Posted on by hildaweisburg

To-Do’s to Make You A Better Leader

Librarians are lifelong learners which is key to supporting and growing our programs. We learn about the latest tech and the newest books for our students. We learn about the ways they take in information and how we can support them to be critical thinkers so that they keep an open mind and are also constantly learning.

What we don’t often focus on what we need to learn to become better leaders. The vision of AASL is “Every school librarian is a leader; every learner has a school librarian.” It is incumbent on us to be the best leader we can be. The better we become at leading our school community, the better we can do all the other things that are our high priorities.

To lift your leadership to the next level, consider using David Durand’s Four Daily Habits That Separate Giants From the Pack. Here are his recommendations with my modifications for our education world:

Daily habit 1: Bring your thoughts to life with action

If you think it, write it. In the course of your busy day, you may have a passing thought of a possible change that would address a problem or increase the reach of the library. Lock on to it. As soon as you have time, record it digitally or manually.

Review your list regularly to identify which of your ideas needs to or can become a reality. Start the planning process with action steps, including start and by-when dates. If it is a big project, such as developing a new strategic plan, begin with your Mission Statement, then look at who will be involved, what needs to be done, and how you will assess it.

Daily habit 2: Find concrete reasons to believe

It’s too easy to say the idea is “pie in the sky” and will never happen. Yes, it might not work. But you will learn much along the way if you try. And what if it does work?

Durand say, “Giants find reasons to believe, and they do it daily. They set a goal and begin building a realistic case for how and why they can and should accomplish it.” You have seen what leaders in the field have done. If they can do it, so can you. You might even contact them for advice or ask if they would consider being your mentor. Trying is the only way to know for sure.

Daily habit 3: Break your morning down into 3 daily tasks

  • First task: Get your head right – Focus. What mindset will forward your Vision and Mission today? Remind yourself of it during the day to maintain you focus.
  • Second task: Guard the culture – Your library culture which should stem from your Mission usually is related to the idea that the library welcomes everyone. It is a safe haven and a place where learning happens. Embody it in all your interactions.
  • Third task: Do the thing that moves the needle most before anything else – Know your priorities. It’s easy to get sidetracked. Know what comes first and get it done. At the end of the day you will be able to see you accomplished something that moved the library forward in some way.

Daily habit 4: Keep primary responsibilities primary, or you will unconsciously complicate secondary responsibilities

Durand warns to keep the third task in mind. You have many responsibilities but there will always be interruptions in your day. Keep your focus (First Task) and be sure the first thing you do is what needs to come first, or you are likely to have a day filled with only secondary tasks. You may be preparing monthly report and start designing the infographic you will use. However, as you work on the content (your primary responsibility) you realize the infographic needs to be tweaked or redone.

Just like librarians, leaders are always learning. When you look for the ways you need to learn and grow, you become the librarian and leader your students, teachers, district, and administrators need.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Are You Procrastinating Too Much?

Procrastinating means to put off doing something. The definition doesn’t include the words “something important,” but that’s usually when we think of it. Because often when we’re putting off something – the bills, returning a call, setting up a meeting with our principal – we’re getting lots of other things done. Just not the one that banging around in our heads, the one we can’t stop thinking about that we know needs to get done.

There is no doubt about it. That list of check marks on the unimportant tasks probably means we’re avoiding the priority or the most impactful action. Why do we do that to ourselves? And how can we stop doing it? Greg Vanourek tackles the problem in How to Stop Avoiding Things: 17 Practices:

  1. Start by noticing your avoidance practices – Awareness is always the first step in being able to deal with a problem. What are you go-to tasks that alert you to the fact that you’re avoid something bigger. (Email? Facebook?)
  2. Seek the root cause of your avoidance behavior – It may be feeling uncertain about how to handle the specific task. It could be something frightening such as dealing with a book challenge and/or preparing for a board meeting where your book selection practices are being questioned. Knowing what’s behind your choices can help you make a change.
  3. Process your emotions – Recognize the emotions. Allow yourself to feel and express them. Vanourek suggests journaling or exercising. Both of these can change your physiological state and put you in a better mindset.
  4. Divide the problem you’re avoiding into smaller, more manageable chunks – It’s the old adage about how to eat an elephant. And as you complete each chunk, you feel successful and ready to tackle the next chunk. Momentum helps you keep going.
  5. Start with an easy task or small encounter to get momentum – This works like chunking and gives you a way to get into action – sometimes the hardest part.
  6. Look for ways to boost your motivation for a better result– Keep track of what you are accomplishing. Consider a Success Journal or visible check list. Cheer your own progress.
  7. Reframe a situation to note the positives and refrain from focusing only on the negatives – This may a very challenging project, which is why you were avoiding it in the first place. Keep your focus on the positive results you’re aiming for. If it’s something you are uncertain about handling, consider this a step in your learning. For a book challenge issue, see yourself joining those who stand up for our core values and beliefs as a librarian.
  8. Quiet your negative self-talk – Not easy, but reframing will help. Vanourek suggests being compassionate with yourself, “we are all works in progress.” Know that mistakes are a part of the process, not a reason to stop.
  9. Practice your communication skills – Be ready to talk about the benefits and challenges of what you’re doing by always keeping your communication skills strong. Then you can confidently as you express yourself and when asking for help when needed.
  10. Set a deadline for taking action – “By when’s” are vital to starting and continuing. “I’ll have this step done before Wednesday/noon/break.” It also gives you goals and milestone to reach.
  11. Build action habits – The more you see yourself doing – and as being a doer – the easier it will be to continue. Momentum is your friend.
  12. Recognize that addressing something you’ve been avoiding can make you feel powerful – Instead of carrying around the heaviness of your thoughts as you think about this project and the fact that it’s still not done, taking even that first step will be empowering. You’ll inspire yourself to take the next.
  13. Work on your problem-solving skills –Vanourek suggests exploring creative ways of dealing with problems even before you get to a project that you want to avoid. Knowing you are good at problem-solving will help you spend less time procrastinating.
  14. Develop your tolerance and flexibility – Rigid ways of thinking rarely help us out of difficult situations and challenging emotions. Be open to the process and recognize some problems are beyond your ability. Look for ways to get help – such as your PLN.
  15. Work on improving your coping skills and strategies – Some suggested questions to ask yourself: “How might I address this? What would my best self do in this situation?
  16. Resist your urge to avoid when it appears – Now that you recognize your avoidance behaviors, you are better equipped to deal with them. Get into action as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the harder it is to get going.
  17. Get support – You don’t have to do everything on your own. Look to see who handles this better than you and ask for help. Mentors can be useful in this.

This is a long list – and a long post. If any of these points hit you, then make a change. And if you’re reading this instead of tackling that responsibility you’ve been avoiding? It’s time to get to work.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

The Truth About Multi-tasking

Last week, I shared with you about the real problem of decision fatigue and having too many choices. This is what leads many of us to spend our day multi-tasking. But there’s a downside to this skill – it doesn’t work. Studies show that we cannot successfully do many things at the same time. Yes, your brain is constantly chattering at you when you have a lot on your plate, and you have multiple thoughts in your head at any given time, but the simple fact is multi-tasking doesn’t help us to do the job we want.

I was a confirmed multi-tasker. I was proud that I could respond to a few emails, get back to working on a project, and open some junk mail while I was taking a call. But it was costing me. Almost every time I multi-tasked, I didn’t produce my best work. I hit send in my email – and realized too late that I had made typos, or worse, I sent it to the wrong person. Other times, I didn’t fully read an email I received and didn’t follow through properly. Projects were completed, but not as well as they could be. Everything got slightly short changed.

Multi-tasking didn’t and doesn’t work.

So how do you get through it all? Naphtali Hoff advises Instead of Multitasking, Go All in on Your Tasks. We need to be single-task focused. He offers the following 8 steps to take:

  1. Make a to-do list and/or block out times – Take note of your priorities and then set time to do them. One at a time. You don’t need to act on your biggest priority first (especially if you don’t have the time until later), but know what you are going to do and when. And then only do this thing.
  2. Break down large projects or tasks into chunks – Because we frequently look at how much needs to be done – and frequently get overwhelmed – this one is important to repeat. Get clear on the steps, and then do each step completely before moving on to the next. It’s the old story, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” As each step is taken, success doesn’t seem impossible.
  3. Work in time blocks – Hoff says to work for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. This works great if you can keep your breaks to five minutes (To be honest, I’m not always good at that). Working for short, dedicated periods of time helps our brains to not “panic” that we have to stay focused indefinitely. Like breaking things into chunks, breaking down time this way works, too. It is also easy to stay focused on one thing if you know it’s for a shorter period of time.
  4. Remove distractions – Hoff has several recommendations, including shutting off your phone (so hard!), keeping your desk neat, and closing open computer tabs. Do what you can to keep your focus on the single task you are trying to accomplish.  
  5. Set unrealistic personal deadlines – This one is a little more controversial and won’t work for everyone. Hoff believes that if you give yourself a shorter deadline, you’re more likely to stay focused and be more productive. Try it (and let me know if it works!) For example, tell yourself you’ll get something that normally takes you an hour done in half an hour, then push yourself to do it. For some, that deadline and pressure will be motivating.
  6. Write it down – Most of the time, when we suddenly remember we need to do something while we’re in the midst of another project, we attend to it. Then when we get back to the original task, we waste time reviewing to find out where we are. Instead, keep a notepad nearby, make note of what needs to be done next (or later), then get right back to what you are doing during this time block knowing that you won’t forget and can take care of the other project later.
  7. Follow your energy – When do you do your best work? First thing in the morning? After answering emails? Maybe you’re an evening person. Use that time for the work that needs your clearest focus and schedule other tasks for other times.
  8. Enjoy the sensation – It’s that inner delight when you cross something off your to-do list. The more you do, the more energized you are. Take the time to feel good about what you’ve done and you’ll have more energy to tackle whatever comes next.

Being a leader puts a lot on your plate. So does running a school library. You will do better at both if you follow as many of these steps as possible and stop multi-tasking and instead, keep your focus to a single task at a time. By doing this, you’ll be amazed at how many tasks you actually get done and how well you’re able to do them.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

ON LIBRARIES: Launching – and Completing – A Successful Project

43895764 – web start up flat style. rocket flight, promotion seo, laptop and launch, vector illustration

No matter where you are on your professional journey, starting out or established leader, there are times and opportunities where you need to take risks and move out of your comfort zone. Frequently this means creating and tackling a project.  Smaller projects, which tend to be shorter term, could include a “one book, one school,” a book club, or starting a Makerspace. A big project might be genre-fying your fiction (and possibly your nonfiction) collection, turning your library into a Learning Commons, or building a new library wing. How do you manage these long-term projects while you are still doing your regular job?  Planning is the key.

Whether the project is big or small you will likely have moments (maybe many of them) of trepidation, concern and even a few occasions of “What was I thinking?!” In a new blog I have been following, Belinda Wasser of RocketGirl Solutions presented seven ideas on How to Launch a Big Project.  These steps work for small projects as well as large ones and are a great way to keep you on track or help you return if you get off course.

no elephants were sacrificed for any of the projects mentioned!

Here are the seven—along with my comments:

  1. Set the end date before you begin. Wasser says it motivates you. I believe it keeps you on track.  Keep in mind the places where you don’t have control over all the parts when it comes to a large project.  For example, contractors don’t/can’t always adhere to the original schedule, and things do go wrong.
  • For small projects, if you don’t have an end date, you are likely to let daily tasks get in the way and the project will not only never be completed, it will start to feel overwhelming and tedious. You won’t meet your goal if you don’t schedule the time to keep moving your project forward.
  1. Break the project down into its parts and create a plan. I have written about my technique of telescoping, microscoping, and periscoping when doing a big project. In telescoping you look down the road to the conclusion of the project as Wasser says for the first step. I also recommend you set additional internal dates for the different parts of the project.  On a day-to-day basis you use microscoping to focus on the current step. Every so often you go to periscoping, popping up the periscope to see what’s next to see if everything is on schedule and what you will need to do next.
  • For small projects, you still need to know the parts but periscoping will be less of a necessity. If you are relying on others for components of your project, such as getting approval for something, be sure to stay on top of it, nicely reminding that person of the “deadline” and the important part their role plays.

3. Schedule regular meetings. I’ve found librarians rarely do this even for a large project, but if you think it can help your progress, do it. This may be especially important if your project is outside of your library, such as for your state association (Zoom anyone?). Regardless of whether meetings will help, keeping people up to date on the state of the project is important and you should send reports to whomever is involved, particularly the administration.

  • In meetings and in reports, focus on the positives.  Report on any problems that are surfacing and how you plan to deal with them, including who will be helping you to take care of it.

4. Be decisive. At some point (or several) during a large project, you will have to make decisions. It often is about making some changes to the original plan. It’s challenging enough to take on a big project.  When confronted by the need to alter it in some way, the tendency is to try to get the perfect solution, and you can spend time getting a lot of advice.  That is what General Colin Powell calls “analysis paralysis.”  You don’t have time to waste.  Give yourself a short deadline for coming to a decision and go with it. Small projects (fortunately) rarely have these decisions.

  • You might change a vendor or product for your starter makerspace or decide to have a theme book club requiring you to have books for participants to choose from. But the decisions shouldn’t take much time.
  1. Be prepared to spend extra time. You already have a full schedule, and there isn’t much you can do when this happens. You will have to fit in extra time for the project. This doesn’t mean you stay late every day or bring home an inordinate amount of work. An idea can be to create a list of responsibilities you can delegate temporarily so that when this happens, you have a plan. Also, remember to allow for downtime with friends and family during the process or you will be drained and exhausted when it’s complete.

    The person turns hourglass isolated on white
  • Small projects need little extra time, but since it can come up be mindful of them.
  1. Don’t forget the budget. Vendor sites and vendors themselves can give you a good idea of some of the costs. Use social media to ask those who have tackled this type of project to tell you how they budgeted, what were some unexpected costs, and how they handled writing RFPs (Request for Proposal).
  • With a small project, many of you will be spending money out of your own pocket. You might buy makerspace supplies or treats for the book club.  While this may be unavoidable, look for other funding sources such as your home school association or small grants.
  1. Visualizing the end. Just as the Vision for your library program serves as an inspiration, visualizing what you will have when you are done will keep you going on the tough days. It will become easier to hold the picture as you come closer to the end. Share the steps with others.  Take pictures of the progress and create a display and/or post on your website.

And one more step from me. Celebrate. Be proud of your achievement, large or small.  You have expanded the library presence and improved student learning through your vision and courage.  It’s what leadership is about.