8 Simple Self-Care Tips for the Busy Professional
If you didn’t know that I’m super into self-care, then you need to get over to the Selfish website and start listening to my podcast. I’ve been interviewing self-care experts and entrepreneurs for the show for more than three years and I ask every single one of them: “What are your favorite ways to be selfish?” Of course, in this context, being selfish is positive. I have heard all kinds of suggestions, and I wanted to share a few with you that relate to the business world in the hopes it can help you fit in more self-care throughout the day.
Use your lunch hour to read. Obviously, you need to eat as well, but read a book while you eat, instead of scrolling on your phone or continuing to work. Oftentimes this is the only fun reading I can fit into a day, because the only other natural time to read, at bedtime, is my head hitting the pillow and me passing out. Especially now that I work from home, when I use my lunchtime to read I feel a true disconnect for those 30 minutes to an hour and I can jump back into my work refreshed and clear-headed.
Map out your day. This has by far been the most helpful one for me. I sit down every Sunday night and hand-write my schedule for the week. Each day gets a page and then I fill in what needs to get done work-wise for each day, hour by hour. It is pretty scary how quickly we can fill up a day, but this would be the only way I could actually take time for myself. So when the calendar reminder pops up for my Monday yoga class, I tell myself it is non-negotiable, because I have “scheduled” it in my day and I can see that I have plenty of time to get the rest of my work done. Before I would have zeroed in on my work only and was not as productive as I could have been during work hours, because I “had all day to get it done.”
Only have 3 things on your to-do list each day. This one comes from my friend Coach Colene, she explained it as a simple mind trick. If you only have 3 things to accomplish that day it can seem pretty easy to knock those out and you are motivated to get after it, but if you are starring at your entire list you will never feel like you can make it through. Oftentimes she said she will complete those 3 things and will feel so accomplished that it gives her the energy to knock out several more items she knows needs to get done. By keeping your list small you can focus on accomplishing the items that HAVE to get done and move on with your day.
Make after-work plans. Double-win here, you can catch up with friends that often can be overlooked when we are “busy,” and you have something to look forward to throughout your day. But the real win is, if you have plans after work, you will leave work on-time and carry on about your day. When I didn't have plans scheduled, I often would find myself staying at work after hours trying to get “just one more” item crossed off the to-do list before heading home.
Schedule vacation days. Can you tell I am passionate about this topic? I just talked about it last week. So many people get to this point in the year and have yet to take a single vacation day!! First of all, that hurts my head to think about, but also, it is going to be stressful to try to get in all your vacation time at this point, depending on how many days you get. Many companies operate on a use it or lose it policy. I encourage you to start requesting every other Friday off or a few extra days before or after Thanksgiving, whenever you can get it in. But use. those. vacation. days. Don’t get me started about when I lived in Ireland and they got several weeks of vacation. They like to take lots of little vacations there, which I love that idea!
Know when to take a hike. I don’t realize the value that going for a quick 10-minute walk mid-morning and mid-afternoon had for me until I was doing this daily. Not only was I taking a mind-break, but I was also getting extra oxygen, Vitamin D from the sunlight, and moving my body. It was much easier to accomplish when I worked in an office and could walk the parking lot. Now that I’m at home, it seems harder to lock up the house and walk the neighborhood, but I know this is an important thing to maintain.
Thank someone. This may not seem like a self-care tip, but it is. Saying a genuine and heartfelt thank you to someone that helped you or made a difference can make such an impact in their life, but also be very fulfilling for you. We laugh at Jimmy Fallon’s Thank You Notes skit that he does every Friday night, but he’s not wrong! Take inventory each week of anyone you need to send an extra little note to, to let them know you noticed how hard they are working, how proud you are of them, or that you appreciate how much they helped you. This is something we all know to do but rarely take time out of our day to do.
Focus on your dreams. I love using my Powersheets to keep focused on my goals for the day, week, month, and year. Something I have learned from using them, the days will fly by if we let them. Don’t let work get in the way of going after those personal goals, they matter too. Using a tool like Powersheets lets you make little by little progress to get you there. These can be small steps that will lead you to that big-picture goal. Be selfish enough to know that your dreams matter and you deserve to achieve them.
What habits have you built that encourage self-care? I’d love to hear what they are!
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