Carving Out Time for Well-being: Liz Bradford’s Strategy for Prioritizing Self-Care

In a recent LinkedIn post, Liz Bradford tackles the pervasive challenge of finding time for personal well-being amidst demanding professional schedules. Bradford argues that the perceived lack of time is often a ‘booking problem’ rather than a ‘discipline problem,’ urging professionals to actively schedule self-care just as they would any critical business meeting.

Bradford begins by quantifying the elusive ‘me time’ within a typical work week, stating:

“4.8% of your working week. Here’s how to carve this out to look after the body you’re running everything else on. Eight hours out of 168.”

She emphasizes that this time is not a luxury but a necessity for sustained performance and resilience. By mapping this time against a realistic, non-aspirational diary filled with back-to-back commitments like board preparation, audit closings, investor updates, and mentoring sessions, Bradford demonstrates that even the busiest schedules can accommodate this essential self-care.

Redefining the ‘Full Diary’

A core tenet of Bradford’s argument is that our diaries are often filled with commitments booked by others, leaving little room for self-initiated priorities. She points out:

“We tell ourselves the diary is full. What we mean is the diary is full of things other people booked. Every one of those blue blocks arrived as a meeting request. Someone else decided it mattered, put it in writing, and we defended it. Nobody sends you a meeting request for your own body. So it never gets defended, and then it stops existing.”

This highlights a critical gap in how professionals manage their time and energy. While external demands are actively defended and prioritized, personal health and well-being often fall by the wayside because they lack a formal booking or an external validator.

The Science Behind Small Interventions

Bradford supports her call to action with compelling data, referencing research that underscores the significant health benefits of even minimal physical activity. She notes:

“And the bar is lower than we think. A 2022 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found 30 to 60 minutes a week of strength work was linked to a 10 to 17% lower risk of all-cause mortality, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Thirty minutes. A week.”

This scientific backing reframes the effort required for self-care, demonstrating that substantial health improvements can be achieved with surprisingly small time investments. The focus, according to Bradford, should shift from finding large blocks of time to integrating small, consistent actions throughout the day.

A Practical Framework for Action

To make this achievable, Bradford outlines a concrete plan for reclaiming the 4.8% of the week:

• Strength Sessions: Three 1-hour sessions (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 7-8 am), including preparation time.
• Short Walks: Fifteen 10-minute walks interspersed between meetings, particularly after meals to manage energy levels and glucose spikes.
• Screen-Free Lunches: Five lunches taken away from the desk, totaling 2.5 hours.

The strategy hinges on treating these self-care appointments with the same seriousness as client calls or external meetings. Bradford advises proactive booking:

“Open next week and book the eight hours before anyone else fills them. Three strength slots at the same time on the same days, so it stops being a decision you make at 6am. One ten-minute walk after your heaviest meeting each day, phone in your pocket. Lunch as an appointment with a start and an end. Then treat them the way you’d treat a client call. You wouldn’t move that for a quick catch up.”

By embedding these practices into the weekly schedule, professionals can ensure their physical and mental well-being is prioritized, ultimately enhancing their capacity to handle the remaining 95.2% of their work week effectively. Bradford concludes that while the bulk of the week’s tasks will invariably get done, it is the dedicated 4.8% that dictates how well individuals show up for them.