Thursday 17th October 2024 - Determined to Keep my Routine Going

 Hello all.

With a heart full of gratitude, I am pleased to say that today was a return to routine, and it went just as planned. I started the morning strong, keeping my habits in check, which set the tone for a productive day.

Upon arriving at work, I decided to sync my personal emails to my work computer. Many of my personal emails are actually work-related, so this small change will help me streamline my day and stay on top of things during working hours.

One of the big decisions at school today was to cancel a multiplication service that the school had been paying for. We discovered some excellent free alternatives online, so I spent some time testing them with students who needed to practice their times tables. I was thrilled to see the new systems work perfectly, providing both cost savings and effective learning.

The kitchen staff also had a new menu from the Trust that needed to be implemented. They sent it over to me, and I took the opportunity to design something visually appealing for display to help them follow it. After printing it out, I handed the copies to the kitchen staff so they could familiarize themselves with the new meals for the coming weeks.

Another important task today involved updating our “Pivots,” which is how we monitor the progress of students with special needs. It hadn’t been updated since July, so I took the initiative to ensure all the data was current and accurate. I know how crucial this is for providing the best support to our students.

Next up was my weekly Teams meeting with the IT staff from across the School Trust. A big win here was restoring my admin access to the school printers, which allowed me to ensure that all staff can print smoothly. That felt like a nice box to check off!

The rest of the afternoon was filled with small admin tasks: replying to emails, downloading iPad photos, and keeping spreadsheets up to date. Although these tasks were time-consuming, it was satisfying to clear them off my to-do list.

After getting home, however, I found myself falling back into an old habit—sitting in front of the TV without much purpose. It was frustrating to realize that I had slipped into this unproductive pattern again. But the first step to change is recognizing the problem. After a pep talk to myself, I turned things around, returned to my routine, and completed some household tasks before heading to bed.

For once, I was in bed on time and rewarded myself by diving into a book on the history of Freemasonry. It was the perfect end to the day, and I’m grateful for the sense of accomplishment that came from sticking to my routine. Here’s to more productive and fulfilling days ahead!