ASK THE COACH
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Self-Care Brings Success
By Dr. Ray Angelini
The Saratogian
February 21, 2002
Dear Dr. Ray,
I recently changed jobs and am now working in an environment that is much more fast-paced and demanding. What would you recommend to help me regain a healthier more balanced lifestyle?
— J.R. in Ballston Lake
Dear J.R.,
From the sound of your letter, it seems that your life was more "balanced" before you took your current position. This suggests that you probably have some of the self-care skills necessary to make your current situation more manageable. While your previous position was obviously less demanding, you still have choices about how you work.
Self-care and productivity are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I would argue that you cannot achieve maximum productivity without self-care.
Cheryl Richardson, in her new book Life Makeovers, has proposed what she refers to as "New Rules for Twenty-First Century Business." Cheryl challenges the popular myth that working long hours at a frantic pace makes you more effective.
Overwork and stress often result in lack of creativity and fatigue that diminish effectiveness. Improving self-care is just plain good business sense. What follows are the rules that Richardson recommends. Try incorporating some of these strategies over the next month and notice the results. I'm sure you'll find that not only will you get more done at work, but you will also have more time and energy to enjoy your life!
~ The New Rules ~
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Take lunch every day and do something unrelated to work. Try whenever possible to leave the physical space of your office. Try taking a walk, reading a book, or listening to music. Anything that breaks the frame of your normal work routine will do.
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Work reasonable hours. Seven to nine hours is optimal. Anything beyond 10 hours is over the limit, as each hour put in past 10 hours becomes less productive.
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Schedule time during your day to reassess your priorities and make sure you are spending the "lion's share" of your time on what really matters.
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Strive to create a healthy work environment. Keep your office free from clutter and make sure that lighting and air quality are optimal.
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Develop and "absolute yes" list that contains your top five work priorities and refer to them often.
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Consistently look for ways to delegate work that others can do more effectively.
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Hire highly competent, well-trained support staff.
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Ask family and friends to honor your work time by keeping nonessential phone calls and interruptions to a minimum.
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Strive to remove self-imposed distractions and interruptions. Check voice mail and email less often.
- Learn how to say no, and stop taking on more than you can handle. When taking on a new project, make sure you can comfortably complete the project without sacrificing self-care. If you do, both you and the project will suffer.
