Taking a page from Chris Brogan, founder of Owner Magazine, I decided to make 2014 the year of "RVR". What's that? Simply put, each letter stands for a different word that I'm trying to practice each day. They are:

Routine

Vision

Riches

While I'm not going to go into the detail of each word or why I chose these three, suffice it to say that each means a lot to me and represents something I'm trying to work on. As a school leader, the first word really rings true.

School people are all about routine. Most that I work with get into work at the same time each day, arrange their day the same way each day and do their work moving from one routine to the next. Homeroom leads to period one leads to a bell which leads to period two and so on.

For me, routine runs throughout my day but it also is important with how I begin my day. Here's what it looks like for and average day:

Wake up at 5:15am
Make coffee
Go to my home study and have devotions
Read & journal
Shower
Head to work by 6:30am

The reading part is something I've made very concrete and directly linked to my "R" for routine. I read the same blogs every day and check the same websites in a particular order. While this may seem strange (I've head that before!), it grounds me and keeps my days pointing towards a similar direction.

I suggest six blogs that are helpful for school folk:

Michael Hyatt - Michael is the best leader I know at productivity and platform building (something educators can do better).
The Energy Project - Tony Schwartz reminds us to work smarter each day.
Michael Sliwinski - The founder of Nozbe, Michael offers heartfelt advice for getting more out of your work. (you can try Nozbe for free here)
The Atlantic / Education section - Sometimes controversial and always thought provoking, The Atlantic is all about learning and teaching.
MindShift - MindShift is the #1 blog for schools and offers several posts per week that challenge the way schools have been "doing school" for the past fifty years.
Eduleadership - Justin Baeder offers practical advice on hiring good teachers, observing them fairly and increasing your productivity.

These are what I read every day. What's on your digital bookshelf?