As a school leader, you know how fast your day can slip away. You walk into the office with a clear plan, ready to focus on the tasks that really matter—like instructional leadership or building school culture—but by the end of the day, you haven’t touched any of it. Sound familiar?

What’s happening? It’s simple: time bandits.

Time bandits are those sneaky, day-to-day tasks that pull you away from high-impact leadership work. They seem urgent in the moment, but over time, they drain your focus and keep you in reactive mode rather than proactive leadership. Here are some common time bandits I’ve seen school leaders face:

• Managing Budgets – While important, this can take up far more time than necessary.
• Managing Facilities – Dealing with maintenance issues can derail your focus quickly.
• Managing Student Behavior – Handling every disciplinary issue yourself isn’t sustainable.
• Managing Adult Behaviors – Intervening in staff conflicts or team issues eats up time.
• Managing Angry Parents – Addressing concerns is important, but it shouldn’t take up hours of your week.
• Instructional Leadership – Often the work that should get the most time, but it gets pushed aside.
• Limited Personnel – Trying to fill staffing gaps can take over your day.
• Politics and Expectations – Navigating the politics of your district and community can easily become a full-time job.

These time bandits steal your attention and keep you from focusing on the high-impact tasks that will make a real difference in your school’s success.

How to Fight Back Against Time Bandits

The first step in fighting time bandits is recognizing them. Ask yourself, “Is this something that aligns with my big-picture goals for the school?” If not, it may be time to delegate, delay, or say no. Leadership is about being intentional with your time, not trying to do everything.

Next, create a plan to protect your time. Block out specific hours each week for your top-priority leadership actions, and treat those hours as non-negotiable.

Take Control of Your Time

If you’re ready to fight back against time bandits and take control of your leadership, I’ve got great news! I’m launching a brand-new digital course, Take Control of Your Leadership: A Road to Awesome Map for Early Career Leaders, and you can get exclusive early access.

Sign up for my VIP mailing list at roadtoawesome.net to be first in line for special pricing, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive offers only available to email subscribers. Don’t let time bandits steal your focus—join today and start leading with intention!

Tune in this Sunday to “Leaning into Leadership” where I welcome Laura Camacho, PhD, an executive communication strategist and culture fixer.

Darrin Peppard Dr. Darrin Peppard

Dr. Darrin Peppard is an author, leadership coach, consultant, and speaker focused on organizational culture and climate, and growing emerging leaders. Darrin is the best-selling author of the book Road to Awesome, and is the host of the Leaning into Leadership podcast. As a ‘recovering high school principal’, Darrin shares strategies and lessons learned from 26 years in public education to help leaders gain clarity, find joy in their work, and walk in their purpose.