By Ryan Steuer | CEO, Magnify Learning
Every school leader knows this strange pocket of time—the building is quiet, teachers are out, students are gone, but you’re still on the clock. No bells. No hallway drama. No back-to-back meetings. Just… space.
For many administrators, these days become glorified inbox-clearing sessions. Harmless, but also a missed opportunity.
High-performing PBL leaders do something different. They use quiet time not to tread water, but to move the work forward—strategically, relationally, and personally. These moments, when used well, can reduce stress, sharpen vision, and set the stage for meaningful progress in the months ahead.
Below are three practices consistently used by top K–12 leaders who are successfully leading Project Based Learning—and leading themselves—well. These ideas aren’t flashy. They’re effective. And they’re available to you right now.
1. Long-Term Planning That Actually Moves the Needle 🧭
When the noise fades, clarity has a chance to show up.
Top PBL leaders use quiet days to zoom out and ask one powerful question: What’s the single most important thing I should be working on right now? Not the tenth most important. Not the thing that’s the loudest. The thing that would create a 5x or 10x return if it were clarified or aligned.
These leaders “block out the noise to find the signal.” Inbox zero isn’t the signal. Strategic alignment is.
This kind of planning often includes:
- Re-examining the school or district’s long-range vision for PBL
- Checking alignment between the official strategic plan and what’s actually happening in classrooms
- Identifying the biggest constraint holding the work back
- Clarifying next steps instead of reacting to everything at once
Importantly, this work doesn’t always happen alone. Many leaders use this time to sit with a coach or consultant—someone who can help surface blind spots, name assets, and pressure-test ideas.
These conversations create true clarity on what the next steps moving forward are. Clarity reduces anxiety. Ambiguity fuels it.
And here’s the hard truth: long-term planning almost never happens during a normal school week. It gets pushed aside by urgency. Quiet days are rare. Treat them like gold.
If you leave these days with sharper priorities and fewer “maybes,” you didn’t just plan—you invested.
2. Reinvesting in Relationships That Matter 🤝
PBL leadership is relational work. Always has been.
The best leaders intentionally use quiet times to reconnect with people who matter—but aren’t urgent. These are the relationships that don’t live on your daily calendar: fellow administrators, mentors, thought partners, and other high-capacity leaders who “get it.”
These are often people you only connect with once or twice a year—but when you do, the conversations are deep, energizing, and meaningful.
Why now? Because:
- You’re less likely to be interrupted
- They’re also experiencing a quieter season
- There’s finally margin for real conversation
These aren’t surface-level check-ins. These are the conversations where you:
- Talk honestly about challenges
- Share ideas that might sound “crazy” to others
- Think out loud about innovation and risk
- Process leadership decisions that carry weight
During the regular school year, these meetings are the first to get bumped. A student issue pops up. A staff situation emerges. Everyone understands—but the relationship still drifts.
Quiet days give you permission to prioritize people without apology.
And here’s the kicker: these conversations often refuel leaders more than rest alone. They remind you that you’re not alone, that the work is hard everywhere, and that progress is possible.
Relationships don’t just support the work—they sustain the leader doing the work.
3. Defining Rest That Actually Restores You 🔋
Let’s be clear: rest matters. But not all rest is equal.
High-performing leaders are intentional about what rest looks like for them. Doing nothing is not necessarily rest, especially for driven, Type-A leaders.
For some, rest looks like:
- Physical challenge (running, training, competing)
- Time outdoors
- Reading something completely unrelated to education
- Meaningful time with family
- Creative work like writing or journaling
The mistake many leaders make is assuming rest equals inactivity. For many PBL leaders, inactivity just creates mental noise—thinking about everything you should be doing.
True rest fills the cup. It doesn’t just pause the work; it restores energy for it.
Quiet days are a chance to experiment: What actually gives me energy? Not what works for others. Not what sounds healthy. What works for you.
Top leaders define rest intentionally because they know the work ahead will demand clarity, stamina, and resilience.
Rest isn’t indulgent. It’s strategic.
Use the Quiet to Prepare for What’s Loud
Quiet days are deceptive. They feel optional. They feel slow. They feel like permission to coast.
Top PBL leaders see them differently.
They plan when others react.
They reconnect when others isolate.
They rest with purpose instead of defaulting to exhaustion.
Long-term planning reduces stress by replacing ambiguity with clarity. Reinvesting in relationships reminds you that leadership isn’t meant to be lonely. Intentional rest ensures you don’t burn out doing work that matters deeply.
If you’re holding space for Project Based Learning in your school or district, these moments matter more than you think. Use them well.
You don’t need more time. You need better use of the time you already have.
Lead inspired.
Click here for more information on Magnify Learning’s Workshop options.
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If you have PBL heroes in your district, have them apply to be a part of our nationwide network tackling current issues in education innovation by going to pblnetworks.com