Do you ever feel like you’re crushing it at work but not putting the same effort into caring for yourself? Balancing career ambitions and personal life can feel like a juggling act in today’s fast-paced world. For professional women, especially those in demanding roles or juggling responsibilities outside of work, self-care often falls to the bottom of the to-do list.
You’ve probably heard it before (and know that deep down)—self-care is crucial for maintaining well-being, productivity, and overall happiness. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of work, work, work, and hyper-productivity. So, while self-care should be a priority for all, we know it can be hard to balance it with all the things in life. In this post, we’ll explore different ways to integrate self-care into your routine.
We suggest you try out the ideas that resonate with you and implement the ones that feel good and fit your lifestyle.
1. Start the day with intention
How you start your day can set the tone for everything. A chaotic morning often leads to a stressful day, whereas a mindful morning ritual can create a sense of calm and focus. I get it; mornings can be challenging if you have kids or a pet or love your sleep-ins. Here are a few quick morning practices to try:
- Word Of The Day: Literally put intention into the day by thinking up a word or phrase of the day. If you have a big presentation, it might be “CRUSHING IT.” If you have a sales pitch, it could be “WINNING.” If you’re simply busy and want to stay on track, it could be “FOCUS.” Once you have your word, try to live it throughout the day. When craziness takes over, think of your word to re-center and re-energize yourself.
- Five-Minute Meditation: Begin your day with a brief meditation session. Find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and focus on your breath. Even a few minutes of mindful breathing can reduce stress and increase mental clarity. If you struggle with quiet or stillness, try the Calm app for simple guided meditations or search “meditation” on Spotify or YouTube
- Gratitude Journaling: Spend a few minutes jotting down three things you’re grateful for. This simple act can shift your mindset to a more positive and empowered state, helping you approach the day optimistically. Practicing Gratitude has also been proven to reduce overall stress and can help improve sleep and even relationships with others (this link is to the Journal we created :-)).
Starting out the day with intention is a great way for you to take ownership back – you’re not rushing out of bed on someone else’s schedule. It means you’ll always have time for yourself, even if its just five minutes to start.
2. Make easy nutrition choices
When life gets busy, nutrition often takes a backseat. However, what you eat significantly impacts your energy levels and mood. Here are some tips to nourish your body, even on the busiest of days:
- Shop Smart: A grocery list is excellent, but having each meal mapped out daily is even better. It’s going to help prevent decision fatigue and avoid food waste. Stuck for inspo? Here are some of our household go-tos:
- Burger Bowls: ground beef cooked with onion and finished with a tbsp of ketchup and mustard, served with a simple salad of crunchy romaine, tomatoes, red onion, chopped pickles, and some grated cheese. Delish.
- Trader Joe’s easy hacks: Marinated chicken shawarma (air-fried) with a bag of their dill pickle salad. It couldn’t be easier or yummier.
- Sheet pan nutrition: sweet potato, cauliflower gnocchi (defrosted), sweet Italian sausage – throw it in the oven for 20-30mins, then serve with kale or spinach and add pesto if you want to jazz up the flavor
- Meal prep made simple: Do you have time (or the desire) to cook for hours on a Sunday? If you do – awesome! If you’re like me, absolutely not. When it comes to meal prep, once you’ve done your simple grocery shop, take 10 minutes to pre-wash and cut produce so it’s ready to go after a long work-day. Easy peasy.
Now you’re eating well and have time for other self-care.
3. Simplify the tasks that weigh you down
Nothing takes the wind out of your sails more than the things you loathe, and it would suck to spend your valuable downtime doing them. Don’t let mundane, annoying chores pile up – it’ll stress you out and become overwhelming. Our advice to tackle dull tasks and chores is: 1) automate them, 2) outsource them, and 3) organize the crap out of them. Anything that helps you make these things easier is going to lift some weight off your shoulders. Here’s some inspo:
- Automate bills, groceries or whatever your essentials are: Try keeping a separate checking account just for bills, transfer $$$ over to that account and forget about it. Or if you have a regular need like pet food or diapers, choose a subscribe and save option so you don’t run out, and add unnecessary stress in your day.
- Outsource Where You Can: I could list a thousand things I’d rather do instead of doing laundry, so this chore is mostly outsourced to my partner, or when we’re both busy, we send it out. If you can’t afford to outsource chores, either rope in your partner or roommate (trade them for something else), or if you live by yourself set a daily/weekly time each week or day to tackle said chore. Letting the pile up doesn’t help you in the long-run.
- Organize What You Can: This means scheduling, writing lists and staying on top of things. Schedule your workout time, put your therapy appointment on your work calendar and generally create a process that helps you stay on track. For example, I’m terrible at remembering dates, plans, parties, etc. My bestie uses the simple trick of sending herself a calendar reminder so she never forgets. Organizing my weekly grocery shop and prep (as above) are small things that bring me major relief on a daily basis.
Write down the chores that seem to get on top of you, and think about how you can automate, outsource and organize.
4. Create beauty rituals that work for YOU
It’s easy to be “influenced” by wellness or skinfluencers… I have had stages of beauty product over-consumption… searching for something to help my skin or hair look their best, and also for products that make me feel good emotionally too. I still love my beauty products, but I try to make sure they have a role to play and that I don’t already have a similar product gathering dust in the bathroom. Here are some ideas for how-to create a ritual that works for you, makes you feel good, and is calm and relaxing.
- Know Your Skin Type: You could see a dermatologist, or you could ask someone in Sephora or at a beauty counter. Knowing your skin needs will save you a ton of money on products that just don’t work for you.
- Create a Routine That Fits Your Schedule: Gone are the days when I could do a 10-step beauty routine (and tbh, I never stuck to complicated routines for long anyway). I have 3-4 go to bathroom products, a quick shower and an everything shower routine, and my skin, wallet and time thank me for it!
- Have a Good Base and Leave Room for Fun: I spent a lot of money fighting it, but eventually came to the realization that I hate full-coverage foundation. (You might love it, but it’s not me!) Now I know that a skin tint or tinted sunscreen is my base, so I experiment with lip colors or blushes. My daily work routine is almost exactly the same, and then I have a bit more fun for nights out. You might have a killer bronzer, but are still searching for the right foundation. Whatever works for you – stick with what you love, and play around with the rest.
- Samples, Mini’s and Travel Sizes, oh my! It’s not just a more cost-effective way to try new products, it’s way less wasteful. Many brands sell mini’s or travel sizes that are not only great for a trip away – they’re an awesome way to help you find what works for you and what doesn’t.
Having a hectic schedule doesn’t mean you need to put your beauty rituals on the back-burner, it just means you need to find what works for you!
5. Practice being kind to yourself
Professional women often hold themselves to high standards, striving for excellence in every area of life. While ambition is admirable, success isn’t what defines you. Practice being kind and avoid self-deprecation:
- Acknowledge Your Efforts: Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem. Recognize the hard work you put into your career and personal life and give yourself a pat on the back!
- Show Yourself Grace: If you mess up or something doesn’t go as planned, it’s easy to beat yourself up. But think to yourself – would you criticize your best friend for doing the same thing? What about your younger self? It can be difficult to let go of self-criticism – try giving yourself a time-frame to mentally complain, talk to a coach or therapist, or replace the negative with something positive (visit a friend, girls dinner or take yourself for a walk).
- Sleep: It might seem odd to put sleep under “be kind to yourself”, but hear me out. Sleep is crucial for well-being, and not enough people get enough of it. It’s the ultimate kindness to give yourself the time to re-energize after each day, so practice prioritizing sleep no matter how busy your are.
Give it a Try!
Incorporating self-care into a busy lifestyle is not about adding more to your already full plate—it’s about finding simple, effective practices that nurture your well-being.
Remember, self-care is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. As a busy professional woman, taking care of yourself empowers you to show up as your best self in all areas of life, whether at work, with your family, or in pursuing your passions. Start with small, manageable changes, and watch how these self-care essentials can transform your day-to-day experience.
