“For years, I believed that effective leadership meant relentless hustle, sleepless nights, packed schedules, and constant sacrifice. Then, I hit a wall. My energy drained, my creativity flatlined, and my decision-making suffered.”
All around me, I hear varying degrees of conversation around what self-care should look like vis-a-vis the glorification of ‘hustle’. As a civilisation, I don't think we have it right. Yet. We are still struggling to find the balance between serving the self vs serving our purpose vs serving others, especially, when it comes to our workplaces and leadership. I am a part of this milieu as well.
Just last week, I was at dinner with a founder friend of mine and he was telling me how he hasn’t taken a vacation in over a year. This is something I see normalised across the board for senior leadership.
For years, I, too, believed that effective leadership meant relentless hustle, sleepless nights, packed schedules, and constant sacrifice. Then, I hit a wall. My energy drained, my creativity flatlined, and my decision-making suffered. That’s when I realised that great leadership is more about sustainability than endurance. I rebuilt my approach to self-care — not as an indulgence, but as a strategic tool. If I am not tuned into the best parts of myself — the very traits that got me to where I am in my professional life — how can I ever move forward?
There’s a reason why you’re asked to “wear your own oxygen mask before assisting others” on a flight! Here's the framework I now follow — split into daily, weekly, quarterly, and annual segments — that helps me stay sharp, inspired, and resilient.
Daily: Micro-Moments of Renewal
Self-care doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Small, intentional habits can recharge your mind and body.
Morning Stillness: Before checking emails, I spend 30 minutes in silence, sipping tea, stretching, or simply sitting. This mental buffer prevents reactive leadership.
Movement Breaks: I schedule 10-minute breaks between meetings for a quick walk or stretch, to keep my energy steady.
Scheduled Mealtimes: Fuelling the body should not be at the mercy of meeting schedules. I try to put in a consistent lunch break — to eat with intention (and not on the fly) and then get back to business.
Weekly: Reset and Refocus
A week is long enough to accumulate stress but short enough to course-correct before burnout sets in.
Digital Detox: Every weekend I consciously carve out time to just be me. This is my ‘I-time’; not being a CEO, parent, daughter, friend, or anything to anyone. It is just playing a sport, or watching a movie, or reading fiction. It is my mental reset button.
Delegate One Task: Sunday nights, I look at my calendar for the upcoming week and I ask, "What on here can someone else own this week?" Letting go is not laziness.
Joy Appointment: I schedule something purely for pleasure — a mentorship session, a chat with a colleague, or meeting a friend. If it's not on the calendar, it won’t happen! Recovery should be scheduled as though it's a critical business meeting.
Quarterly: The Strategic Pause
Every three months, I step back to assess and realign.
Energy Audit: I review my calendar: What drained me? What energised me? I eliminate or delegate the ‘Energy Vampires’ and schedule more ‘Energy Gatorades’.
Creative Immersion: I dedicate time to a creative project — writing a poem, finishing a painting. It keeps my problem-solving muscles sharp. This could also mean taking a short break for travel. A long weekend in the forest does it for me.
Tech Cleanse: I declutter my inbox, unsubscribe from noise, and streamline apps. Clutter distracts, and simplicity brings back focus.
Annually: The Deep Recharge
Once a year, I go beyond maintenance — I reset.
Solo Retreat: Two days alone, no agenda. I reflect, dream, and immerse myself in a different world. This is a space where no one knows you, no one to judge you, or expect anything from you — that’s when you are truly with yourself. Clarity emerges from this distance.
Annual Family Trip: If you don’t feel connected with your people at home and take care of them, how will you ever truly show up for your people at work? I plan a trip with the fam every year for all of us to make new memories and have heart-to-heart chats away from everyday environments.
Health Check-In: Under-rated but CRITICAL. Blood-work, sleep analysis, a mental health review. You can’t lead well if your body is running on fumes.
Legacy Reflection: I ask, “What do I want the next year to represent?” Not just in work, but in life.
As a culture, we sometimes look at self-care to be a selfish endeavour. When you prioritise your well-being, you lead with more clarity, creativity, and resilience. And that’s a win for everyone around you.
Now, over to you: What’s one self-care practice that transforms your leadership?
The author is CEO, Revolut India. Views expressed are personal.