I Know You're Busy!
Intentions for Busy Leaders
You’re busy. You’re a high achieving leader and your plate is FULL. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur or executive chef scaling your brand. You don’t have any extra time…and if you did you’d rather spend it with your family or out doing something mindless and fun. Time is the most precious commodity we have as leaders, I know very well that it’s in short supply and hard to come by.
That said, I want you to consider a great use of your time. One that can help you generate more energy and productivity. And that is time spent on yourself. When you focus on your needs and priorities you will actually harness time and even gain time back. How, you ask? Because, when you focus on yourself, your needs, and your priorities, you fill your tank. And you need a full tank to be productive and show up as a leader to your team and colleagues.
Why am I bringing this up? Because often, when I work with my clients, they tell me that they’re too busy to follow through on their own growth. Too busy to work on their own development. Too busy to take time for themselves. Their fear is that if they focus on themselves, this will conflict with their goals for their operation or team.
I see it differently. When you invest in yourself in some small but meaningful way each day, you’re filling your tank and energizing yourself for the job ahead. I’m not alone in my thinking, the most productive, expansive, and productive leaders take time to focus on their own growth and well-being every single day. Here’s some examples of how the most productive leaders create time for self-focus every day:
Working Out: Most high powered leaders start the day with a workout. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, gets up early and works out for an hour to help himself manage stress. Jack Dorsey, Anna Wintour, and Barak Obama all subscribe to the same habit and each has a morning routine that includes a daily workout.
Journaling, Meditating & Reflecting: Oprah Winfrey starts her day with a spiritual practice and meditation and ends it by reflecting on her day and writing in her gratitude journal. Alison Moore, the CEO of Chief, uses a journal to jot down all her thoughts and ideas during the day, as well as a place to capture all the insights she learns about her team. This keeps her connected to the people around her while reducing “digital clutter.”
Protecting Your Thinking Time: Adam Grant, author and Wharton professor, protects his mornings for his deepest work and schedules meetings only in the afternoons. This allows him to prioritize himself first thing each day. Another great way to prioritize yourself is to set an intention at the beginning of each day. This helps you stay focused on your goal and vision for yourself and while it helps you clarify the choices and decisions you address daily. (Paid subs can check out my Intentionality Worksheet below, or, you can become a paid subscriber and get your worksheet today!)
Staying Grounded: Many leaders like to do mundane tasks to stay grounded and humble. Bill Gates likes to do dishes and housework at night and Angela Merkel stayed connected to her everyday life by doing her own cooking and grocery shopping while she was the Chancellor of Germany.
I have learned some cool hacks from my clients as well. One has a Line a Day Journal that helps him keep his priorities clear; turns out his biggest priority is his family, not work. This insight brings him perspective when things heat up and and helps him lower his stress around important decisions. Another client keeps a gratitude journal (I love the journals from Gry Mattr, this one is so cheerful) that helps to remind her that she has landed her dream job where she enjoys a a ton of autonomy. And another batches out her tasks by day so she can clarify her priorities and focus on each facet of her business in targeted chunks (this task list helps keep me organized and on track).
Creating a habit of working on yourself is like practicing an instrument or training for a marathon. Why do you suffer through scales and etudes? Why do you schedule longer and harder runs? The goal is to eventually do it with ease. Your goal and vision for yourself is the thing! Because, as a leader, you’ll always be busy. There will always be priorities competing for your precious time. But when you can start a practice of self-care, self-focus, and self-determination you will see results. And gain more energy in the process.
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When you’re ready here’s how you can work with me:
1:1 individual coaching can help you identify your deeply ingrained, outdated habits and help you build yourself into the leader you know you can be. A leader who is authentic, confident, and energizing to be around.
Team Training is built to unify leadership teams in various leadership skills. From delegation to feedback to communication, I have a class that fits your needs. (Paid subscribers get a $50/pp discount on my group class Bedrock Trio* - upgrade your subscription today!)
I look forward to working with you!
