What Does Your "You Time" Look Like?

3/7/2022

Today we are at the halfway point of our 10-week challenge!
Take a moment to reflect:

How is it going for you?
What are you noticing about your energy and engagement when you are doing the things you love doing at work?
If you have direct reports, did you ask them the four questions during your one on one? What did you notice?

Today we are focusing on the important topic of self-care.
Being a leader is hard work. There are plenty of changes, ambiguity, and challenges. We want to take good care of those around us on our teams and at home. And it’s easy to run out of time in the day to take good care of ourselves. When we do that, we invite stress and burnout to be close by.

I don’t want that to happen to you. If you are one of those people who don’t have time for consistent self-care, today’s Monday Moment is especially for you.

Your daily self-care needs to be at the top of your priority list.
I’m not talking about pedicures, although those are lovely. I’m talking about TAKING 15 minutes a day just for you. Yes, I said taking. No one comes up to you and says “Be sure to take your self-care time today.”. It’s up to you to make it a priority.

It’s not selfish and there is no need to feel guilty. You cannot be at your best if you are not taking good care of yourself.

Quick Tip:
Here’s an easy way to get started. Find a consistent time every day and block off 15 minutes on your calendar. Call it whatever you like. What matters is that the people around you know that time is yours and not to interrupt you. Everything will be fine for 15 minutes.

Then try out a few different things during your self-care time to see what fills you back up, relieves your stress, and makes your feel a bit refreshed. Yes, all those things can happen in 15 minutes.

These are some of the things women I’ve coached have tried: reading a chapter in a favorite book, yoga poses, napping, knitting (my personal favorite), journaling, drawing, taking a bubble bath, sitting quietly with your favorite cup of tea, taking the dog for a walk, arranging fresh flowers (another of my personal favorites), meditating, coloring a mandala, reading poetry, writing poetry. You get the idea. Experiment. Try something. Then STOP, breathe and notice how you feel. You’ll find your favorites.

Of course, you can do the bigger self-care things like getting a manicure, going to the gym, skiing, long walks around the lake, doing a spa day, or spa weekend with your favorite friends. These are wonderful. But you’ll benefit even more from doing something daily to let go of any stress or frustration that may have built up inside; often without even realizing it.

Week 5 - Monday Moment Habit Creator

Take out your calendar right now, and block out 15 minutes for yourself every day this week. It can be the same time every day. It can be at different times every day.

Be Consistent - No matter what, keep that time for yourself. When you first build this habit, the people around you may not honor your time, so you have to be very clear this is your time.
No Distractions - Don't answer emails or texts, or phone calls during your time. In fact, the research tells us to put our electronics in another room when we are taking self-care time. When the electronics are nearby, part of our brains stays focused on watching for the signals that an email or text has arrived. It takes putting the electronic in another room for our brain to completely let go and relax!

Remember to practice your 90 seconds of deep breathing throughout the week, especially when anxiety or overwhelm try to sneak in.
And be sure to do your deep breathing for the first 90 seconds of your self-care time. The deep breathing will help your body and mind get maximum benefit.

This is one of the hardest habits for leaders to build. Give yourself plenty of grace this week. Do your best to honor the time commitment you are making to yourself for 15 minutes of every day just for you. The benefits build over time. As my dear friend and colleague, Louise Griffith says, You are Worth It!

Let me know how it goes!

If this Monday Moment resonated with you, please feel free to share it with a friend or colleague, and remember, if you ever feel stuck, I’m here to help. Reach out to me on LinkedIn or email me.

Have a great week!
Warm regards,