Globally and individually, we have learned a lot about ourselves in the last few years. The pandemic has taught us to question the role of certain things in our lives, what we do and who we do it with. It feels like we have been on the playground merry-go-round for far too long and now it’s going way too fast. Some are hanging on for dear life, while others are enjoying the adrenaline rush and the wind in their hair. Although life slowed down during the pandemic, we returned into a world of work that continues to accelerate. We must compete more, innovate faster, go to market earlier, transform how we work/sell/service.

Whether you love remote working or miss the daily commute and the corridor conversations, one thing we know for sure, is that self-care and personal wellbeing are going to be vital to our work-life productivity and ability to thrive in this next normal. While wellbeing has always been there, the pandemic has significantly altered what we mean by it. Pre-Covid, it was more about eating your 5-a day, getting fresh air and exercise and calendaring in some “me-time” and while these are still vitally important, we’ve come to realise that self-care is in some ways much broader, and in other ways more basic. It’s about listening to your body and mind, and feeding your soul as well as your mind. Meeting friends for lunch, watching a movie with the kids, spending an hour in your own company, having a duvet day and taking your vacation time are not luxuries or indulgences, they are necessary “recharge moments”. Personally and professionally, we need to get better at saying “I need some me-time”. We need to get better at reading the signs and more comfortable in taking recharge time. Me-time is no longer considered self-indulgent, it’s self-sustaining. With some me-time, we are better employees, better parents, better partners and better friends.

Life has become so fast-paced and complex that we need to find little ways to slow it down. We need to put people back into process and put care of ourselves and each other at the heart of how we work. We have spent years taking wait times out of processes. Now entering an era of automation and artificial intelligence, we need to remember that wait times served an important purpose – they are important breathing space and recovery times. Without these, we will rarely step back to see the big picture, come up out of the details or question how we have always done things. It will impact our creativity, innovation and effectiveness. At this moment in time, employees don’t need more productivity apps, they need breathing space. They don’t need more time management, they need more backlog management skills and a strategic ability to prioritize important work over busy work. The need to pursue progress over perfection, and contribution over ownership.

Remember, self-care is an investment in you. Try to find ways to incorporate it into your working week. At the end of the day, self-care is your responsibility, because your needs are personal to you and your circumstances. There is no silver bullet or one solution for all. Waiting for your employer to provide it is not a good strategy but kudos to all those employers who have invested well in this space. If you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed or worn out, listen to what your body is telling you. Go to your exercise class, take the dog for a walk, stand outside in the sun, go shopping, meet friends, listen to a podcast, read a book, take a break from the kids because sometimes it’s the small things that make a big difference.

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