The Discipline of Ditching - July 2026

As another academic year draws to a close, colleagues across the country begin their familiar ritual of packing away. Displays come down, cupboards are emptied, books are sorted into neat piles of "keep" and "recycle", and long-forgotten resources finally find their way to the bin. There is something deeply satisfying about clearing physical space, because not everything needs to be carried into a new year.

Yet whilst we are often disciplined about letting go of physical clutter, many of us instinctively carry everything else straight into September: the unresolved worries; the habits that leave us exhausted; the responsibilities we've gradually accumulated;  the assumptions we've made about other people; the beliefs we've developed about ourselves. Without really noticing, our bags become a little heavier each year.

Perhaps, alongside clearing out classrooms and offices this month, there is another question worth asking ourselves: What will I ditch from myself?

I was drawn to this question at the Optimus MAT Excellence in Action Conference last month. John Halliwell, Executive Director of Primary at STEP Academy Trust, spoke about a shift in their leadership approach: “we stopped asking schools to do more. Instead, we became clearer about what mattered most.” Shortly afterwards, Duncan Jacques, CEO of Exceed Academies Trust, reinforced a similar message by encouraging leaders to "keep the main thing the main thing”, posing the uncomfortable challenge: if your SEF had to fit onto just two sides of A4, what wouldn't make the cut?

I’m moved to offer you the same question about your own personal Self Evaluation Form: if you only focused on what mattered most, what elements of your working life wouldn't make the cut?

And I'm not just talking about the tangible tasks on your To Do List, but also your inner workings: the way you react, absorb, process, feel and procrastinate about your responsibilities. Sometimes, these psychological tools serve us well; at other times, they are an unnecessary distraction or drain.

Through the theory of Cognitive Behaviour, we know that our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are bound together in a cycle of interdependence. It is not a simple task to simply create new patterns for yourself. But the first step is to simply become aware that they exist.

For example, what beliefs about yourself have become so familiar that you've stopped questioning them? Perhaps you've come to believe that you have to solve every problem yourself, that asking for help would somehow diminish your credibility, or that everyone around you expects you to have every answer. Perhaps you've convinced yourself that slowing down means letting people down.

Equally, what assumptions have you formed about other people? That colleague who "doesn't care". The governor who is "always asking difficult questions". The parent who is "never satisfied". The member of staff who is "resistant to change". Our minds are remarkably efficient at creating stories that help us make sense of the world, but those stories are not always true.

Likewise, let's examine your reactions and emotional responses. Every difficult conversation, every complaint, every safeguarding concern, every staffing issue and every decision made with incomplete information will have created an internal shift to your state, however small. 

Professor Mark Cropley, in The Off Switch, argues that what drains us isn't simply the amount of work we do, but our inability to mentally switch off from it. We may leave the school building, but our minds continue working long into the evening, replaying conversations, rehearsing tomorrow's meetings or worrying about problems that cannot be solved until morning. Our bodies are at home, but our attention remains at work. 

And the reason switching off is so important? Yes, to ensure our professional acumen is as sharp as possible (see my previous blog here on decision fatigue) but also for our personal wellbeing. Sometimes being busy, and even slightly stressed, can feel fulfilling and productive and utterly worthwhile. But if we don’t get a handle on it and allow it to run away with us, we are risking some incredibly serious long-term effects on our physical health:

Photo reference: ‘The Stress Solution’, Rangan Chatterjee.

Perhaps, then, one of the most valuable things we could choose to ditch this summer is the habit of carrying work, and the residual emotion of the day, back home with us.

But what other habits can you spot in yourself?

Looking back over the year, which patterns of response did you automatically slip into? Perhaps anxiety drove you to overwork. Perhaps responsibility became over-responsibility. Perhaps you withdrew, became defensive, rushed to fix problems or found yourself replaying conversations long after they had ended. None of these responses are signs of weakness; they are simply well-rehearsed ways of protecting ourselves under pressure, but they can be exhausting in the longer term

.Alongside the every day patterns, you have probably also experienced several Big Moments of huge challenge, very high-stakes decision-making and crisis management. Spending some time unpicking these, extracting the key learning and then deliberately ditching the residual emotion is another powerful act of cleansing.

The goal isn't to eliminate emotion from leadership, because that would be both impossible and, I would argue, undesirable in our person-centred roles. Rather, it is to notice our own default thoughts, feelings and behaviours and to be disciplined in what we allow to stay with us, and what we deliberately allow - and encourage - to leave us. Not easy in the incessantly-demanding, fast-paced, emotionally-charged context of education!  

One model I often invite coachees to consider is Michael Bungay Stanier’s framework for Creating Habits That Stick. His approach to letting go of our learned behavioural and thought patterns is to forearm ourselves with an alternative response for common scenarios which lead to our undesired responses:

The reason, of course, that many leaders carry so much baggage with them by the end of the year is that they have not been able to find the time, headspace or energy to ask themselves these questions along the way. More often than not, leaders already know the answers about what truly deserves their attention and what should be parked, packed-away or permanently removed from their thoughts, feelings or behaviours, but they simply haven't had the uninterrupted space to make that active, intentional commitment.

“While teaching is one of the greatest jobs in the world, there are moments when it does not feel that way. Teaching can become all consuming, emotionally draining, and at times deeply self-deprecating. It can also be an isolating profession, where the weight of responsibility and expectation is carried largely alone. This coaching provided a vital opportunity to step back from that intensity and regain perspective. Coaching helped realign my thinking around clarity, purpose, and focus. It supported me in identifying what truly matters and in distinguishing the meaningful signals from the constant noise that surrounds the profession. Rather than being reactive or overwhelmed, I was encouraged to slow down, reflect, and begin taking purposeful action grounded in my own values. Coaching has helped me confront the emotional weight I carry, particularly in relation to students, and recognise how this can affect my effectiveness and wellbeing. Letting go of some of that emotional baggage is not about caring less; it is about creating the emotional capacity to lead more sustainably and thoughtfully."

Grant Byrne

Subject Team Leader, Harris Academy Ockendon

Leading in education is extremely demanding because decisions you make every day affect real lives and communities. The weight is real for good reason. At the same time, there is a gentle challenge for us to acknowledge: whilst we cannot control the demand and pressures placed upon us, we can make thoughtful choices about what to carry and what to ditch. And we can give ourselves permission to switch off and recover, so we can enter 2026-27 better equipped to make leadership a little bit lighter for ourselves.

Before the new term begins, we invite you to sit with these three questions:

• How have I responded (inwardly and outwardly) to the challenges of this year?

• What thoughts, feelings and behaviours have I carried with me that no longer serve me?

• Which one thought, feeling or behaviour will I commit to trying to replace with a new habit next year?

  
  

Leadership so often feels like an exercise in adding. Another meeting. Another expectation. Another piece of evidence. But as the summer holidays approach, perhaps the most important questions aren't only those about what you'll add next year, but deciding what you'll leave behind. Perhaps sustainable, healthy and fulfilling leadership depends less on the ability to keep adding, but on the discipline of ditching.

The Leadership Edge team wishes you all a wonderful summer break full of rest, relaxation, adventure and joy. And if you do feel you'd like to do some deep reflection over the holidays with support from one of our coaches, we remain open for you (just reply to this email). Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you on the other side!

Take good care of yourselves and thank you for everything you do (and don't do).

Warmest wishes,

Catherine Hulme

Owner Director

catherine@leadershipedge.org.uk

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Leadership Edge is a growing team of experienced school leaders who have seen person-centred coaching create high-performing, happy and healthy cultures within our schools. Our mission is to empower other school leaders to create positive workplaces where staff are solution-focused and actively responsible for their own personal wellbeing and professional development.

Our 3-Tier Coaching Accreditation Programme is low-cost and self-sustaining, providing a systematic and structured model for staff across your school to become powerful coaches for each other, enhancing colleague relationships and their feeling of being valued as an individual within a supportive school community.