Stop, Reflect, Declutter
We are more productive when we declutter
by Hannah Taylor
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To consider the importance of organizing our workload and social life.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Stop, Reflect, Declutter) and the means to display them.
Assembly
- Show Slide 1.
Ask the students to raise their hand if they sometimes feel overwhelmed with trying to balance their work with their home and social life.
Explain that some teachers feel the same way too. Tell the students that this assembly is going to explore what we can do to build a healthy work-life balance. - Ask the students, ‘Why do we feel overwhelmed?’
We often feel overwhelmed when we are trying to achieve too many things at once. When this happens, it can lead to us feeling stressed and unable to focus.
Imagine that your mind is a bucket of water. Each cup of water that we put in the bucket represents a task that we have to do. If we add too many cups of water to the bucket, it will eventually overflow. It is the same concept for our minds when we try to do too many things at once. - Ask the students to reflect on their workload.
It probably sounds obvious, but the first thing to do when you feel like there is too much going on in your head is to write it all down. If writing isn’t your thing, you could talk to a family member or close friend. Writing down or discussing all of the different tasks can help us to offload, clearing our minds and giving us a clean slate to work from. - Encourage the students to find an organisation tool that works for them.
Show Slide 2.
It’s useful to find a method of regularly recording the things that you need to achieve. It’s impossible to remember everything, and we can find ourselves forgetting important details. This is why it can be helpful to note them down. There are various methods available.
- Writing in a diary or notepad.
- Updating a calendar on our phone.
- Using a block of Post-it notes.
- Using a voice recorder.
- Writing on a mini whiteboard.
Your organisational tool can be as colourful and creative as you like. Sometimes, the more appealing it looks, the more likely you are to use it. - Suggest to the students that they make themselves a timetable.
Show Slide 3.
Making a timetable is a brilliant way of ensuring that you are giving yourself enough time to complete your work and have some fun. You could draw one on paper or make one using computer software. Make sure that you allow for plenty of breaks each day so that you don’t feel overwhelmed with work. It’s a good idea to display your timetable where you are likely to see it every day, such as on your bedroom door or the fridge. - Urge the students to declutter their world.
It’s awful trying to get a task done when you can’t find what you need! Give your bedroom and your school bag a good clear-out, and put items where you will easily find them. - Finally, tell the students to be kind to themselves.
As much as we would love to get everything done at once, it’s not always the best way of tackling things. If your list is really long, be kind to yourself and plan to do some of the tasks over the next few days. Spreading out the work will reduce stress and help you to produce better-quality work.
Time for reflection
We will all experience times of stress when we feel overwhelmed, times when we may feel overloaded with tasks and responsibilities. Let’s make sure that we consider how we can reduce this stress by using the ideas that we’ve discussed. Let’s remind ourselves of the importance of the right work-life balance and speak to our teachers and loved ones if we need some support.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Please give us the strength to be kind to ourselves.
Remind us that we do not need to be perfect,
And that you love us for who and what we are.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Roar’ by Katy Perry, available at: https://youtu.be/CevxZvSJLk8 (4.29 minutes long)
Publication date: January 2023 (Vol.25 No.1) Published by SPCK, London, UK.
