7 Tips to Get Ready for 2020

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But free time is so delightful
And if you don’t know what to do
I’ve got some neat ideas for you

Yet another year is ending – hopefully it was as fortunate for you as it was for me. I’ve completed some great courses, gave my own workshops as well – but first and foremost I’ve met people, inspiring, funny, crazy, motivating, supporting and eye-opening people. December is definitely a month to sum things up and plan something new, close some chapters and embrace changes and opportunities. If you don’t know how to start – here, I prepared a short “to-do” list for your winter break!

1 Reflect on the past

Last year I created a December challenge, and each day I was compelled to ask – and answer – a question connected to teaching, my professional development etc. I must honestly admit, this challenge helped me a lot to sum up the finishing year and come up with more precise plans for the upcoming 12 months. If you want to use my challenge as a little cheat-sheet, all you need to do is click here! and you will get redirected to the note.

2 Organise the next year

I might have mad organisation skills, but hey, it helps a lot to have everything sorted out. Naturally, it’s good to save some space for spontaneity, but it’s really useful to set one’s limits first. Some time ago I shared my ideas on the blog, so all you need to do click here! and get inspired with my concepts. Hope you’ll find them useful (they really make my life way easier, but I realise not everyone is so focused on organisation). However, if you struggle with time management, go for Mike Clayton and his book Brilliant Time Management. What the most productive people know, do and say (you will read the review here – click!).

3 Make your life Superbetter

Speaking about books – there aren’t many books I can happily recommend to everyone, but Superbetter by Jane McGonigal is definitely one of them. You can read about it here (click!) and seriously, listen to her TED talk, get her book, and take your time reading it page by page, doing every exercise, reflecting and – gulp! – asking people for support. You say you don’t need any support? You will learn you do – and you’ll also see you’re surrounded by people ready to get your back covered.

4 Remember why you teach

I remember when I wrote this note (click!) – a lot of Polish teachers went on strike that turned out to be completely ignored by the government. The state of education in my country is getting worse and worse, especially regarding pupils’ – and teachers’ – mental health. Apart from that, being a teacher may hurt – it doesn’t matter whether you live in Poland or not, sometimes it’s just quite a difficult job. Then you should just remember why you’ve become a teacher. For the fame and money? For fun? Whatever the reason – stick to it in the dire times.

5 Learn something new

Teaching is learning – and we’re fortunate to have a lot of free opportunities to learn something new! For example, you may still attend one of the free online courses that started this month (click!) and choose classes that would be most interesting and useful for you.

6 Chill and relax

I love making lists, true, but here you should make your own – even a mental sketch, with things and activities that make you feel better and happier. A list like this may be something really important in March or November, during those long, rainy days. What do you like doing that will take your mind off the grim aspects of teaching? I certainly have my list here (click!), but it’s vital for one’s well-being to remember that there’s more to life than teaching.

7 Do nothing!

Seriously, if you’re tired and want to sleep – spend your time off and sleep. CPD is important, so are hobbies, friends, making your life easier… but you and your health are the most important. If your body needs more sleep – go for it. If your mind requires three days alone in the forest, listening to favourite music – do this. Yourself is the most important asset you should take care of, always, and don’t you ever forget it.

Thus, I’m off for my fortnight off – there will be no posts for the upcoming two Tuesdays as I’ll be doing all of the above 🙂 I’ll be back 7/01/2020 with free online courses you may start your year with, and then we’ll move to great books, superheroes, aliens and a lot of RPG ideas. Meanwhile, observe my FB page (click!) as you can see many goodies there 🙂

Have a very merry Solstice, may Cthulhu eat you last!