I AM DROWNING!

Drowning in paper work, not connecting with your Educators or children? This all sounds too familiar in Early Childhood doesn't it. Being a leader within Early Childhood is a amazing but hard job, you are able to lead your educators down the road you envision, be part of the most vital years of a child's life and overall run a service according to your philosophy. reading this out loud will help you go yes, that is right, but I know all too well that feeling will not last long, this is because you will then remember oh I have to do this, and then this oh and this, this is just on a Sunday afternoon. Being a leader within Early Childhood is a demanding job and if you do not manage your time well you can become very overwhelmed by the never ending list of things to do. As a leader you need to remember to write everything down, writing it down will help you remember to do the task, and there is also something so satisfying about crossing it off your list once completed. We all know that within Early Childhood they continually add things to do, no extra time and definitely no extra money- but let's leave this for another day. Don't forget when you do write it down you write down the importance of it/priotising your to do list Because each day you will get something new added to your list, you need to also remember that you have a team to utilise, this is why they are your team, they are to support you and work with you, this meaning you need to DELEGATE! do no be afraid to delegate because too many leaders fear they will lose their leadership status if they do not do everything themselves, but it is quite the opposite. When your educators see you drowning and not coping they cannot look up to you and ask you for your help and allow you to be the leader you want to be. This is because your team see you as always too busy for them. Writing your list of what to do, prioritizing and delegating are just some ways to help with your workload while at work, but do not forget to look after you. You need to ensure your work stays at work, try and not take work home, because when you do this you won't stop and soon enough you work 7 days a week, this is not good for your well- being. You need to look after you, so find something you enjoy or want to start enjoying and have it within your weekly schedule. one thing could be a specific gym class every Tuesday and Thursday 1 hour after you are meant to finish work- this will make you leave on time. schedule lunch dates on a Saturday, do a yoga class every Sunday morning., These are just some small things you can do within your life to look after you. But one thing I cannot stress enough is have a Mentor- having a Mentor will help you in all aspects of work and your well-being, ensure you have a Mentor that knows Early Childhood otherwise when you reach out to them for support in regards to work, they cannot guide and support you within Early Childhood understanding, they can only support you the way they think you want to be supported. Here's what to do;

Prioritise your work load!

Delegate to your team

Ensure your own wellbeing is supported

Reach out to your leader and Mentor

And if your wanting support in completing any of these steps, contact SPROUTS for a free consultation! We’re here to help!

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