Taking care of yourself IS taking care of business

Have you ever had one of those weeks?

The kind where everything is happening all at once, and then you or your family get sick and then a colleague needs you to fill in where you hadn't planned to be.

The kind of week where "taking care of yourself" seems like a cruel joke fabricated by people who seem to have endless free time and clearly have never experienced what it's like to be in your life?

Yeah, me too. And after years and years (and even more years) of resisting the whole idea, I decided to embrace taking care of myself as a "must-have", not a "nice to have". Not once have I ever looked back. And very soon after, I cemented Revitalize as a core component of my Sustainable Success model. (Then I wrote a whole book on the topic!)

And now, when a week like that happens? As it did to a client of mine just last week, and to me, too. Well, it's time to double the efforts.

I invite you to think about how you're recharging or "pre-charging" on the weekends.

Sunday is all about pre-charging for me — something that I shifted during the early days of the pandemic. When facing a particularly busy week ahead, I double down. While each week is different, a few things usually make the cut: planning out my week ahead, any needed personal or business admin, yoga, meditation and extra skin care. Starting the week with simple things like clean sheets, towels and a reasonably clean house. Time with my husband and maybe friends. A walk, hike or garden time. (Those are my feet in the picture, enjoying a warm rose water foot bath and a pot of tea on a Sunday.)

Carving out a day a week for personal care, fun and a weekly plan is a way that I practice my own self-care. It makes me far more productive for the rest of my work week. I've experimented with this, and yes, I do get more done on this schedule.

Everyone is not going to set aside a day every week for self and business care. That's not realistic or even desirable for some of us. It’s also not the point. I've even had clients tell me I'm crazy when I suggest that taking care of their bills and accounting is a form of self-care. But it is all of that and it's not optional.

Whether you are running a business, managing someone else's business, contributing to your office team, running a home or what have you, keeping yourself nourished is critical to your performance. It's critical for your relationships. It's critical to managing your energy levels, protecting your flow and your brainpower, managing your stress, and nurturing your health.

As a mentor of mine once told me, when you are taking care of yourself, you don't hold others at metaphorical gunpoint, trying to get them to meet your needs.

Because you already did that. You're also not zooming around the office or the house like a crazy person because your stress is better managed and your head is clearer. You work better, relate better and lead better because you feel better. It can really be that simple.

What your pre-charing and recharging looks like is up to you. How much time you make is aligned with the responsibilities you have and what you need.

Need a few new ideas to recharge and pre-charge this weekend? Consider these:

Exercise: Enjoy a 30-minute workout. Go for a long walk in the woods. Stretch your body generously. Play a game. Ride your bike. Be creative and have fun, just move.
Eat well: Find the way of eating that your body responds best to, and immerse in it. Enjoy a meal that feeds your soul. Precharge with excellent morning nutrition.
Prioritize priorities: Attend to what needs attending to so that you can clear your mind. Set up your week to reduce overwhelm and enhance flow and pockets of healthy productivity.
Connect: Call the person you've been meaning to call. Make a date with your partner, meet up with a friend or plan movie night with the kids.
Manage stress: Meditate, pray or sit quietly, even if it's 10 minutes before bed.
Clean up your environment: Throw out clutter. Straighten up. Freshen your environment to support you all week long.
Attend to money: Have a money date or work on a money goal. Balance your personal checkbook. Take care of that bill you've put off.
Treat yourself: Don't wait until you've "earned it." That thing that sounds perfect — or even luxe? Find some way to put it — or a version of it — on the calendar.

I challenge you to find 30 minutes this week to take care of business by taking care of yourself.

Even the busiest person I know can find 30 minutes in a week. If you think you're the exception, I encourage you to take another look at where your minutes are going. What do you need to care for yourself physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually? Go do that. Then, make it a habit.

If you need help creating a plan to integrate some serious self-care into your busy life, check out Nourish, the book I wrote to help you do just that. Or book a coaching call and we’ll do it together.