The importance of self-care to enhance work performance (and for good mental health).

Have you ever believed that in order to succeed in your career you need to be sleep-deprived, in a constant state of stress and with little to none off time? 

In the past this is what the media has portrayed to us; that the key to getting ahead is by doing more. But in recent years more emphasis has been put on the importance of mental health and self-care, especially in the workplace. 

Carving out that time, making yourself a priority, and cultivating a consistent self-care routine will not only help you avoid burnout (and be a more calm and centred person in the process), but it can also help you ramp up your productivity—and squeeze more out of the time you are at work.

So, what is self-care?

Self-care is so much more than massages and spa days! Self-care can be defined as any deliberate action you take in order to support your mental, physical, and emotional health. 

So, yes face masks can certainly be a form of self-care (at least for me!), so can taking a walk in nature, attending a yoga class, or skipping a networking event to curl up in bed and read. 

At the core, self-care essentially is about fostering the relationship you have with yourself. It’s about connecting and giving back to yourself (mind, body, spirit). In turn, you will be able to function at your highest and happiest level - which can result in improving your productivity! 

Licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Russell Thackery said that “People that look after themselves [and practice self-care] do have the better cognitive ability. They do have better focus and they do have better concentration. They tend to actually produce more.”

Being able to balance the challenges of work with the importance of self-care is one of the most important qualities for productivity. Let's dive deeper into how self-care can improve your performance and productivity in the workplace.

Simple Self-Care Practices That Will Make You More Productive

Now that we covered what self-care is, let’s talk about how it can make you more productive—and which self-care practices are going to give you the most productivity-boosting bang for your buck. Amelia, a career coach in Melbourne can help you navigate self-care practices that work for you. Contact Amelia Here.

Get Some Sleep

Simple, I know but there’s a huge correlation between productivity and sleep—mainly, if you’re not getting enough sleep (or enough high-quality sleep), your productivity is going to take a turn for the worse. We have all been there, sleep is put on the back burner as soon as work starts to pile up and deadlines are approaching 

By sacrificing these precious hours of sleep, you will find that you are less equipped to prioritize tasks, react to challenges, and help other employees deal with stresses of their own. Regardless of how busy your schedule is, taking time to ensure you get an adequate amount and high-quality sleep is so important. Having the right amount of sleep will allow your mind to refresh, retain important information, and handle new problems as they come.

If you are someone who struggles to get enough hours and/or enough high-quality sleep, I suggest creating a bedtime routine. Just like morning routines set you up for the day, your bedtime routine will set you up for a sound night's sleep. Two or so hours before bed, switch your phone to do not disturb, have a warm shower and put your pj’s on. Then pick a calming activity such as reading a book, doing some light stretching or maybe journaling.

Your nighttime practices are individual but you need to do them consistently. Eventually, your brain and body will start to associate your nighttime routine with going to bed—and it’ll be easier to fall (and stay) asleep.

Put Your Phone Down!

How many times per day do you catch yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media instead of working through your tasks for the day? I’m going to guess it is more often than you think!

You might think your phone is the secret to becoming a productivity powerhouse (you are walking around with a supercomputer in your pocket after all!)—but the truth is, one of the best things you can do for your productivity (not to mention your happiness!)?

Put your phone down.

TIP: If you’re working on a project, put your phone in another room so you can focus on the task at hand and not be tempted to look at your phone every 30 seconds or every time a notification pops up.

Shake up your routine

We are all creatures of habit and we tend to keep the same routine for a considerable amount of time. While good habits and routines can certainly make you more productive, doing the same thing day in and day out can make your work become mundane—which can make it harder to feel excited, created, and motivated to get things done.

Remember your brain is muscle! When you go to the gym you wouldn’t only exercise one muscle group all the time, so why should you keep the exact same routine for months on end? The neuroplasticity of your brain is stimulated by doing different things. It's stimulated by change.

If you’re feeling stuck, make a conscious effort each day to get out of your routine. It doesn’t need to be drastic, subtle changes work well. For example, If you usually get your exercise with a morning run, try hitting a spin class or hot yoga a few times a week. Or if you usually schedule client meetings for the afternoon, try moving them to the morning—and tackling more creative work after lunch. Changing up your daily routine can help you identify your most productive hours. Amelia can help give you further tips on how to restructure your daily routine, contact Amelia, career counsellor, here.

The key is to start small, the last thing you want to do is to make self-care another item on your to-do list. You don’t need hours every day - just a few minutes of self-care each day can have a huge impact on your productivity! Put Self-care in your calendar, and treat it as you would an important meeting.

Practising self-care has all kinds of benefits for your physical, mental, and emotional health—and it can also transform you into becoming more productive.

Amelia McDermott is a Career Coach and Coaching Psychologist, based on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne. With nearly 20 years of training and experience working as a psychologist, Amelia has a strong understanding of how to uncover what makes people tick, and how to help people find an authentic career that aligns with their unique talents and values. If you’re looking for Career Advice or Career Counselling, look no further than Uplift Coaching and enjoy a consultation with Amelia to see if a Career Coach is right for you. Book a consultation here.