By: Emily Fodge
You’re balancing work, family, responsibilities, and maybe even a professional certification. You have goals, ambitions, and a drive to keep growing. But in the middle of it all, it’s easy to put yourself last—pushing through exhaustion, ignoring your own needs, and assuming you’ll find time for yourself later.
The problem? Later never comes.
You tell yourself you’ll rest after the work is done, focus on your goals once things settle down, or finally take that next step when the timing is right. But the work never really ends. Life doesn’t slow down on its own. And waiting for the perfect moment to prioritize yourself? That’s how burnout sneaks in.
What if the key to success wasn’t doing more, but taking better care of you? When you prioritize your energy, focus, and well-being, everything else improves. You work smarter, feel more present, and have more to give—without running on empty.
It’s time to flip the script: Prioritize yourself first, so you can show up stronger in every other area of life. Here’s how.
1. Check in with Yourself Before You Check on Anyone Else
One simple question can change everything: Are you taking care of your needs before taking care of others?
Before you check your phone, check in with yourself. Before you dive into emails, take a moment to center your thoughts. Before you focus on everyone else’s needs, make sure your own foundation is solid.
It’s not about neglecting responsibilities—it’s about making sure you have the mental clarity and energy to meet them fully. The best way to serve others is to take care of yourself first.
Actionable Tip: Build a morning check-in ritual. Before engaging with work or social media, take five minutes to assess how you’re feeling, what you need, and what will set the tone for a productive day. “What do I need today?” is a powerful mantra.
2. Make Appointments with Yourself (and Keep Them)
You wouldn’t cancel an important meeting or deadline for someone else. So why is it so easy to cancel on yourself?
When life gets busy, personal goals and self-care are often the first things to go. Mealtime gets bumped for work, workouts get skipped, and downtime becomes a luxury. But treating your own priorities as optional keeps you stuck in survival mode.
Actionable Tip: Schedule time for yourself like you would any other commitment. Whether it’s coursework, movement, family quality time, or even a short reset in your day, put it on your calendar—and protect that time like you would a promise to your best friend.
3. Focus on What Moves the Needle
Not everything on your to-do list deserves equal attention. If you’ve ever ended a busy day feeling like you accomplished nothing meaningful, it’s time to rethink where your time is going.
Actionable Tip: Use the 80/20 Rule—80% of results come from 20% of actions. Identify the tasks that truly move you forward (in your career, education, or personal growth) and prioritize them. The rest? Minimize, delegate, or eliminate when possible. Asking for help is like building muscle: it gets easier over time.
4. Work With Your Energy, Not Just Your Time
It’s easy to plan your schedule around time—"I'll study after work" or "I’ll do this on Sunday." But have you ever thought about when you have the most energy?
There are times when you’re naturally focused and productive, and times when even small tasks feel overwhelming. The key to getting more done isn’t just managing time—it’s aligning your most important work with your best energy.
Actionable Tip: Pay attention to when you feel most alert and schedule high-focus tasks (like studying, deep work, or learning new skills) during that window. Save emails, admin work, or routine tasks for lower-energy periods.
5. Protect Your Focus from Distractions
Your attention is one of your most valuable resources, and the world is designed to steal it. Notifications, emails, social media, and endless to-dos make it easy to get sidetracked. But distraction doesn’t just slow you down. It makes everything feel harder.
Actionable Tip: Try the "Focus Sprint" Method—set a timer for 45-60 minutes, eliminate distractions, and focus on one task at a time. Then take a short break before diving back in. This trains your brain to work in high-efficiency bursts without constant interruptions.
6. Set Boundaries Without Guilt
It’s normal to want to be there for others. But constantly saying yes to everything leaves no space for your own needs.
Boundaries, despite the strong visual of drawing a hard line in the sand, aren’t about shutting people out. They’re about making sure you have the energy to show up fully as the best version of you.
Actionable Tip: If saying no feels uncomfortable, reframe it: Instead of “I can’t,” try “I want to give my best effort, and to do that, I need to protect my time.” Boundaries allow you to give better energy to the things and people you care about.
7. Keep Learning—Because Growth is an Investment, Not an Expense
Learning something new doesn’t have to mean a year-long commitment or a complete career overhaul. Growth looks different for everyone, and sometimes, the best step forward is simply exploring what’s possible.
If professional development feels overwhelming, you may just need the right options. Not all programs require months of study or rigid schedules. Many courses are designed for busy adults, offering flexibility that fits into your life—not the other way around.
Actionable Tip: Think about one skill or area of knowledge that would make your work (or life) easier, more interesting, or more fulfilling. It could be a short course to boost your confidence in a new area, a certification to open new doors, or even a workshop that reignites your passion for what you do. Start small, and let that momentum carry you forward.
The Bottom Line: Pick One Thing and Make Yourself a Priority
A lot of wellness advice will make you feel like you need to completely overhaul your routine—work out an hour a day, make green smoothies, meditate, journal, sauna, polar plunge, meal prep, say ‘yes’ to new possibilities, and somehow still get eight hours of sleep. But let’s be real: who has 24 extra hours for self-care?
The truth is, you don’t need a complete lifestyle makeover. You just need one thing to remind yourself that you matter. Maybe it’s setting aside 20 minutes to learn something new. Maybe it’s eating lunch away from your desk. Maybe it’s taking five minutes in the morning to check in with yourself before diving into emails.
You get to decide what prioritizing yourself looks like. And once you do, everything else gets better: your energy, your focus, and your ability to show up fully in the moments that matter most.
And if part of prioritizing yourself means investing in your education, UCR University Extension is here to help. Our flexible, career-focused programs fit into your life—so you can keep growing, without putting your well-being on hold.