Building Sustainable Productivity and Renewal for the New Year
Does this story sound familiar?
You come back from the holidays refreshed, ready to tackle your to-do list: calls, emails, decisions—pretty soon, it’s a blur again. By the time you get home… whew! You might not even remember the last time you ate. This cycle can feel all too familiar for those of us in the business of running studios. Balancing the demands of leadership, serving students and families, and managing teams often means putting ourselves last. Over time, this leads to what’s often called surge capacity depletion: using all your energy for the urgent and not leaving room for the intentional. It’s how many people feel just before the holidays.
So how can we build sustainable refreshment and productivity into the new year?
The answer lies in priorities and planning. Sustainable productivity starts with identifying what matters most and focusing your energy on those priorities. While some tasks demand your personal attention, many can be delegated or shared (or even put on the shelf for a while!). This requires thoughtful planning and a realistic understanding of how much time something takes to complete. For me, it’s about creating a plan for the day that aligns with my bigger goals—and then sticking to it! It’s also about leaning into relationships with peers and teams to lighten the load and share encouragement. When we share strength and collaborate, we turn tasks into opportunities for connection and joy.
Approaching our workdays with intention allows us to dream again—about where we want to go and what’s possible for the future of the schools we lead. Running a studio is challenging, but it’s also an incredible opportunity to shape lives and communities. The path forward may not be linear, but it is there. Give yourself permission to envision what’s ahead, revise old goals, and dream bigger than before. Be gracious to yourself and others, and lean into the shared strength of our community.
As we approach 2025 with a renewed sense of energy, the possibilities are endless.