Quote-A-Day: Day 231

"Me Time" is needed time.  Don't let anyone ever tell you it should never be about you.  #QuoteADay #Day231 #edchat #edu #TakeCareOfYourself

Yesterday morning, my daughter had a date with her aunt (my sister) and her fiance to get her hair and nails done at Downtown Disney.  What started out as a morning where I was going to have a leisurely breakfast with my parents changed quickly as my parents decided they wanted to accompany them to the "princess salon."

I decided to stay back at the hotel.

And I'm glad I did.

It isn't that I didn't want to see how cute my daughter looked during the process of getting her hair and nails done.  Nor is it that I didn't want to spend time with my family this morning.

It was much, much, simpler than that.

I simply needed some "me time."

After they left, I took a nice run, came back to the hotel room, showered, got a light breakfast, and took care of some work.  This was therapeutic for me, and necessary.  Since my wife is home with our younger daughter, I'm on call 24/7 down here, and while that's part of being a parent, another part of being a parent is knowing when you need some alone time, and taking advantage of it, when you can.

And that's what I did.

The same is true for us in our roles as leaders and learners.  We  need to be able to feel as if we can take a bit of time to take care of ourselves every so often.  It is rarely "about us," but every once in a while it needs to be, if we are to be as effective at leading and learning as possible.

For me, this alone time often looks like me getting in to work very early to reflect and take care of some items without yet having to focus on other tasks.  Or, it could be me waking up earlier to go for a run and head to the gym before work.  Or, it could simply be me grabbing the paper early on a weekend morning and sitting outside and reading it.

Whatever the context, without this time, I would certainly not be as good a leader (or parent, for that matter) as I believe I am.

Make sure you make time for yourself.  If you don't, then who will?