September marks both Self-Improvement Month and Self-Care Awareness Month, two concepts that have never been more important in today’s workplace. As we’ve talked about before on this blog, self-improvement and professional development are key cornerstones of career development at LCS. And we also believe it’s important for our employees to know it’s important to take care of their mental health.
If you’re thinking about implementing self-improvement strategies to help your career, you may wonder if that will involve putting in long hours and sacrificing self-care to make a difference. That doesn’t have to be the case. In honor of a month that’s focused on all aspects of self, we’ve rounded up the top improvement strategies that leave room for self-care, ensuring that you can bring your best person to both the workplace and your personal life.
Make Self-Care Part of Your Professional Goals
When it comes to achieving your professional or personal goals, SMART goals are the gold standard. In contrast to vague or unclear goals, SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. When setting goals for self-improvement, hitting these five metrics can make all the difference between a sense of accomplishment and having to re-evaluate your priorities.
Professional improvement goals can also look a lot like self-care in general. For example, there’s a key link between getting enough sleep and job performance. You can make a goal to get more sleep before work and use SMART strategies that will set you up for success, like turning off all electronics an hour before bed (specific) or making sure you’re in bed by a certain time during the week (time-bound).
Use Effective Time Management Strategies
Time management is another item at the top of most self-improvement lists. In today’s busy world, many of us feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything on our plates, leading to stress, burnout, and poor mental health. When trying to make a commitment to improve your timeliness on projects, it can be easy to sacrifice self-care in an effort to hit your deadlines. But finding and using effective time management strategies can be beneficial to both your career and mental health.
Find a calendar system that works for you and stick to it! You can break up your day by tasks or set aside specific blocks of time to focus on certain projects. Building self-care into your day is another easy way to make strides in self-improvement, like using your lunch break to go on walks, or setting aside at least one evening a week to eat dinner with family without checking your work email. Being intentional about your time is the best way to make sure you can achieve all your personal and professional goals without being stretched too thin.
Read. And Read Some More
It’s no secret that being well-read is good for you. Reading not only reduces stress, but it also helps to keep your brain sharp, promotes overall wellness, and can even boost your career. Trying to read often is an easy and effective improvement strategy that also counts as self-care. Find a self-help book or a memoir by your favorite motivational speaker to get into a successful mindset. Look up articles or newsletters about specific tasks related to your job function. Sign up for mailing lists or subscribe to a blog that’s relevant to your industry. And don’t forget to pick up your favorite mystery or romance novel every once in a while! Whether you’re reading for business or for pleasure, the simple act of reading can work wonders for ensuring lifelong success.
Invest in a Journal
In conjunction with reading, writing in a journal is another mental health strategy that can have lasting positive effects on your professional life. Taking the time to write each day has a whole host of personal and professional benefits—it can help reduce stress levels, improve your writing skills, strengthen your ability to self-reflect, bring clarity to complex problems, and help build your emotional intelligence. Spend a few minutes each day to write in a journal—either at the beginning of your day or before you go to bed. Make sure you have a quiet space to write where you won’t be interrupted, and just let your pen do the rest.
Seek Accountability from Others
Finally, engaging in self-improvement strategies doesn’t have to be a lonely endeavor. In fact, it can be even more effective to do so with friends! Just like you’re more inclined to go to the gym if you’re meeting a friend for a workout, going after a goal with someone else can vastly improve your chances of sticking with the process and ultimately succeeding.
On the flip side, having an accountability buddy can help you stay focused on your goals even if they’re not working towards the same objective. Take time to check in with your accountability buddy on a schedule that works for the both of you—like daily or weekly—or set aside an hour or so to work on projects or goals simultaneously. You might be amazed what you can get done when you have someone else cheering you on and encouraging you to be your best. And as an added bonus, engaging in these types of relationships can also strengthen your bonds and fend off loneliness, which helps improve your mood and mental health.
Improve Your Whole Self and Career at LCS
Whether it’s our dedicated Professional Development coaches, our commitment to employee mental health, or our collaborative, award-winning employee culture, at LCS we believe that happy employees are effective employees. If you’re looking for a workplace that invests in your mental wellbeing as well as your future, check out our open positions and consider applying with us today.
