds. Given the year that we’ve had, we all need to detach from the hustle and engage in restful activities that fill our spirits.
Working in school PR, rest doesn’t always come easy for us. Communication professionals are overworked, especially in this pandemic. Even if we did get a break in our work, we didn’t get the rest that we wanted, and needed.
Burnout was a real thing in school PR over the past year. Colleagues left the profession because the intensity of our work was not sustainable. Add to this, organizational psychologist and author Adam Grant described in a New York Times article that we’re all feeling a sense of languish because of the pandemic.
Now is the time to reclaim our joy. Our school districts will need us at our fullest energy levels to support the recovery and healing that our students, staff and communities will need in the months and years to come.
One of the ways to protect your time for rest is to plan a vacation, uninterrupted. This month, my family will take a short trip to a cottage. My wife insisted that I make a deal with her to not do work while we’re away. Obviously, this is always the goal. But clearly, I haven’t lived up to it in the past.
To achieve this, we must set our intentions. Protect our time. Don’t book or accept a meeting on your days off. Set project work aside - the work will be there when you return. Set your out-of-office reply. Set up whatever coverage is needed in your absence. Find help from a member of your team or in another department. Release social media from your mind and fingers, and detach from devices. Reserve the phone for actual emergencies. These are important boundaries, and your restful self will thank you for setting and protecting them.
Rest improves mental health and reduces burn out. It can give us the energy boost that we so desperately need after such a demanding and challenging year.
— Shawn
Share your summer getaway stories with us on Twitter (after you get home, and you are rested!) and tag #k12prWell!
—Shawn and Kristin
Connectedness is key to wellbeing — please keep in touch!
Shawn McKillop, APR | Twitter | Email
Kristin Magette, APR | Twitter | Email
#k12prWell
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Here's a checklist that will keep your work focused and strategic, which leaves time for rest!
If your superintendent worries about responsive communications coverage when you're gone, Kristin and the CEL team can help.