The Director's Planner: Week of July 21st, 2025
It's time to stop procrastinating and slay that annoying little monster
This Week’s Thought
Sometimes the thing you’re avoiding isn’t even hard… it’s just annoying.
I am a master of procrastination. I see something I don’t want to do, and I avoid it. Then it grows into a monster in my brain. And before I know it, I have 2 hours to finish an entire project and I’m kicking myself for putting it off… again.
I can recognize the signs, so why does this keep happening? Well, our brains are wired to chase quick wins and ignore anything that feels far off or emotionally uncomfortable. And with Parkinson’s Law at play stating that “work expands to fill the time available,” we end up avoiding things until the last possible second, when the pressure finally forces us to move.
So what helps? Mini deadlines. As long as you actually stick to them. That doesn’t mean “I’ll try to get to it,” but “I’ll do it by Friday at 10 AM.” That’s why we’re breaking up the Back-to-School checklist (below!) into weekly chunks. Setting a real deadline helps your brain register it as worth doing.
Ready to slay one annoying little monster? Grab a post-it, give it a deadline, and get to work.
✨ Something to Use
This week, I'm dropping all three of my go-to operational templates, tools I rely on daily to track the the most important topics related to my employees.
You should have just received the Daily Employee Absence Tracker, and the Performance Tracker + Weekly Schedule Template are heading your way over the next few days.
Yes… I recognize that this week your inbox is going to be a little busier than usual… but it’s all practical, time-saving stuff. (And better a full inbox than a full clipboard, right?) 😉
📅 What’s Coming Up
We’re kicking off our Back-to-School Prep series! Each week, I’ll break it down into bite-sized tasks so you can stay on top of fall without feeling overwhelmed.
This Week’s Focuses:
✅ Update Your Key Trackers
I’m sharing my top three operational templates—starting with my Employee Absence Tracker, plus my Employee Performance Tracker and Weekly Classroom Schedule later this week. All you have to do is make a copy and then customize it to fit your needs. So be sure to keep an eye on your inbox!
✅ Start Planning Your Fall Open House
If you have an open house next month, now is that time to pick your dates and start sketching out the details.
💡Need ideas? Section 4 of the Enrollment Playbook is all about mastering tours and first impressions.
🌟 Director Spotlight
Welcome to my first ever Director Spotlight! Two weeks ago, I shared a reminder about the power of leaning into your team’s strengths. This week, I want to spotlight someone who’s not just thinking about it, she’s doing it. Meet Margaret, a Director from Minnesota and a rockstar member of our Collective!
At Margaret’s center, every new hire receives a StrengthsFinder book during orientation and time to take the online assessment. Their top five strengths are handwritten and posted outside the teacher workroom, and the full team’s strengths live in a shared document so they’re easy to reference throughout the year.
This matters because it can be so easy to collect the information, then forget about it. But Margaret actively weaves her team’s strengths into every aspect of her leadership.
✔️ During annual reflections, teachers revisit their strengths to identify how they’ve shown up in their work and where they want to grow next.
✔️ When team dynamics get challenging, she consults the strengths profiles to guide solution-focused conversations.
✔️ She invites a certified StrengthsFinder coach to lead staff sessions on individual and team growth throughout the year.
✔️ And one year she even made personalized soup bowls with each staff member’s strengths printed on them! (Now I’m craving soup….)
Margaret is proof that honoring your team’s individuality is an amazing leadership strategy. Amazing job Margaret, and thank you for sharing! I will absolutely be using these ideas this fall.
Now it’s time for YOU to brag!
I know that as Directors, we’re often the ones noticing everyone else. Lifting up teachers, solving problems, and keeping things running behind the scenes. But while you are busy doing that, who’s noticing you?
There are thousands of you out there doing incredible things every day. Building strong teams, launching new ideas, and creating environments that truly support children and families. And all of that hard work deserves to be recognized.
So it’s time to BRAG!
Hit reply and tell me what you are doing that you're proud of, big or small. Whether it’s a creative onboarding idea, a killer family event, or just something that’s making the boring stuff easier, I want to hear it. And don’t forget to include a photo of yourself, or your project, if you have one!
Let’s lift each other up and share the brilliance that’s already happening in our Collective. You might just be our next Director Spotlight!
