You Can't Outperform Your Self-Care

Many people seem to think self-care is a luxury. That it’s something to be considered only after responsibilities in your work and at home with loved ones, to plug into the gaps of extra time you have in a day. Not only is it sad that they don’t think they’re well-being is more important than other things in their life, but they’re just flat out wrong.

I will die on the hill saying this: For high-performers... Self-care isn’t luxury, it’s leverage. It’s an output multiplier, and you can’t outperform your self-care.

It’s easy to make the mistake that taking care of yourself is a tradeoff. That time spent for yourself is time that you can’t spend doing other important things. And while that’s true when you think directly about time in a day, it’s not the full picture. Yes, one hour spent on exercise or mindfulness is one less hour available for work and loved ones...

But your productive output isn’t just a matter of quantity. The most critical consideration is quality.

Spending 8 hours of unfocused time at work is less valuable than 5 hours of highly focused work. A full evening with your family where you’re mentally checked out is way less valuable than a 30 minute dinner where you’re fully engaged and present. Which version of you do you think they'd want to get?

Those who are deprioritizing their self-care in order to spend more time on other things have created a ceiling for their performance. They are not allowing themselves to show up to life with more quality because they don’t have the energy, focus, and presence they need to do better. So they reach their upper limit, plateau, and can’t perform beyond it.

But when you take care of yourself, you level up your energetic capacity. Exercise makes you feel revitalized and peppy. Mindfulness clears your mind and alleviates stress. Proper sleep keeps you from dragging all day. A healthy diet fuels your body and mind. You infuse more quality in your life when you take care of yourself, which brings multiples of benefits in every area of your life.

So if you’re a high-performing business person with a lot on your plate, feeling like you’re at capacity, I’d encourage you to carve out more time for yourself. You’d be surprised to see how good you feel, how you get more done in the day, how you do more of the right things, and unlock your next level of output in every area of your life. 

This isn’t something that’s "just a good idea but not feasible’".. This is how it works!

And if you want some help making your self-care a true priority, so that you unlock your fullest potential in work and life, then sign up for the 21 Day Super Habits Challenge. It’s the best way I know how to support you with exactly that.