Self-Care Isn’t A Luxury, It’s Leverage

More often than not, the first thing that I see ambitious professionals deprioritize is their self-care.

They’re passionate about what they do, so they work long and busy hours. They have people and families that depend on them, so they fulfill those responsibilities with a good attitude.

It’s only after those two intentions are met that they make time for themselves - their fitness, their rest, their mental health, and their sanity. And the days where they get to squeeze that in might feel like a luxury.

I understand the logic behind why people choose to sacrifice their self-care and wellness. There are only 24 hours in a day. If you choose to spend more time on yourself, that means you have less time for your work and your loved ones. But if you have big goals at work that you’re committed to... And there’s nothing more important to you than your loved ones... Taking time for yourself is a trade you might be unwilling to make. 

But this rationale is missing one important part: Not all time is made the same.

Overall output isn’t just a matter of quantity, but also quality. You can get more and better work done in less time when you do it the right way. In other words, you can create more leverage. When you do things with more quality and efficiency, you can get more out for the same amount of time that you put in.

There’s nothing that elevates quality and efficiency more than prioritizing your self-care. When you exercise regularly, you sustain higher energy levels. When you go to bed on time and get a full night of sleep, you wake up ready to attack the day rather than playing catch up. When you’re healthy you have more vitality for life.

Yes, doing these things takes time from other things in your day… But when you’re energized - You’re more focused at work, better at deflecting distraction, and you get more of the right things done. And in the moments you have with your loved ones, you have the capacity to be more present and connected, and they feel it.

Self-care and prioritizing your own personal wellness creates leverage in all areas of your life because it’s not just about the time you spend doing things, but the quality infused in that time. When you treat self-care as a tradeoff, it’s a linear equation. But when you treat self-care as an investment, it’s exponential. 

It’s a simple equation: Output = Quantity x Quality.

Given that you can’t create more time in a day, the only way to increase output is by increasing the quality you put into the time you have. And in my opinion, taking exceptional care of yourself is the best way to do exactly that.

If you know it’s time to take your self-care more seriously, and you don't have the good habits and action plans in place to see success with it, I really encourage you to check out the 21 Day Super Habits Challenge. By the end of it, you’ll have built a foundation of consistency, discipline, and systems that can make that dream of a new, healthy lifestyle your reality!