Do you find yourself working a lot and caring for yourself less? Do you find yourself making mistakes that could be avoided because you are fatigued? Do you blame others for these mistakes? Do you have trouble sleeping? Do you think that your consultant work doesn’t have meaning or make a difference?

Modern work culture has made us believe self-care is selfish. As a consultant with numerous gigs and clients, some may consider taking care of oneself an expensive waste of time. Some may see it as not necessary – that it’s wasting hours when you could be earning more.  Yet, our bodies are not machines. They are not built to work without needing rest. Even a machine needs maintenance once in a while and so do you before you hit a breaking point.

Spend a little extra time doing the things you like

As a consultant, you are probably doing what you like, but it still becomes work as you have clients to report to. To break the monotony, you can work on a project outside of your consultancy roles or gigs that could make the day or week even better.

Take care of your mind

Take control of your mind and find ways to create autonomy in your daily tasks. Read a book, listen to music, call a friend, breathe deeper, journal, build a new habit, get creative, and experience life or travel. There are many things you can do to clear your mind off the work that you do – sometimes for long hours a day.

Take care of your body

Your body keeps you going and when it’s overworked it can shut down. You can easily become sick when you don’t take care of your body. Get a good night’s sleep, exercise regularly and eat healthy food. If you are working from home remember to have a routine.

Learn to say no

You don’t have to say yes to every client’s requests or wishes. Be ready to say no to demands that could be out of your way or more than what you are being paid for. You can explain yourself and even reason it out with the client. Saying yes to everything easily leads to burnout.