Self-care is great for slowing down and taking care of your needs. But can it also help you be more productive with setting goals? Absolutely! Read on to see how.
PLANNING FOR SELF-CARE AS YOU PLAN YOUR WEEK
There are lots of different ways to plan your week in advance, but here’s what I do. First I do a “brain dump” of all the stuff I need to get done, all the places I need to be, etc.
Once I have this list, I then schedule it in time blocks for my week. (See my post about that here.) It might sound stressful to see all this stuff on paper, but this process actually helps your brain to relax and stop churning out the message that you need to hurry up, you have all this stuff to do, there is no way you can get everything done, etc.
Another way that the brain dump and scheduling/time blocking helps you relax is that you can be more realistic about what you can actually do in a day or a week and you can estimate how long tasks will actually take. Instead of feeling defeated that you are not getting anything done, you can feel accomplished that you got the most important tasks done. For more about time blocking and productivity, think about joining the Productivity Boot Camp!
Now, as you are fitting tasks into your time blocks, think about small self-care tasks that could fit into that block as well. You’re not trying to add one more “thing to do” to the list, you are looking for how you can take care of yourself while you are getting stuff done. For instance, while you are cleaning or decluttering an area of your home, could you listen to a book on Audible or a podcast? While you are cooking dinner, could you listen to music that makes you happy?
Schedule a specific self-care activity for yourself each day. Instead of “relax before bed”, write something like “read new Elin Hilderbrand book with a cup of Sleepytime tea”, for instance.
As you plan your day, make sure you have “the basics” in place. Basic self-care activities include eating healthy food (at least 80% of the time), getting enough sleep (7-8 hours nightly), and getting some daily exercise/movement (at least 15 minutes). Then think about what other self-care activities will fit into your day and will make you feel happy and energized to get back to all the things you need to do.
TAKE A BREAK!
No matter how busy you are, make sure you plan for breaks. Think about how much more productive you are after you have taken a break. This study talks about how taking breaks for some kind of self-care actually makes people 12 – 20% more productive, on average. So taking frequent self-care breaks throughout the day will help you to get more done, not less.
At the very moment when we feel like there is no time to take a break — it’s time to take a break. Trust me on this. When you are feeling like you’re already behind and you have so much to do and you are so overwhelmed with everything that needs your attention, just walk away. Close the laptop, close your eyes, walk into another room — whatever helps you to not see all the stuff that is cascading in on you. See my post about why you need self-care HERE. Click the link on at the end of this post for a printable list of activities you can do. Print it out and keep it near your work space or on your refrigerator if you are a work at home mom. Choose an activity from the list and do something for yourself!
Taking those breaks helps you return to the tasks at hand with more energy and focus. Another benefit is that while you are taking a break, you often get an idea for how to solve a problem. Clearing your mind and changing your focus helps you get some calm and some perspective.
Burnout is real. The only way to prevent it is to take breaks. Maintaining optimism and energy for your work is important but it doesn’t happen without giving yourself some time away from that work. Taking breaks and spending time away from work also helps you to feel more gratitude for what you have — for your work, for your work space and the people in your life.
SELF-CARE DURING WORKING HOURS
Quick tips for self-care during working hours:
*keep healthy snacks handy (fruit, nuts, protein bars, kale chips – whatever fits into your healthy diet)
*”level up” the people you spend the most time with – who are the people who stay healthy and still get stuff done? Try to spend more time around them because it will help you to “level up” your own actions
*stand up, walk around, take stretch breaks, walk up and down stairs
*try a standing desk or walking meetings to get more movement into your day
*go outside! Get some fresh air and sunshine. Consider taking your work outside if you can.
*find some time for doing something you enjoy during your working day. Can you call, text or email a friend? Scroll through social media? Order something to be delivered to your home or office?
*drink water all day long! Make it a goal to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water.
*look out your window if you can see trees or some other natural beauty. If not, set your computer screensaver to pictures of landscapes or pictures of anything that makes you feel happy and peaceful.
*play soothing music at a low volume.
*take five deep breaths. Breathe through your nose in for a count of four, then out for a count of four.
Planning your week, scheduling specific activities and times for self-care, and taking breaks are so important for your physical and mental health. Choose some small tasks and try them out this week!