Nonprofit Leaders: Are You Paying Yourself First?
You’ve probably heard “pay yourself first” when it comes to saving money, but it’s just as true with protecting your time.
I often feel like I’m being pulled in every direction - I am sure you can relate! My husband and I have aging parents, a young adult son, and I am leading a growing consulting business. Add in the fact that many of us now work remotely, which means the boundary between work and life has blurred. We end up on our computers at night because we just can’t get it all done during the day.
Ultimately, here’s what happens: We do so much and then feel guilty for resting. One of my friends told me, “I had the BEST weekend. I was supposed to finish up some work, but I didn’t. Now I feel bad about it.”
What?! Since when did joy become something we have to earn? Here’s what I’ve learned through my 50 years on this earth: protect your time like you protect your paycheck. Pay yourself first by blocking it off in advance. You can let Calendly say “no” for you.
For me, that looks like:
Blocking special occasions or vacations as soon as possible
Taking my birthday off, every year (and the birthday of my closest family members too)
Scheduling time for self-care and alone time
Planning my joy instead of squeezing it in
It takes intention and usually, tradeoffs. I celebrated 50 last year by traveling the world. I told my family that when I’m home, I’m theirs. So when friends asked to get together during those windows, I had to say no because I’d already made a commitment to myself, and to quality time with my family.
And that’s okay.
Leadership includes building systems that support your life, not just your work. You can’t give your best at work or to your loved ones if you’ve got nothing left for yourself.
