It can be so easy to get caught up in the rat race of life and find ourselves constantly busy. Especially for educators. Even more so for school librarians who have a billion-and-one things on our plates on any given day.
For me, the end of the school year has always been the most hectic time. Standardized testing. End-of-the-year collection inventory. Panicked students needing help with citations ten minutes before a term paper is due. Yeah, I’ve definitely experienced overwhelm at this time of year.
Books to Read When You Feel Overwhelmed
Over the past year or so, I’ve been reading a lot of books about minimalism. These books have helped me to take a deep breath. And cut back what I can and learn to not stress out so much about ALL THE THINGS. I don’t think just reading a book can cure all your stress (spoiler alert: it won’t). However, I do think we can all benefit from taking a look at minimalism and finding some aspects of it that we can apply to our lives. So here’s my short recommended reading list to get you started. Consider it your self-care homework! :)
- Essentialism: The Discipline Pursuit of Less: This was the first one I read and it continues to have an impact on how I make decisions.
- Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur: Have you ever heard the phrase: When deciding if you want to do something it should either be”Hell yes!” or “No”? That comes from this book.
- Everything that Remains: A Memoir by the Minimalists: Everything by The Minimalists (blog, podcast, other books) is worth reading. This book is their backstory and the one they recommend reading first.
- Chasing Slow: Courage to Journey Off the Beaten Path: The story of a blogger who finds more success than she bargained for and tries to figure out how to slow down.
- Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More: More than just a book about how to get rid of stuff, this is a book about what to bring into your life.
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: If you want to de-clutter, this is a great and effective method, even if some of it doesn’t perfectly translate to American culture.
Author: Diana Rendina
Diana Rendina, MLIS, is the media specialist at Tampa Preparatory, an independent 6-12 school. She was previously the media specialist at Stewart Middle Magnet School for seven years, where she founded their library makerspace. She is the creator of the blog RenovatedLearning.com & is also a monthly contributor to AASL Knowledge Quest. Diana is the winner of the 2016 ISTE Outstanding Young Educator Award, the 2015 ISTE Librarians Network Award, the 2015 AASL Frances Henne Award & the 2015 SLJ Build Something Bold Award. She is an international speaker on the Maker Movement and learning space design and has presented at conferences including AASL, FETC & ISTE. Diana co-authored Challenge-Based Learning in the School Library Makerspace and is the author of Reimagining Library Spaces: Transform Your Space on Any Budget.
Categories: Blog Topics, Professional Development
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