6 Self-Care Habits to Help Leaders Stay Sharp and Productive

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Iconic investor and billionaire?Warren Buffett?has given us a plethora of useful?advice?to demonstrate?the core business and life?principles that help us achieve success.

One nugget of Buffett wisdom relates to something we all need as?business leaders and executives, but few actually practice regularly: self-care. Here's Buffett:

You only get one mind and one body. And it's got to last a lifetime but if you don't take care of that mind and that body, they'll be a wreck 40 years later.

More specifically, it's what we do?right now -- today --?that determines the path of how our mind?and body will operate into the future.

The case for self-care

Taking care of your mind, body, and spirit?is serious business for functioning at an optimum level. To heed Buffett's rule of?self-care and reap its benefits, leaders must be able to apply some common sense habits.?Here are a few to get you started:?

1. Get more sleep

Sleep guru Arianna Huffington, the founder of the?Huffington Post?and Thrive Global,?attributes her success ?to giving up her sleep deprivation for eight hours of shut-eye:?"When I get eight hours, I feel ready to handle anything during the day without stress and without paying a heavy price in terms of my own health and my own mental well-being," she says.

2. Diminish meeting overload

With the instant shift to remote work in March 2020, the pandemic extended the average workday by 8.2 percent . "Zoom fatigue" became increasingly common, as leaders found themselves significantly drained after a day of remote meetings. Now that many have transitioned to permanent hybrid or remote work settings, addressing burnout from meeting overload is essential to maintaining well-being moving forward.

To combat?this trend of overworking, gauge the number of meetings you have each week and determine if any can be eliminated. Chances are pretty good that you don't need to have them all. Also, rework?your calendar by creating shorter weekly check-ins and longer biweekly catch-up meetings.

Another strategy is to test out new types of schedules to mitigate remote meeting burnout. For example, set a monthly "focus week" as dedicated time for you, and your employees, to complete work free of meetings.

3. Stop overthinking

Being a leader requires?decisiveness?and quick thinking. However, overthinking?every decision?will not serve you well.?Overthinking causes you to get stuck in a cycle of inaction, which triggers analysis paralysis. Now you've entered the terrain of stress-induced anxiety, as worry becomes debilitating and causes you to move backward, not forward.

We are in the age of uncertainty, so embrace it instead.?Acknowledge its?presence and accept the situations you're facing. Be of the mindset that uncertainty will bring with it some benefits, like unleashing?your creativity and helping you to be more resilient.

4. Go out in nature

If you're feeling anxious or stressed, go outside and get some fresh air. Take your next virtual meeting in the woods on a hike, or hold your next conference call while on a brisk walk at the park. It's been found that spending time in nature boosts your mental health and fights off things like anxiety?and?depression.?One?analysis ?of ten studies found that spending time in a green environment improved mood and self-esteem. And according to the American Psychological Association , "exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood...and even upticks in empathy and cooperation."

5. Practice self-kindness

Many?people are good at being kind to others but will neglect?to be kind to themselves. Science now tells us that?being kind to yourself is good for your mental health.

Psychologists in England?conducted?a study ?by examining brain scans of over a thousand people who practiced kindness. They found that when you're?being kind towards yourself, certain regions of your brain light up like a Christmas tree -- as if?receiving?kindness from others?or giving kindness to someone else.

The practical advice given by psychologists is to pay attention to your inner voice. Do you talk to yourself in a hostile and rude?way?or in a friendly?manner? Point is, that negative self-talk that is critical and judgmental can impact your physical and mental well-being?much as if it were coming from a critical and judgmental outside source.

So speak?to yourself in a?friendly and kind way, as a good friend would when?supporting you during tough times. Every morning, do a little self-reflective exercise. Ask yourself:?If I choose to be kind to today, how would I treat myself???List the things you could do, start your workday on that note, and watch others be attracted to your positivity.

6. Unplug from your job responsibilities

To relieve stress and infuse more balance into your daily work, do something unrelated?to?your job. In other words, make it a habit to have?more "me?time" to help decompress and disconnect from the pressures of work. This may require you to physically walk away from your workspace--like running an errand to the local store or immersing yourself in 30 minutes of pleasure reading.

While these strategies for improving your mental health and wellbeing may stretch beyond Warren Buffett's original mantra, we must remember that self-care is critical for us, as leaders, to remain mentally sharp and productive. We need it more than ever.

Your turn: What would you add here as self-care advice for busy leaders and execs? Leave a comment and let's learn from one another.

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About Marcel Schwantes

Marcel Schwantes ?is an executive coach, international speaker,?podcast host , and?syndicated columnist ?with a worldwide following. He helps leaders to experience their reboot awakening so that they, and their businesses, can flourish.