Your calendar fills itself in by Monday morning, with duty coverage, drop-in conversations, and district requests that somehow magically appear.
This week, build the week before it gets built for you.
Run a five-day test and let the numbers show you exactly where things are coming apart, and how to fix it.
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A MESSAGE FROM ODP Business Solutions
Why Tomorrow’s Workforce Starts With Today’s Classrooms
STEAM isn’t about robots—it’s about resilience, creativity, and collaboration.
With STEAM jobs projected to grow over 10%, this article outlines 3 practical ways schools can redesign learning spaces to prepare students for what’s next—without starting from scratch.
Think modular design, repurposed spaces, and smarter funding.
DO SCHOOL DIFFERENT
The Ideal Week Field Test
It’s Sunday night, and next week's calendar is starting to fill up.
By Monday morning, that slow creep that gradually covers your calendar like an overgrown kudzu will begin. Unanticipated meetings, duty coverage for absent teachers, parent calls your admin assistant schedules for you.
Your One Big Thing will still be sitting there on a bright yellow sticky note, waiting for a slot.
This week, take the bull by the horns, and stake your claim.
Sunday: Set Your Week Up For Success
If you missed Danny's training on the Ideal Week, this will give you a super-stripped-down précis. (And by the way, did you know there are loads of on-demand replays in the Mastermind community?)
Take a few quiet moments on Sunday, before everyone else fills your calendar for you.
Pick your One Big Thing.
This is your single, most important priority this week. The thing that, if it’s the only thing that gets done, you’ll still feel accomplished.
The thing that moves your school forward this week, and creates momentum for everything else on your “to do” list.
Time-block it first.
Find two or three blocks of time, 60 to 90 minutes each, and schedule them. Protect them like you would your annual vacation time.
Make sure they are times when you know you have lots of energy, and you’re at your best.
Add an open-door block. Give drop-ins a scheduled home instead of a free pass at any time.
Schedule time to check email. Then let your community know, this is when you will get back to them.
Add buffer blocks for things you can't yet predict, like student discipline that can’t wait, walk-in parent concerns, time-sensitive requests from the District office.
These might be only 15-minute chunks across your day, but they’ll ensure you don’t sacrifice your higher goal (your One Big Thing). And they will add up.
Then, write down two numbers before Monday begins:
How many protected blocks have you scheduled?
And how many hours have you committed to your One Big Thing?
Monday through Thursday: Run the Test
Each afternoon, log three numbers.
This only takes two minutes, and it will give you data for your Friday reflection.
Ask yourself:
Protected time. Of today's blocks, how many did I follow through on?
Unexpected “interruptions”. Note what sucked you in: hallway conversations, emails, phone calls, fire alarms, etc.
One Big Thing. How many minutes did you spend versus how many minutes were planned?
By Wednesday, a pattern usually arises.
The schedule keeps collapsing in the same window or for the same reasons.
What interruptions keep winning your day?
Adjust one block as your power move for the following week.
Adjust the open-door slot.
Shorten a meeting by ten minutes.
Or create a buffer before/after every meeting.
Make one change, then see what happens.
Friday: Review the Numbers
Total the week:
Tally how many of your scheduled protected blocks happened, versus how many got overruled by interruptions.
Tally your One Big Thing minutes, planned versus minutes spent
What is the single disruption that cost you the biggest chunk of time?
That gives you a week of data and the exact time and date on your calendar when things started to unravel.
The Takeaway
An open calendar will get overrun by everyone else’s priorities.
A calendar you define will help you lead like a boss.
The numbers show you what to protect next week and where your intentions weren’t realistic.
Then, run the test again. And again. And again.
Each week, your calendar will get closer to your Ideal Week.
Copy This
Choose your One Big Thing
Time-block it first. Choose two or three 60 to 90-minute blocks, early in the day
Schedule drop-ins. Give them a designated time instead of standing access
Log your day. Each afternoon, note when you successfully followed through on your protected time, what unexpectedly consumed your schedule, and how many minutes you spent on your One Big Thing
Adjust one block midweek, based on your daily reflections
Friday reflection: total the week and choose one thing to adjust next week
Now that yellow sticky note finally has a scheduled slot, protected, and time-tested.
Run it once, and you'll have the numbers to prove your hunch is right.
Run it for a month, and you'll have a pattern to bring to your next Mastermind meeting.
It’s your proof of what’s most important.
Apply here 👉 https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind/
TIP OF THE WEEK
Pressure-Test Your Week
Hopefully your plan looks solid on Sunday night.
Monday morning is the proof in the pudding.
As you set next week's calendar, bring it to Digital Danny, as a thought partner.
Ask where there are potential hurdles, unanticipated wrinkles, or what is most likely to get in the way.
Work the fix before the week works you.
Pressure-test your week → https://myprincipalcoach.com/
SUNDAY VIBES
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