Self-care can be hard to prioritize, especially for many people struggling with their work-life balance. You’re not alone if your personal and professional boundaries have disintegrated over the past 18 or 20 months of “new normal.” Channel your inner productivity expert and learn our time management expert-approved tips to add self-care back into your team's lives.
There have been a lot of discussions lately about the future of the work environment. There seems to be a disconnect between what employers want, and what their employees need. Many employers want things to remain as they were. However, many employees are now looking for a schedule that offers more flexibility. One that allows them more time to work at home, after its proven success over the past couple of years.
Adapting to the rapidly changing structure of work caused many of us to get stuck in crisis management mode. Whether it’s responding to emails or requests, there has been a constant sense of urgency for many leaders. Unfortunately, this consistent pressure to always react quickly within every element of our work life is exhausting.
Whether the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in your well-oiled exercise routine or you lacked a routine to begin with, one thing is certain: with gyms closed and more work and family demands on your plate than ever before, fitting exercise into your daily schedule has become yet another impossible chore. You know it’s important but even when you have the time, the idea of continuing to stare into your laptop screen for a 30-minute exercise class after a long day of working from home is… less than appealing. The good news is: home work-out videos and online exercise classes aren’t your only options for staying fit.
So you finally made it to bed. You’ve done your bedtime routine and you’ve turned off all the lights. You’re exhausted, fully prepared for sleep, but your mind just won’t stop racing — overwhelmed with thoughts, feelings, and to-dos. The longer it takes you to fall asleep, the more anxious and stressed out you become which, in turn, makes it even harder for you to drift off to sleep. Once your head hits the pillow, how do you actually relax into a peaceful slumber so that you receive the full benefit of a restful night? Here are a few ways to clear your head and surrender yourself to the pleasures of sleep…
Sleep is a fundamental component of our lives. It allows us to reset, recharge, and refuel, so that we can make the most of our days. Unfortunately, with so much weighing on our minds, the last few months have thrown many of us off our sleep game. Because sleep is such a critical aspect of our mental and physical health, now is just as good a time as any to get serious about the quantity and quality of our restful hours. And the best place to start is by renovating your bedtime routine.
What is perfectionism? Perfectionism is the pressure we often put on ourselves to do things extremely well. When applied to every single everyday task, perfectionism can sap the joy from your life, lead you to work yourself to the bone, and crush your ability to be present as you obsess about whether you did or will do a good enough job in each of your endeavors. Freeing yourself from the logistical burden and psychological paralysis of perfectionism liberates you to manage the wide scope and scale of everything you need to do and helps you stay grounded over the long haul.
Once you have kids, finding any uninterrupted time in the day that’s just yours — to just be quiet, to just think, or to just get one small thing off your own to-do list — is really hard to come by. But, believe it or not, it is possible to buy yourself back some me-time after you have kids. You just have to be super organized and intentional about it. You don’t want to find yourself hiding in a closet just to steal a moment to yourself. You want to build it into your family’s day.
