Tick it off: the power of checklists.

The first time I've encountered checklists as a tool for work rather than just simple to do list or a grocery shopping list was a good few months back when I listened to a podcast with Atul Gawande. He is a surgeon and an author of The Checklist Manifesto. His ideas are in many ways so simple that I'm seriously surprised why I didn't come up with it myself. In essence, if you have a high-pressure job, to ease some of the stress and ensure you don't make silly, but high-cost mistakes, you should create a checklist of tasks that need to be complete. Simple, right?

Here's an example of a surgical safety checklist. Some of the items on that list seem so obvious. Like marking surgical area. Or confirming what sort of procedure needs to be performed. Or that test results for the correct patient are at hand.

Source: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa0810119

Now let's teleport ourselves from a surgical theatre to my classroom. It's an incredibly stressful environment. Risk of fatal injuries is pretty low on most days, but it's too easy to forget about the basics. As one class goes out of the door and another one impatiently awaits to finally get in, I have a million thoughts going through my head. Log missing homeworks, photocopy extra homework sheets for lunch, email year manager with my concern about Suzi, have I printed enough worksheets for the class this time? I need to ask Rob for his missing work from last lesson. Where is my out of lesson pass, again? I need to give out the red pens. Register! Need to get the register done in the next five minutes!

As my new class arrives, I need to park the thoughts from last lesson on focus on the children in front of me. I need to remember our routines, things to give out and messages to pass on. I need to remember what I wanted to teach them today and how to go about it. At the same time, I need to respond to anything that is going on in the classroom, this extremely unpredictable environment.

I've realised that checklists can make my life easier, freeing up an important brain space, helping me to focus on learning rather than all the little bits and pieces that need to be done while at the same time ensuring that everything is done as it needs to be, and, ultimately, making my lessons better.

I now I should use checklists more, but I incorporate them into my teaching more and more now. Here's an example:

I also have task checklist for almost every morning. When I get to school, I will sit down and write down all the task that need doing before the day starts at half eight. I'm yet to make it a prioritised list: for now it's just a checklist of sheets to print, powerpoints to finish and emails to write/respond to. It takes so much worry off my head, because I see exactly what needs doing and I am able to organise my time accordingly.

Checklists are great for students, too. When some of my classes were slipping with their exercise book presentation, I popped a list on the side of the whiteboard to remind them of the need to write down the date and title, draw a margin and write bell work questions, which in turn had to be marked in red. Last year when teaching pie charts, I devised a checklist to help students with producing the best possible quality of work. Checklists for students decrease their mental overload, since they need to remember less: they only need to refer back to the check list to see how much progress they've made already and what still needs to be done.

I'm going to use checklist more in the coming weeks and definitely next year. I want to simplify my life and make it easier, especially with all the changes coming up (you'll soon hear more about those). I feel that it can also be an amazing way of cutting down my workload: beyond not making multiple trips to the photocopier, my checklist cannot be endless, so I need to make smart choices about what needs doing. And having ticked everything essential off the list, I can leave work at a reasonable hour, knowing everything is in order.

Does having checklist kill spontaneity in lessons? Not at all! They provide structure for my work that is necessary to remain focused on what is important: on my pupils. It's a little bit like deep work: if you set time aside for producing high quality work, you will produce high quality work, because you would be free of distraction. And I think this is the biggest point of sticking to checklist: it gets your mind off the little things that are essential for the smooth running of whatever you are doing, and let's you focus on the important.

Sunday Special: Full of grace.

For a long time, I had a problem with Marian devotion. This might be due to the specificity of the Polish religious life, especially in certain communities, where Mary is considered as the most important, almost like the fourth person in the Holy Trinity. I tried to be focused on Jesus and so Mary did not seem to fit into the picture. I really could not understand people praying the Rosary, going to shrines, consecrating their life to Mary. I simply did not get it for years and years.

And then suddenly it clicked.

There are a lot of dogmas in the Catholic Church regarding who Mary was, what she was liked and what happened in her life, but the one that really spoke to me and completely changed my attitude towards Mary was the immaculate conception dogma. In a nutshell, we believe that Mary was conceived without the blemish of original sin. I used to think that this made Mary's life so much easier than ours. She didn't have all this mess in her heart, regrets, going back and forth. But then I've realised that actually the opposite is true.

I try really hard to live a holy life, but I'm easily led astray by the smallest of things. Devil doesn't need any heavy weapons for me, the light stuff works. But with Mary it was different. Without the original sin, she did not feel the attraction of sin. Little things were not enough to tempt her. Devil really had to work hard (though without success). Mary must have experienced the full spectrum of his tempting abilities and it must have been so difficult, each temptation is difficult, but when you are hit with this incredible force of evil, you must really cling to God to resist it. And Mary did. She kept her eyes focused on God, regardless of everything.

Isn't that amazing? We have such a powerful intercessor to turn to and such a strong role model to look up to. And she always points out to Jesus. She always points towards the promise of God, the promise of mercy and protection. I call upon Mary every day, I ask her to undo the knots in my life and there wasn't a single time when she didn't help me with her intercession.

For me the life of Mary is an example of what wonders God can do in a life of a person who trusts Him fully. Mary's life was not easy, but it was beautiful and filled with the Holy Spirit. We don't have much of Mary's words recorded in the Gospels. But in her quiet trust, she has played such an important role in the salvation history. It was Mary who through her yes was the first one to welcome Jesus into the world. It was Mary who carried the faith in Christ over the darkness of the Good Friday. It was Mary who stayed praying with and for the disciples after the Ascension. Mary has been humble, trusting and always looking up to heaven. 

I will keep turning to her for support. Looking back at Mary's life gives me a chance to reflect on her particular path to holiness and see what I can learn from her. I want to learn how to live like her: a life of complete trust and dependence on God.

Mater habebit curam

Keeping organised.

If you know me personally, you probably know that I absolutely adore organising in the most extensive sense of the word. I will organise everything in my life, from food to eat in a given week, through groceries that need buying, my wardrobe, paperwork, kitchen cupboards, to sorting out travel arrangements and coming up with trip itineraries. If I ever feel like I don't want to teach anymore, I will probably become a PA or wedding organiser, this the extend to which I love organising.

Some people want to go with the flow and be spontaneous all the time. This is not the way I function and, honestly, just thinking about not having even the most basic plan for the next 24 hours (and the next week, and next month) fills me with dread. Also, I need to write things down because otherwise the sheer volume of stuff I need to get done is overwhelming when it is left in my head. Get it down on paper. Free up your headspace.

I know that there is a plethora of apps available these days to help you get organised. You have calendar apps where you can put appointments, reminders, regular events, birthdays etc. You have list apps for, well, creating lists: to do lists, shopping lists, ideas lists. There are meal planning apps, exercise scheduling and tracking apps, you name it, there is probably an app for that.

However, I'm not a fan of apps. The thing is, if I need to use my phone too often to input all these bits and pieces to make the apps work for me, I will inevitably start browsing through my photo album, watch different videos on youtube and before I know it, an hour would have passed. 

So I use a paper planner to organise my life. The one I am using this year is actually The Catholic Planner that Mr Magic has kindly got for me from the US and it has all the bits I need to organise my spiritual life, but also is great for organising the other parts of my life.

It might be controversial, but I actually invest quite a bit of time into making my planner pretty and colourful, I colour-coded different events, got colourful stickers (yep, I did, no shame) and I use different coloured pens to jot down certain things. Some people don't like that and they think it's a waste of time, because you really only need to have a list of things to do and appointments to keep, but I actually don't do so much creative stuff in my life and also, I like the fact that a quick glance at a page is enough for me to know that there is a meeting that I should get to tomorrow (orange highlighting) or that there is some rather urgent house admin to get on with (Christmas green I call it). It's also really relaxing and I do most of my intense planner work on Sundays when I don't work and have plenty of time. Long story short, it works for me.

I have two levels of planning, a monthly overview and a more detailed weekly plan. The monthly overview is really there to stop me double booking weekends: I often have my Master's sessions on Saturday, or maybe conferences and this part of my diary is just to make sure that I don't promise somebody to do something or meet with them on that day.

The weekly view is really where most of the action happens. I don't plan my day to the minute, but I will write down any appointment and meeting times, including those regular ones like church on Sunday or an exercise class on Thursday. This helps me to organise other activities around those if I need to. I jot down things that need doing at a particular time or on a particular day. I also often write down a quick meal plan, i.e. what's for dinner and lunch during the week so I don't have to make those decisions when work is busy.

Keeping organised gives me a sort of safety net when life is hectic and unpredictable. It is both a necessity and a pleasure for me. I don't think I would be able to function without organising and making appointments, drawing lists, ticking things off... And I get so much fun out of it as well. I suppose some people crochet, some jog and I just make my planner look fabulous. That's just the way it is.

Sunday Special: I pray, but God doesn't do anything.

This is such a beautiful topic to touch on on the day of the solemnity of Pentecost.

Imagine the Eleven disciples after the Ascension. Jesus promised that he will send a Paraclete. One day passed, than another and another. They were sitting in the Upper Room, waiting and praying and nothing seemed to be happening. And it took the whole nine days before the descend of the Holy Spirit. No doubt the disciples were praying for his coming, but they did not get what they wanted straight away. I don't think they got what they've expected either.

Sometimes it feels like God doesn't respond to our prayers at all. That he is not interested. That he does not listen. Or that he completely misheard what we were saying and gave us something that we didn't ask for at all.

The thing is, God always listens, but he has a peculiar way of responding to our prayer. I believe God has three answers for us.

Yes

Sometimes the Lord gives you just what you asked for. You pray for that job, that relationship, that difficult conversation, and God pours out his blessings in abundance. This is probably the response that we expect most frequently, but maybe feel like we don't get it. I think it's because God only wants to give us what is good for us, but we are actually hardly ever aware of what that is. We don't have a great idea what is good for us, as evidenced by the amount of tears and regrets in our lives. Sometimes we want something so much it almost hurts inside, but it is not something that helps us grow.

Yes, but not yet

When the time is right I, the Lord, will make it happen. (Isaiah 60:22) Sometimes the timing is not right. God know what your heart is ready for, what you can manage at any given time. You might be praying for marriage, but you are utterly unfit for such a commitment now. You might be praying for a new job, but actually you haven't fulfilled all your commitments in your current job yet and you might not be able to handle the change. The wait is difficult, because at the time it often feels like a no, but when you finally receive what you have asked for, you really do appreciate that it wasn't the right time. Sometimes even while waiting you are so relieved that you weren't given what you asked for a few months back.

I have something better for you

I have so many experiences of this answer. God really does have a better plan for us. And so many times I've been praying for something and it didn't materialise, but something much better and more beautiful did. It is probably the most difficult response to receive at the time, because you really desire something and it is not what you are getting. But God surprises us with things that we might not have dared to even think of. He really knows the depths of our souls and is able to gift us with those specially graces that really help us to flourish.

In my prayer I fluctuated between being really vague in my intentions, to being really specific, and now I am sort of back at being vague, but now I try to give God space for his divine plan. This is especially important for me when I am fragile and vulnerable. If I abandon all to God, I know that I will not be disappointed. So often instead of asking for something specific, I pray: Lord, I'm in this difficult situation and I have lots of ideas how best to solve it, but I know you have the best plan for me, so I abandon everything to you.

Ultimately, when we pray and nothing seems to be happening at all, you can be certain that God is at work. It's like the time between the death of Jesus and his rising from the dead: He was in the tomb and nothing seemed to be happening. And yet he has gone down to Hades and opened the gates of heaven! So trust the Lord and keep talking to him. He never disappoints.

Sunday Special: I don't need to pray because God knows everything.

God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, why would you bore Him with your troubles, anxieties joys or needs if He knows it all already?

Prayer is an invitation. God is gentle with us, and he will not come without our permission. Unless you are St Paul, in which case God will strike you from a horse (where did that came from anyway?) and make you blind. But that was quite exceptional, Paul really needed a proper shake up. For most of us poor souls, we need to say yes, even a faint one. God will enter through the smallest crack in the doors, but we need to open these doors, the handle is on our side.

Jesus on multiple occasions pointed out that we would be given what we ask for. But we need to ask.

I feel that praying and asking God for what we need in our life is a wonderful way to order our lives as well. It helps us to consider what it is that we are lacking or running low on. When I pray, I've learnt to be really specific about what I ask for. Instead of saying make me a good teacher, I ask Lord, make me more patient and positive with this year 7 class. This helps me to discover the truth about myself and to look deeply into what is important to me at a particular moment in time.

Our asking in prayer is an acknowledgement that we are entirely dependent on God. It's an opportunity to build a deeper and more perfect relationship with Him. 

Beyond this supplicatory dimension of prayer, prayer should go beyond asking and also be an act of praise and thanksgiving. It should be a time for telling God how wonderful He is. Of course, He is fully aware of his own goodness, but it's like telling your other half that you love them: they hopefully know it by the way you act, but it's important so say it often as well. It's sometime difficult to just praise God, but I often turn to psalms for inspiration. Check out the first few verses of Psalm 145:

I will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name for ever and ever. 

Every day I will bless you,

and praise your name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

his greatness is unsearchable.

Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi: as we worship, so we believe and live. Our life of prayer should reflect our belief in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Creator of heavens and earth, the one who was and is, and is to come. There are so many ways to worship. Some people simply bow down and adore the Lord. Some people read Psalms. Others sing with their hands stretched out to the heavens. Whatever you want to do, praise the Lord regularly. Maybe you need to set up a time for this. As mentioned in the previous post, I do it in the evening when I thank for everything that has happened in that day and just adore the Lord for a couple of minutes. But you can worship anywhere and anytime. God is waiting for you to turn to Him and acknowledge that He is God.

Brugge.

I want to share with you a few highlights of my recent trip to Bruges in Belgium. It is a small city (well, with a population of the Isle of Wight, so not so small by my standards) in West Flanders. Bruges does not have an international airport, so it's best to fly into Brussels and maybe also walk around the capital before catching a surprisingly clean and comfortable train to Bruges.

I really recommend visiting Bruges, it's such a beautiful place. You probably don't need more than a couple of days to see the main city highlights. We've spent less than 48 hours there and I feel we had a good look around, visited a few museums, churches and had far too many chocolate truffles. We also got to experience a dubious quality of service in Belgian restaurants, travelled by tram (in Ghent) and went up the tower featured in In Bruges. These were really intense two days I have to say.

Without further ado, here are my top 5 things to do and see in Bruges.

1 Canal boat tour: Yes, I know, that is really touristy, but it does allow you to see some beautiful views from a different perspective and even see some places that you might not get to otherwise. The driver provides a commentary on the main sights which is quite informative actually. I think this is €8 well spent for 30 minutes of relaxing on the water.

2 Begijnhof: Come in early morning when there are very few tourists around and the place is completely silent. It's like stepping into a different world. There are no beguines living there anymore, but the place is looked after by Benedictine nuns (some of which we've seen at Mass, they were awesome - and most of them really fragile).

Beautiful painting of the Blessed Sacrament at the back of the church in Begijnhof -
the tabernacle is on the other side of the wall!

3 Night walk around the city centre: By dinnertime, the tourists tend to disappear from Bruges, since it does not provide any particular night-time entertainment. It makes it a perfect time to walk around slowly, without bumping into people all the time. The main sights are illuminated and it's just lovely to enjoy a walk in the warm air of the evening.

4 Holy Blood Basilica: This was such a beautiful site to visit, surprisingly peaceful given that it right in the centre of Bruges and is supposed to be one of the main attractions. In any case, it is well worth a visit, you might even have a chance to see the veneration of the relics kept in the basilica. Make sure you go to the lower chapel as well, it's so different from the main church and so peaceful.

5 Local beers: I'm not a big fan of beers, but I have to objectively say that Belgian beers are delicious. There are so many varieties that everybody is bound to find something to suit their taste. There is only one beer produced in Bruges itself, the Brugse Zot, and if you are keen, you can even visit the brewery to learn more about beer production. Warning, it involves climbing up and down over 200 steps, some of them quite narrow and steep, so might not be for everyone. I found it more tiring than climbing up the Belfry Tower (366 steps).

That's it, a snapshot of a lovely trip over the long weekend (hooray for bank holiday falling on the warmest weekend since for ever). Have another picture from the top of the Belfry Tower (it's nothing like what you see in the movie in terms of interior though).

Sunday Special: I can pray whenever I feel like it.

I genuinely thought that I could go with the flow in terms of when and what I would be praying throughout the day. And I still think that there is an incredible power in a completely spontaneous prayer. Like when you see somebody in pain and just ask the Lord that He brings his healing into that heart. Or when you see a beautiful view and thank God for creating such a glorious world for us. 

But I came to realise that routines are important. They remove the decision making aspect and so you don't come up with excuses why you can't pray at that particular time: it has already been decided that that time was doable. It's a little bit like with religious sisters: they have their day scheduled so that they constantly look up to the heights, there is no escape from it and so their spiritual life is constantly refocused on Christ. And routines also give your day a prayerful rhythm, you know exactly when you will be turning to God and when you will really be intentionally focused on his love.

It's the same as your eating pattern: if you eat regularly, your body is norishrdn enough so that it can stop worrying about storing up energy for laterals can instead focus on its other functions. Or as your sleeping pattern: if you go to bed at the same time each day, and if you wake up at the same time each morning, your body is more refreshed and energetic.

For me a prayer routine is for the soul what eating or sleeping is for the body: the most effective and nourishing way to provide all that it needs to grow and become more beautiful. 

I am going to share some of my prayer routines with you now. It's by no means an exemplar one, it might not even be a particularly good one, but this is what helps me to grow in faith. It works for me personally given my pace of life, work patterns and personality, so take from it what you find most helpful.

The morning

The Church follows the rhythm of the Liturgy of the Hours: it is seven prayers, based on the Scriptures, spread across the entire day, from dawn to dusk and into the night. You can find these prayers for each day here. I don't do all seven, but each morning I recite Lauds, that is the Morning Prayer. I find it amazing that when I pray in the morning, I unite with all the faithful using the Liturgy of the Hours: the entire world reciting the same prayer. Isn't that amazing?

If I walk to work in the morning, I will pray on the way. I might say the rosary or listen to my worship playlist. I found that before this quarter of an hour was a bit of a dead time for me that wasn't spent on anything in particular. Prayer helps me to focus, gather my thoughts and generally I feel much calmer when I reach work if I concentrate on God beforehand. I truly believe that it makes me a better teacher during the day, because I am more aware of the need for patience and love for all my pupils.

The day

During the day, it is often really busy with the children, planning, photocopying etc, so it is usually the time for all the spontaneous prayers, whenever I need those. I might pray before a lesson with a particularly tricky group. I might thank for a really good lesson that has just happened. Or if I become aware that one of the children struggles with something, I can say a prayer for him or her.

The evening

In the evening, I do Lectio Divina, which is prayerful reading of the Scriptures. You read a passage through once and then go verse by verse, looking at the meaning of the text in a literal and spiritual dimension. I love this part of my day, I get to talk about Jesus for 15 minut non stop (though only to myself so far). This is a recent addition to my prayer routine: I haven't been particularly good at reading the Bible so far and I am so glad that I've finally found a way that really makes sense to me.

The night

Finally, just before going to sleep, I kneel down in my bedroom for a couple of minutes to thank God for very specific events of the day. This is often my favourite part of the day, not only because it's bed time, but also because I get to clearly see what blessings I've been given. It might also be the only time during the day when I get to kneel down under the cross hanging on my wall. I've found that kneeling down is so powerful and important, making me see the greatness of God so clearly and my reliance on Him for everything.

This is roughly what I do every day. It gives me a great comfort that each day is the same. Maybe it's to do with my personality, I love organising everything and so I have organised my prayer life quite meticulously. Not everybody will want this level of organisation, but even simply setting particular times for prayer is such a good practice. I feel that it is important to grow in faith. I suppose it's a little bit like scheduling a coffee date with a friend: you wouldn't just hand around town hoping that you would meet each other and have a coffee - you would schedule a time that you purposefully set aside for this activity. Prayer is like that. Even though God, unlike people, is constantly and permanently available for a chat, you are not, so make room for Him.

What to do when there is nothing to do.

I have spent my Easter holidays in Swale, Kent, and as lovely as it is here (in some places at least), the entertainment provisions here are far from satisfactory. This reminds me of my village holidays when we had a lovely time in the countryside with little to do in the area. I had to come up with ways of entertaining myself without the input of the outside world. And these are things I do when there is nothing to do.

One caveat, I do think that not doing anything is really important sometimes. By this I mean not engaging your brain in a conscious intense mental activity. Instead, sit in a garden, go for a walk or listen to music. But sometime you want to do something that will feel like you are relaxing, but maybe the entertainment opportunities are not available. So here are some simple ideas to try out.

My favourite activity when there is nothing to do is reading. I think that's such a wonderful thing to spend time doing, especially that in a busy world I sometimes rarely have time to sit down with a book and a cup of tea. Although I try to read a handful of pages before bed each evening, having a more extended period of time for reading lets you really get into the story line and imagine all the characters. I'm currently reading War and Peace, so really need many of those extended reading periods to actually finish the book before the summer.

If I'm not reading, writing is another way I spend time when I'm looking for entertainment. I start a lot of ideas for blog posts, doing a little bit of research as well, looking for inspiration or just jotting down random thoughts. I have a place for writing spiritual reflections in my planner as well, so sometimes this is what I might be writing. I find verbalising and writing down your thoughts and emotions so helpful: it allows to you gain different perspectives

Another one is solving puzzles. I'm a bit geeky, so I have a book of logic puzzles and also two books full of Maths puzzles (The Amazing Mathematical Amusement Arcade and Mathematical Funfair, are these titles absolutely wonderful?). This might not be everybody's idea of entertainment, but I find it hard to stop once I get into these. It's just so exciting to be able to do so much with your brain. You may prefer a crossword, cryptic crossword or a cross number like this one here when you simply need to fit all the numbers into the grid.

This might not be everybody's idea of entertainment, but organising is something that I might get on when there is nothing to do. By organising I mean writing down a weekly menu, making a shopping list, organising meetings or coffee dates, going through unwanted house items, folding laundry or anything at all that makes your life a little bit more orderly. 

I don't do arts&crafts very often, but this is another kind of activity you might enjoy. You might keep a supply of materials at home ready to use for your projects, but nothing exceptional is needed really. Origami requires just a piece of paper (I might use old magazines for that), you might want to try colouring (I really enjoy this since I cannot draw myself at all) or maybe you could pick and edit some pictures to add to a scrapbook which you would give to somebody as a gift. I have a colouring book with icons and also a unicorn colouring book I got from Mr Magic, but possibilities are endless for your arts&crafts. Knitting, embroidery, cake decorating, painting... Do whatever makes you happy.

Exploring natural surroundings is such a good idea for now that the weather has finally improved. You don't have to go far, there might be a beautiful park close by, a different neighbourhood or maybe just your own garden if you have one. These days we tend to spend so much time indoors, that I think getting out of the house and enjoying the nature is so important for our wellbeing. I enjoy walks by the sea, I try to do it every Sunday I'm at home. Looking at the waves gives me peace.

I don't include watching movies in this post, even though streaming services are widely available. Movies are the last thing I would choose as entertainment, unless there is something very specific that I would like to watch. I've found that watching movies usually leads me to mindlessly spending a couple of hours and afterwards I don't feel that relaxed at all. I might choose to listen to a podcast though, to learn something new or catch up with the news. But really, the activities above are the ones I tend to go to when there is nothing to do. These help me to unwind and really feel refreshed and enriched. This is what I value and this is what I prioritise.