Workload Balance, Not Work-Life: Reimaging School Leadership
By: Chad Lang, Recalibrate Educational Resources www.recalibrateedservices.com
The modern age of PK–12 education is marked by constant change—political, social, fiscal, and legislative. One area that has undeniably impacted nearly everyone in our field is the growing shortage of teachers, administrators, and support staff to sustain the educational institutions that have long served as the foundation of this country.
Demographic shifts, the evolving career aspirations of Generation Z, and the increasingly complex challenges of the job have led to the staffing conundrum so many schools still face. Like other sectors in the post-pandemic world, education has begun to learn from the private sector: flexibility and well-being are not just perks—they’re expectations.
To their credit, some school systems have shown creativity where once there was rigidity. Relaxed dress codes. Virtual snow days. Flexed summer hours for curriculum work. Staff lounges stocked with snacks. These are meaningful gestures, yet burnout remains real. Especially for school and district leaders.
While conversations about work-life balance have gained traction, I want to shift the focus to something I believe we don’t talk enough about: workload balance. Work-life balance is often framed as a separation of time—work here, life there. But for school leaders, those boundaries don’t cleanly exist. Workload balance, by contrast, is about managing the volume and weight of professional responsibilities in ways that are sustainable, intentional, and aligned with your values. It’s not about doing less—it’s about doing it differently.
It’s not a glamorous or popular conversation. It’s often brushed aside with a casual “that’s why you make the big bucks.” But that mindset diminishes the deep, sustained toll this role can take. Yes, most administrators are compensated at a higher level than teachers. But with that comes increased legal responsibility, longer contracts, greater accountability, and—most significantly—an “always-on” presence.
School leaders are rarely off the job.
A Saturday night alarm call. A Sunday staff member asking for time to talk about family leave. The expectation to respond to texts, emails, or community concerns nearly 24/7. I’ve seen it in the puffy, coffee-fueled eyes of my colleagues—across the table or across the country—who are trying to hold it all together while living in five Google calendars and praying they can make it to their child’s track meet. Even then, they know they might be answering calls, unlocking doors, or crawling under bleachers for a dropped phone.
We’ve heard a lot about work/life balance. I’m not even sure I know what that is anymore—or if it ever truly applied to school leadership. More importantly, I think the term has morphed into a code for “working less.” But that’s not what I’m advocating for. I’m talking about workload balance. Because for school leaders today, work and life aren’t binary. They’re intertwined. They ebb and flow. And here’s the good news—it’s not a zero-sum game. You can be at the top of your game and bring your workload into better balance.
Let’s talk about how.
Reframing the Conversation
As I mentioned before, I struggle when I see people roll their eyes about work/life balance. It is often in the vein of, “isn’t this what you signed up for?” I honestly don’t think what most school leaders are doing now really is, and as such we need to reframe the conversation regarding workload. When I refer to workload balance, this is as much the mental or cognitive load as it is tactically. Most school leaders I know have sticky notes all over their office, desks, laptops, books, car, and digitally in their cell phone. I have found notes to myself that I had no idea what they even meant, and so to be sure, that struggle is real, but the cognitive load sticky notes are heavy, unlike the Post-It notes that crumble and go away with a Shaquille O’Neal hook shot to the garbage can. They weigh you down like invisible anchors being drug through sand behind you. Challenging student to student and staff to student relationships and problem solving; not to mention parent and guardian navigation and custody disputes. Worse yet, what is seen that cannot be unseen, abuse, neglect, overstressed and overanxious students often addicted to cell phones and social media. How do you shut it off?
To reframe the conversation about administrator workload is to require you to uncouple this notion that life is so binary, work and non-work. It means recognizing that the traditional “work-life” binary doesn’t reflect the lived reality of school leaders. It’s not about drawing a line between two worlds—it’s about redesigning the one life we actually live, where work is part of the equation but doesn’t consume the whole. This antiquated punch-in, punch-out model just isn’t how school leadership works, but it can be improved. This is rooted in a cultural misunderstanding of leadership as grind equals greatness. But modern leadership—especially in education—demands sustainability, adaptability, and strategic energy management. Many leaders wear "busy" as a badge of honor. The mindset of always being on is often tied to self-worth, fear of being perceived as disengaged, or guilt over not doing enough. But this has a real opportunity cost we don’t often see. When school leaders operate in physical and mental fatigue MORE hours don’t always equal high impact, and more importantly, LESS hours doesn’t equal less impact. We have to stop glorifying martyrdom as a leadership trait. Workload balance doesn’t mean lowering the bar. It means organizing the load so leaders can consistently hit the bar. There is a clear difference between working hard and working heavy. And while school leadership will always require a high level of commitment, it should not require a total sacrifice of wellness, family, or identity. Workload balance is a leadership competency we must teach and expect and not view as a luxury or rite of passage for veteran administrators. So…how do we get there?
Gradually, then Suddenly
I really enjoy reading, but not much fiction, and admittedly, classics. I have, though, always loved the character exchange from Ernest Hemmingway’s, The Sun Also Rises (1926). The character Mike Campbell was asked about his money troubles and responded with a vivid description embracing self-contradiction. “How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly.”
This is the case with school leaders and the workload imbalance. The normalizing of the imbalance is the dangerous part because your friends and family become normalized too, much missed connection and health is derived from your physical and mental absence. The path to prevent yourself from “bankruptcy” can be secured through both systematic and individual changes. Systematically and personally here are some suggestions.
Workload balance starts with design, not willpower. The way we structure our calendars, staffing models, and even professional expectations either supports balance—or sabotages it.
Calendar Consciousness: Protect leadership time the same way we protect instructional time. Block-IN windows for visibility, reflection, and proactive leadership—not just reactive tasks. Block-OUT time for yourself and your wellbeing. You don’t have to eat cold chicken nuggets in 7 minutes while reading 21 emails.
Strategic Staffing and Empowerment: Consider communicating with dedicated support roles like Dean of Students, data managers, or family liaisons—not just for instruction, but for easing the weight on building leaders. Tell them where you struggle, personally and professionally and what “weighs” you down; I have found they are always willing to help and add to their duties. These folks save you from yourself.
Event Distribution: Share evening duties among admin teams or rotate “on call” weeks. Not every leader needs to be at every event, and families understand coverage when it's communicated with clarity and care. I once worked at a district where every single home and away event had to have at least one administrator present. Honestly, I think our parents appreciated it; demonstrating our dedication to the students; but who it was–I doubt it made one difference at all.
Leadership PD with Wellness in Mind: Offer professional learning that focuses on resilience, energy management, and even coaching for sustainable leadership—not just instructional leadership. I think one of the most impactful professional learning I have done as a leader has to do with Clifton’s Strengths. Not that we don’t all understand what strengths can BUILD, but how your strengths can also become barriers. I have known colleagues who won’t relinquish control of the almighty data spreadsheet design and conditional formatting, but surely others would be better suited to contribute to–we won’t let it go. We have to let it go.Phones and Email: This is both systematic and personal, but Todd Whitaker’s book, Shifting the Monkey, is a must read. Constant notifications and emails are what Todd calls, “burden monkeys.” People have burdens and by informing you, they are now yours whether you accept them or not. They are in your inbox now. Well, that might be true, but by setting parameters on when I am going to read it and make it known; you may reduce the litany of emails weighing you down.
Two Phone Club: Some administrators are given the opportunity to have a district purchased cell phone and some may get additional compensation to use their own phone. Either way, one must make a choice how much “work” and personal communication will land on your device. I have done it both ways, and while cumbersome. Being allowed to physically not take my work phone to the movies, on a date, or while visiting family. I don’t worry about the burden monkey. I will say having your work email on your personal phone is a greater challenge to your workload balance. People are watching you when you are on your device. Have you ever noticed that? Start paying attention to people’s expressions when they are reading their phones. It’s pretty clear whether they are watching cat juggling videos on Tik Tok or navigating the rescheduling of a complex I.E.P. meeting. By reading about the pangs of the I.E.P. issue while at Texas Roadhouse you sigh, and of course, people ask–what’s wrong—and then we spiral down how parents are being difficult and one teacher didn’t show up which caused drama, blah, blah, blah and you have now brought down the vibe of your entire dinner date, and that is hard to do over Texas Roadhouse hot buns and cinnamon butter–now who has the burden monkey?
Culture Shift: From Martyrdom to Meaningful Leadership
Too often in educational leadership, exhaustion is worn like a badge—proof of dedication. We have to retire that badge. Burnout isn’t a status symbol; it’s a warning sign. The heroic leader who “does it all” eventually can’t do anything. If we want to keep great leaders, we need to stop applauding the unsustainable and start celebrating the intentional. “Working smarter” doesn’t mean you’re less committed—it means you’re still standing to lead tomorrow.
Words matter here, and I am plenty guilty of it. Me at a Tuesday morning curriculum meeting at 8 a.m. sipping my 3rd cup of coffee. A teacher, “how was the board meeting last night.” Me: “I got home at well after ten. I think I was at my office building for like 14 hours yesterday.” --We get it Chad, some days are longer than others, poor me. Words create norms. Stop saying, “I’ll sleep in July.” Start saying, “Let me look at my calendar and see what’s possible.” Replace, “I’ll just take care of it,” with “Who else can lead this well?” Instead of “I have to be at everything,” try “We make sure someone trusted is present.”
Steps towards a better you…
Culture doesn’t shift overnight—but it does shift. One clear boundary, one redefined expectation, one leader who chooses sustainability over self-sacrifice can start the ripple. I used to tell my basketball players that goals kept inside means you are being a selfish teammate. We win, when we help one another towards our individual goals and aspirations. School leaders need to feel vulnerable enough to share their goals with the people they lead. This not only models a growth mindset and emotional intelligence while building a broader coalition to manage your workload; it's empowering too.
All school leaders aspire to sit in the pew at church and focus on the message, attend their child’s softball game without panicking that the back door might be open from the musical rehearsal, and lie in bed at night, far removed from their work device, reading a good book, or simply going to bed at peace with what tomorrow might bring.
