I love a list. When I need to pretend to myself that I’m in control, I write a list. When we first went into lockdown nearly two years ago these lists became more important to me and got more detailed as the days progressed.

I’ve reassessed lots since I’ve been working from home. I got used to a quieter life with my kids and my dog and there were some positives that came with the slower pace of life.

For one, I made time to use my bullet journal. I mean really use it. I write my plans in it and, along with work deadlines, I have sections for reading, professional learning, exercise, friends and family. I quickly colour code these activities to give an overview of my week and it’s easy to see if a colour is missing.

Job done. The bullet journal is the lens I use to plan and assess. This is pretty much how I coped in lockdown. I love the structure afforded by it:

'Track the past, order the present, design the future.' (Ryder Carroll, The Bullet Journal Method)

It made me reassess what was important and what I needed to make more time for. There was a distinct lack of any hobby in the pages of the journal and I started to think back to my photographs. I had been through a phase of going out early in the morning to take pictures and even developing my own film, but that seemed like a lifetime ago. So now it’s on a list. I’m determined to make time in 2022 to get out and about with my camera, to watch the tutorials I’ve been saving so I can better understand features of my Canon. This has always got pushed to the side of my life and it’s something I can do for me whatever is happening in the world.

The future isn’t always within our control. Sometimes 'designs' for our future have to change. Plans are moved and priorities rescheduled. This is what I’m contemplating. The Omicron variant was the latest challenge and over Christmas it was in the back of my mind. Will other variants develop? How will these impact our life?

I’m left confident that I can plan daily goals in my bullet journal regardless of the changes to the world that I cannot control. I’ll work through my list of professional reading with a sense of achievement, wade through the last of the Christmas chocolates with a sense of guilt, get back into the early morning dog walks that I love and work through some of the self-directed professional learning on offer from Education Scotland.

These things I will do for me.

Due to pressures on schools, we are pausing the live delivery of some of our professional learning programmes - for a short time. This feels strange. But people might not be in the right frame of mind for professional learning with the additional pressures they have to contend with.

For those who are, we have self-directed professional learning activities (PLAs) that can be accessed through Glow. The Glow sign-on means our site remembers where you left off and keeps a list of the activities you have completed.

It gives you lists!

This was a truly great resource when I found it as a teacher and it has had much added to it since then. A whole new spool of professional learning is there - along with a catalogue of videos that you can dip into if reading isn’t your thing.

We have curated a series of professional learning activities around the theme of wellbeing, because this is our focus for now and each of these capture wellbeing from a different angle:

• Wellbeing and me
• Wellbeing and the learner
• Wellbeing and equity
• Wellbeing of my team

So do what suits you best. Find yourself a little professional learning activity. Achieve something for you. Find your happy. Eat your chocolate. Point your lens at what’s important.

I’m off to look for my camera.