Self-care

Self-care, schedules and sustainability

Dr. Richard A. MacKinnon

18 Aug 2025 — 3 min read

Greetings from a very hot and sunny Japan! Thanks to the magic of technology, as you read this, I'm exploring Hokkaido and taking a break from all things coaching, podcasting and video-making.

I originally had some big plans for a very active and productive August, which quickly got scaled back as soon as I remembered that 50% of the month would be spent on holiday. The next version of this plan involved me bringing my laptop on my holiday, simply to keep the podcast and YouTube channel schedules going.

But after running a workshop on self-care, a follow-up email from a fellow psychologist stopped me in my tracks. She pointed out that 'we aren't too good at this stuff' - meaning psychologists and self-care!

I realised I was at risk of preaching one thing and doing the complete opposite. By booking a holiday to my favourite destination, but planning to work throughout, I wasn't being true to my values and was lessening the chances of achieving the disconnection from work I wanted.

So this newsletter is being written and scheduled earlier than usual, the podcast schedule has been adjusted and I've delayed working on my next YouTube video. It's all a bit uncomfortable, but values are about what you want to do - not what you want to feel. Right?

Thinking longer term

You might remember from the last newsletter that I had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Richard Duggins onto the podcast recently. He's a psychiatrist and psychotherapist and the author of 'Burnout-free working' - which is an excellent read! Watch our conversation in the video below.

Richard's point about the toxicity of 'keep calm and carry on' stuck with me and definitely influenced my decision to reschedule and reorganise my priorities. And while I'm not at imminent risk of burning out, thinking longer term, working during my holidays and 'down time' would set me in that ultimate direction.

It's one of the challenges when it comes to thinking about our own wellbeing and how our decisions and behaviour impact it. This 'present bias' means that we can easily get focused on 'getting through' the day, week or month, we ignore any consideration of the impact this way of working is having on our health over time.

The bottom line: self-care needs to be habitual and sustainable.

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This is a key element of our 'Sustainable Leadership' campaign, and you can download the free white paper that elaborates on these points here.

Self-care isn't selfish

In recent months, my professional focus on raising self-care as a serious consideration for wellbeing has resulted in several client conversations exploring what actually constitutes self-care. I'm keen to avoid rules here, so let's stick to some principles.

Based on an awareness of the context, self-care is any intentional action taken to improve wellbeing.
It requires us to be honest with ourselves that the activity is actually beneficial and not avoidance of something important or necessary.
Self-care doesn't necessarily equate to fun or enjoyment. I could improve my wellbeing by having a difficult conversation about my workload or by cancelling a social engagement so I can catch up on my sleep.
Self-care is about investing in future you - even if you don't feel like you need it today.

If left until we feel work stress taking its toll, it's not really self-care anymore - it's coping. Check out this recording of my recent webinar with Ross McIntosh, where we explored the importance of intentional self-care and coping for leaders' wellbeing. I explain the difference between the two, and how to approach each.

And let me know how you're taking care of your wellbeing this month. It might be a holiday, it might simply be prioritising your sleep! I'd love to hear - and you can just reply to this email.

Until next month, when I'll be sharing a couple of incredibly exciting updates, enjoy the remainder of your summer.

Thanks for reading,