085: 5 Things Saving My Sanity in a Busy Season

Busy seasons can quickly push us to the edge, especially when teaching, scheduling, and family responsibilities collide. In this solo episode, I'm going to share five simple but powerful practices that are helping me stay grounded, from leaning on ChatGPT for tricky tasks to creating calming rituals in my workspace. These ideas may inspire you to find your own ways of keeping balance when life feels overwhelming.

1. Rachel shared that fall scheduling at her conservatory creates a hectic workload with 100+ students and new teachers.
2. How taking on extra accompanying duties adds joy but also reduces administrative time.
3. The importance of ChatGPT for unsticking tasks and writing professional messages quickly.
4. Using ChatGPT to solve technical issues like creating a Google Form grid.
5. How sending voice memos instead of long texts saves time and feels more personal.
6. How creating training videos in Canva systematized teacher onboarding.
7. The benefits of keeping physical copies of important forms at her desk for quick access.
8. She highlighted how Fons simplifies billing and scheduling, reducing daily stress.
9. Rachel explained the value of easy go-to meals, like baked potatoes, for busy weeks.
10. Importance of small rituals, like diffusing essential oils and playing soft jazz, for reducing stress.
11. Rachel encouraged teachers to identify their own “sanity savers” during stressful seasons.

About Rachel Ehring

Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine and Henderson State University. Rachel is passionate about empowering music teachers to create engaging and exciting lessons for students of all ages. When she isn’t playing the piano, you might find Rachel reading books with her son or walking her beagle Frieda.

1. Visit her website at RachelEhring.com
2. Visit her Instagram page: @rachelehring
3. Visit her YouTube channel: @dreamlavendermusic6694
4. Visit her Etsy shop at Dream Lavender Music

Thank you for tuning in!

Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

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