by Stephanie Ann Ball

We’re so pleased to welcome Stephanie Ann Ball as a featured guest on the blog. Stephanie is an Operatic Soprano, High Performance Specialist, and Author — to name just a few of the hats she wears. Using a unique approach to high performance that can only come from someone who has sung to crowds of over 10,000 with ease and aplomb, Stephanie combines her background in the arts with her adept knowledge of sales, customer service, and administrative support to help her clients achieve extraordinary results when it comes to focus, strategic planning, and goal achievement.

In her new book, Own Your Light: Becoming Your Favorite Self So You Can Bring Your Best to the World, she tells the whole story of how singing opera led her to become a high performance coach. Through her signature strategy, the L.I.G.H.T. Formula, she teaches others how to boost their own time management and productivity skills, all while learning to channel the focus of an elite performer.

In the final installment of this two-part series, Stephanie shares with us her secret keys to unlocking your productivity. (Read part one here.) Take it away, Stephanie!

Part 2: self-care

Let’s start by talking about why we need self care to begin with. Sure, there are plenty of the same sayings we’re used to, like, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” “Put on your own oxygen mask first,” etc. But the heart of the concept is twofold: if you are not at your healthiest and best, the people and projects you love will suffer. The greatest advocate for your own health is you. 

When I was writing my book, Own Your Light: Becoming Your Favorite Self So You Can Bring Your Best to the World, I knew I wouldn’t be able to complete this massive task if I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. For me, that meant making sure I was tending to my own needs more frequently so I had the mental capacity to focus and write. It may seem counter intuitive, but the more breaks I gave myself to tune in and treat myself with the utmost care, the better and faster I wrote. That was the key to supercharging my productivity.

Self care is really about making sure your most basic needs are met. 

In this time in history, many of us are feeling our needs of safety and security threatened by the current public health crisis. Nevertheless, we still need to function and stuff still has to get done. Here are some ways prioritizing self care is more critical now than ever,  and ways you can do it without stressing yourself out even more.

Figure out what your needs are.

One of the best questions you can ask yourself when it comes to your self care is, “which of my needs isn’t being met right now?” Sometimes, the answer will be none, and you can take a break for your favorite treat, a mani pedi, or something fun. Other times, there will be something more significant that comes up for you, like a need to feel safe, loved, valued, secure, etc.  In those times, it’s critical that you know how to fill those needs on your own, and have some people you can lean on if you need extra support.

For example, my mother will often call me to tell me something totally random, like something she heard on the news or saw on the cover of a magazine. After she gets that out of the way, I typically ask her how she’s doing. She says she’s fine, we talk about me a little, then she tells me how she’s really doing. What I’ve learned from these interactions is that in the times when she’s feeling a little tired or a little fragile, one of her needs is to feel connected to her daughter even though she has a hard time asking for it. I’m a lot like her, and know that in times where I’m craving some extra comfort for one reason or another, I have to recognize that need and make an effort to connect with someone to feel better and go on about my day.

Find sustainable ways to fill them.

When you know what your needs are, and what types of circumstances demand that you take some extra care in meeting them, it becomes very simple to create a go-to list of tools to help you do so. This can look like many different things. As I mentioned above, a need for comfort and connection could look like calling a trusted loved one. A need for safety and security could come in the form of curling up under a weighted blanket. A need for taking care of your health could look like taking the afternoon for a doctor’s visit or a workout, and releasing any guilt about stepping away from your desk to do so.  

This could also be a list of simple pleasures to make sure you’re feeling a boost of joy in your day, and soothing your stress levels. A moment to sip a cup of tea and read a book. A piece of your favorite chocolate. A 15 minute break to watch something hilarious and get a good laugh in. The key is, to make it easy to fill yourself back up when your batteries feel low, so you can recharge them before you burn out.

Schedule in time to meet them every day.

Consistency is so crucial here. Why? Because putting everything and everyone first makes it way, way too easy to forget why self care is important. When you designate time each day to check in with yourself to figure out what needs absolutely have to be met, then follow through and fill them, it will start to become a habit in your life that you cannot do without.

An easy way to do this is to plan a short morning routine before you start taking care of work and family, and an evening routine before you lay down for bed each night. These can be as long and indulgent as your schedule allows, or as quick and to the point as your full calendar can accommodate. You can meditate, do some journaling, get your workout in, the possibilities are endless. But the point is, a few moments to regularly tune into your own needs will help you stay focused, energized, and productive so you can truly be the best version of yourself for the people and projects that you love.

I’d love to know: what steps do you take to ensure that your needs are met regularly? 

Thanks so much for sharing, Stephanie!

To learn more about Stephanie, visit her websites: www.stephanieannball.com and www.stephanieannballconsulting.com.

To adopt ongoing self-care routines into your life (and have a visual way to stick to them), pre-order a 2021 Balance Bound Planner, while supplies last.