Self-Care and Leadership: Are You Balanced?

As the leader of your organization, having the right work-life balance is key in enabling you to perform at your best. How you manage your time and your stress levels will play a role in how productive you can be as the CEO and how well you will feel in all aspects of your life. When you are overworking, not physically caring for your body, and otherwise ignoring critical clues that may indicate that you are not in balance, you run the risk of burning out and losing important momentum you need to progress forward. Here are three things leading CEO peer advisors suggest doing on a regular basis to make self-care part of your daily routine.

1. Check in with yourself. Being aware of what you are feeling is vital in helping you be a better leader. Feelings of frustration, being overwhelmed, even confusion are all natural emotions to have, especially as you navigate complex business situations and challenges. However, how you respond when you do not feel your best is what differentiates an average leader from a great leader. Effective leaders know when it is time to take a break, they are always in control of how they feel so that they can either deal with or re-channel any negative feelings they have so that it does not interfere with their ability to lead. By taking a few moments throughout the day to identify what you are feeling and why can be a great exercise in helping you stay on top of your emotions and handle them appropriately.
2. Make planning a priority. Whether you take time every day or once a week, spending time planning out your tasks is an effective way to keep you focused. You may have other more immediate things emerge throughout the week, but having an idea of what you need to accomplish and why can give you a sense of purpose and fulfillment when you are able to achieve them. When you feel accomplished both in your personal and work life, the better you will feel in general and the more productive you will be.
3. Investing in yourself. What do you enjoy doing to recharge? What brings you the most amount of joy? Whatever these activities are, find ways to incorporate them into your work. Perhaps you thrive on engaging with others, then visiting clients or conversing with employees may be an important part of your day to add in. Or, if you instead prefer having quiet time to think, blocking off time every week to sit undisturbed may be a key component to begin including in your weekly schedule. CEO development programs often encourage their members to reflect on what aspects of their leadership role bring them the most fulfillment and then help them find ways to apply those aspects to how they lead their organization.

Being an effective leader begins with taking care of yourself, mentally, physically, and emotionally. In your role, as the CEO, it is easy to let your work responsibilities take over and crowd out the important time you need to recharge. If you do not already have a self-care routine in place, then now is the time to begin dedicating time each day and week to check in with yourself and do at least one thing that allows you to relax, reflect, or release.