Hey School Psychologist friends! Want to learn how to do fewer things – better – in your career as a school psychologist? Want to spend time doing the most important and beneficial tasks with students AND still protect your wellbeing?
Then grab a cup of coffee and meet Angela Watson, a productivity and mindset specialist, author, and motivational speaker for educators.
Angela is my long-time blog friend (anyone remember “Blogspot”? That’s where we “met”). She is seriously like my teacher spirit animal! She is full of insights and practical strategies for educator wellbeing, and I have followed her work for years. Her online course, “The 40-Hour Teacher Workweek,” has been a real source of inspiration for me in the development of my online course and community, The Thriving School Psychologist Collective.
We are super simpatico because we both believe that we as educators have the power to take charge of our time and energy so that we can prevent burnout and stay in the profession we love for years to come.
In this 27-minute chat, I sit down with Angela to talk about three practical ideas to help educators build a positive mindset so they can be more productive around the things that really matter, and truly enjoy their work.
Short on time? Coffee’s gone cold on your coffee break? If you’re short on time, hop to the following timestamps to discover the three critical mindset shifts that help educators to increase productivity and prevent burnout.
0:53: I introduce Angela Watson, founder of “The Cornerstone for Teachers,” a one-stop shop for all the things related to teacher productivity, classroom management, and educator wellbeing.
1:27: Angela talks about why she wrote her latest book, “Fewer Things Better,” and the reasons why simplification and streamlining one’s work has not yet trickled down into the field of education.
3:35: I share the myth of the “bionic school psychologist” and how we need to take charge of our careers in education from within to protect ourselves from burnout.
4:22: I ask Angela about critical mindset shifts that educators need to accomplish to do fewer things, better, and have the courage to set work/life boundaries.
4:53: Angela shares why the stories we tell ourselves as educators can keep us feeling stuck doing work that is inefficient or unimportant.
5:17: Angela shares her first productivity strategy, related to a commonly adopted mindset in schools: “I don’t have a choice” and “I have to do things this way.” She offers a super insightful and professional method for making changes in archaic or paperwork-driven procedures at your school that are not efficient or beneficial for your students.
7:45: I riff off of this idea as it relates to the world of special education documentation, which can often be “The Department of Redundancy Department.” I share an idea of how a school psychologist might put into practice the technique Angela described in order to challenge the archaic systems in place.
10:57: Angela describes a second mindset that is common for educators that ends up being a huge contributing factor to burnout and poor self-care.
13:31: I talk about the self-care movement and I out some of the research from “The Science of Happiness” on positive resonance and the ripple effect that your mood has on your work.
14:41: I share the particular challenges that a new school psychologist may face in adopting the second mindset that Angela proposes.
15:51: We talk about the link between our beliefs about work and rest and our happiness. I share my two most powerful mantras that have kept me from overworking.
16:32: Angela shares some practical tips for starting your school year in August with fresh habits and boundaries.
17:58: Angela shares a third mindset shift that is important for educators, especially those who struggle with perfectionism. She provides a quick behavioral experiment we can do to test out what tasks and behaviors we practice that are actually going beyond what is necessary.
20:28: I talks about how this third mindset shift can be applied to reducing report-writing time for school psychologists.
23:23: Angela shares the danger of giving 110% percent effort to everything work-related.
25:00: Angela provides some resources for teachers and educators to find support as they change their mindset for the better: Visit www.thecornerstoneforteachers.com to find her books, online trainings, and free podcasts. You can also find her on Instagram @Angela.Watson.
Many thanks to Angela for her inspiring Coffee Chat on productivity resources for school psychologists!
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Dr. Rebecca Branstetter is a school psychologist, speaker, and author on a mission to help public school psychologists manage their stress, improve their efficacy and enjoyment in their work, and prevent getting burned out so they can focus on what they love to do—being champions for helping children be the best they can be in school and in life and supporting educators and families.
Learn more about Dr. Rebecca Branstetter’s Thriving School Psychologist Collective online professional learning community just for school psychologists at www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/mentor.