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Are you struggling to find time to take care of you because you’re so focused on your business? What if instead of treating them as separate things, you found a way to work self-care into your work schedule?
In this episode of So, Here’s the Thing, I’m sharing three steps you can take to easily add self-care into your work schedule!
Three Steps to Add Self-Care to Your Schedule (2:02)
1. Reflect on what kind of self care YOU need. (2:14)
How’s your mental health?
Your physical health?
2. Break down that need into easy to achieve steps. (3:23)
One phone call this week to plan.
One appointment or workout or action step next week.
The week after that, add in a next step.
It doesn’t have to happen all at once.
3. Create a routine based on how YOU work. Not anyone else. (5:39)
Links
Episode 41
Review the transcript below.
Review the Transcript:
Welcome to so here’s the thing where we share candid conversations that lift the veil on what it takes to find success, even if that means sharing a few unpopular opinions. I’m your host, Laylee Emadi, grab some coffee, or cocktail, and let’s get real.
Hey friends, this is going to be a bite sized, super actionable episode with one of the most requested topics that I get on a regular basis. I’m super excited about it, we are going to be talking about how to add self care into your work schedule. If you’ve been around for a while, you know that I love a good routine. In fact, if you are curious about my morning routine, or just more information about creating an easy morning routine as an entrepreneur, you can check out Episode 41. We talk all about it in that episode.
So for now, let’s talk about how to build in time for self care so that it becomes a part of your routine and so that you can actually prioritize it for yourself. First, before we dive in, I want to do a quick check in about why this is so important. I always say that as individuals who either own our own businesses, or if you run a household, or whatever it is that we do as human beings, we can’t do things well, if we are not well ourselves. So it’s not a want, this is not a frivolous thing that you should be thinking about adding into your life. This is a need. You don’t want to include self care into your days, you absolutely need to in order to thrive in order to continue to be productive. And in order to continue to do the very best that you can do in whatever it is that you’re doing, whether that’s your small business, or even just your family and home life.
Okay, so Hear me out. If you are thinking that sounds really nice, but I have no time. This episode is absolutely for you. So keep listening, we’re going to start this off really easily. This episode is just going to have three action items for you to tackle that are very, very easy. These three items are not meant to be overwhelming at all, they are just going to give you a really good starting place in order to cultivate some time for self care within your schedule. So let’s dive in.
Number one, I want you to reflect on what kind of self care you need. How is your mental health, how is your physical health by gauging what it is that you are lacking, or that you are feeling like you need extra help, and you’re able to then really craft a plan to add in what it is that you actually need. So if you feel like your mental health is struggling, you’re going to take a few different steps than somebody would take whose physical health is in a little bit more of a place of need. One way that I like to reflect on what kind of things that I need is I really like to write things down, I like to take pen to paper, maybe you’re more of like a list maker on a Google doc or whatever it is. For me, I like to be able to kind of jot down a messy list of all the things that are happening in my life, all the places that I feel like I could use a little bit of extra support. Or maybe I feel like these are the places where I’m coming up short on a daily basis. And then I like to further reflect on why it is that I feel like I’m falling short. Is it really that that’s happening? Or is it something that is completely internal and not actually rooted.
In fact, once I have that list, I’m better able to tackle what comes next, which is step number two, the second thing I’m going to have you do is I’m going to have us break down the need that you have identified in step one, the reflection step, and we’re going to break it down into easy to achieve steps. So an example of this is that not everything has to happen at once. So if you’ve identified that your mental health needs a little bit extra support and help, maybe one step that you create within this action item is to make one phone call to make an appointment for therapy, you’re not actually thinking about going to the therapy session, you’re not thinking about having to drive they’re having to carve out time for it, all you’re doing is you’re creating an action step to make a phone call. And I know that sounds really small, really little, but that’s the point we’re going to take baby steps here.
So action item number one is you’re going to make one phone call during week one. Then on week two, maybe you have one appointment, or one action step that gets you a little bit closer to carving out that time. Then in week three, you’re going to add in your next step. It doesn’t have to happen all at once you’re trying to break down the need that you’ve identified into easy to tackle non overwhelming steps. This is definitely a practice that you’re going to have for the rest of your life. Or at least hopefully you will. And so I want to encourage you guys that in this like step number two, this is where all of the magic kind of happens where you’re you’re allowing yourself to really take those movements forward in small, easy to digest movements. Another example here would be if you have decided that your physical health is in need of some extra support and love a little bit more self care, maybe you found that you’re sitting at your desk all day every day and you feel like you are just, you’re lacking stamina, you’re lacking energy, you’re lacking endurance. And you’re like, Okay, I need to work out. Thinking about something as broad as needing to work out or get into shape can be so overwhelming. So on week one, maybe you decide to take a walk every other day in the middle of the day, maybe week two, you move that up to three walks a day, because you start feeling that energy. Again, it does not have to happen all at once. These are things that are going to build on top of one another.
Once we’ve tackled breaking down the need that you’ve identified in step one, we’ve broken it down in step two. Step three is you’re going to start to create a routine based on how you work not anyone else. So for example, I’ll use myself as an example here. When I was first deciding to try to get into better shape, trying to carve out more time in my day, for physical activity for working out. I really was overwhelmed if I’m being honest about it. But I bought a peloton. It’s sitting in my office, and now I make time 20 minutes during the work day to get on the peloton and do a 20 minute ride. Now that might sound like oh, well, I would never do that. I wanted to let you guys in on a little secret. I have never taken a spin class in my life. I definitely got peer pressured into buying this peloton, it has changed my life not because it’s a trendy piece of gym equipment. That is why I bought it I’m not gonna lie. But it’s because it is an easily accessible way for me to get my workout in, I’m not having to drive to the gym, drive home, I don’t have to, you know, carve out three hours of my day in order to make it happen. A 20 minute ride makes me feel better about myself, I usually try to schedule it around two o’clock pm, that’s when I start to actually drag in my workday, I don’t get as much done at work around that time of day. So I have found for me that it’s really productive to take a little break to get a little workout in and then come back and be extra productive at work. So I just want to use myself as an example here, because I was the person that said, Oh, well, self care sounds like a really fun buzzword that like, you know, you’re going to get massages, like every week, how nice to have the time for that. It’s not about that. It’s about making time to do the things that are going to make you feel better, that are going to make you more productive, that are going to make you healthier, and that are going to be good for you. So I hope my little story and my example firsthand gives you guys the encouragement that you need to take those steps for yourself. Again, it doesn’t have to be that today you decide I’m going to go get in shape, I’m going to work out twice a day, every single day. That’s not how it works. It’s a slow build is a slow climb. Maybe you make that phone call that you’ve been putting off for so long. Maybe you make that phone call this week. And the next week you add in one workout. And the week after you add in something else, let it build, give yourself the freedom to do it.
And just know that I am cheering you on. You are not alone at all in this almost everybody I talked to you whether you’re a fan of the show, or you just requested a topic. So many people have requested this because it is something that we all neglect. And my hope is that you’re able to take these action items, apply them to your life and apply them to your business and just see the growth that happens after. If you want a little guide on how to make this work for you. Make sure you visit our show notes where we will have all of these steps written out for you to be able to easily follow along with that. So here’s the thing podcast.com and we will see you guys on the next episode for show notes and resources mentioned on today’s episode head to so here’s the thing podcast.com and if you’re enjoying the podcast, I’d love to read your review on iTunes. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll catch you in the next episode.
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