In her next column for TheLatch—, career woman and CMO Michelle Battersby shares the power in doing something for yourself every day. Formerly the APAC marketing director at Bumble and now CMO for Keep it Cleaner, Michelle knows the importance of self-care when it comes to your career.
This month at Keep It Cleaner we encouraged our community to do something for themselves every day. To support our community, we shared new workouts, live cook-a-longs, meditations, and a run club. It was so nice to have everyone come together during a really trying time — particularly those of us in Melbourne.
There is something so simple, but so rewarding in taking a moment to appreciate doing something for you. Of course, we all do something for ourselves every day, but not many of us take the time and spoil ourselves — be it going out for a nice dinner, getting a massage or taking yourself for a facial, or if you are in Melbourne, just taking a walk outside.
When we do (rarely) spoil ourselves, it sometimes feels like we are running from one task to another and never sit, appreciate and be present in the moment.
Being in lockdown in Melbourne this year really forced me, and I’m sure many others, to appreciate the little things. Things I would often take for granted getting outside to enjoy the fresh air, sunlight on my face or walking through a park.
I wish it didn’t take such a change in the world to remind me of how great those simple things are, however, it’s been a change I’ve now instilled into my day-to-day.
Doing something for yourself also extends to your career. There is something really powerful in trusting yourself, having the confidence and making sure you put yourself first in your profession.
Whether that’s starting out and doing something that you love at whatever cost, taking a risk and starting your own business, or leaving a workplace where you are happy to explore and push yourself in another direction like I did.
Below I’m sharing some of my tips on how to put yourself first in your career. It’s something of a self-care checklist to refer back to when you need a little inspiration and motivation to push forward.
1. Be proactive
Sometimes we all get stuck in the day-to-day of our workload and don’t take time to step outside the deadlines and do something proactive. This could be presenting a new idea to your boss, or extending your skillset to a passion area of yours that could also benefit the business.
2. Find a mentor
Having a mentor will really help you think about your career progression and how to get there. Mentors are great to pull you out of the cycle we find ourselves in and make you start doing more to future proof yourself. You can read my full guide to finding a mentor here.
3. Recharge
It’s so important you don’t burn yourself out. Pushing yourself and working extended hours doesn’t mean you are going to impress your boss, and you certainly aren’t putting yourself first. Take some time to yourself to reset and recharge to avoid the burnout. If there is anything 2020 has taught us is the importance of work-life balance.
4. Don’t let setbacks bring you down
Just because you have been told ‘no’ in your career doesn’t mean you should let it stop you. Sometimes a no is a good thing. It makes you sit back and reflect on what you could improve on next time so you can smash it.
5. Continue to evolve
Always be in a state of beta. Constantly look at ways you can improve, grow and evolve. Whether that is doing an online course out of hours, asking a colleague you aspire to be to train you on their skillset or read and improve your knowledge to further yourself in your career.
I recently invested in a career coach and it has brought me immediate satisfaction in terms of prioritising my own learning and self-development.