Weekly Reflection: Work/life effectiveness

Another weekend away.

This time I was up in Auckland for an Apple Distinguished Educator camp. This was the first time that I had met some of the New Zealand-based alumni but ouch another trip away.

Could I really justify more time and money away from home?

Over the week I’ve ended up having a lot of conversations about work/life balance.

If I’m spending weekends away from homecoming working, how do I maintain any semblance of a personal life while teaching full-time teaching load?

That’s a good question.

Firstly a lot of these trips away I don’t actually view as being work. I like goofing around on my computer and talking about technology.

It’s part of my life.

Secondly with family and friends scattered in different cities, I often end up spending part of the trip nurturing those relationships.

Thirdly I tend to look on some of my trips as an investment in my career. The learning and contacts I’ve made help make me a better a teacher. At this juncture in my life, I’m happy putting my time and money into nurturing these relationships. If I wasn’t, I simply wouldn’t show up.

While for some peering in from the outside might wonder about my lack of work/life balance I prefer the concept of work/life effectiveness.

What might work for me won’t necessarily work for others. Moreover what might work for me now, might not necessarily work in 6 months time.

Do what makes you happy, life really is too short to be doing anything less…