Take care of yourself so you can lead others

It’s been a long week. You move from one meeting to the next. A colleague shares a deeply personal struggle. Your inbox lights up. Someone knocks and says “just a quick question” even though it will probably take at least 20 minutes. You end the week metaphorically sprawled on the driveway. You carried others through the week but who carried you? 

For many school leaders, the unspoken expectation is clear: hold space for staff, students, families , while your own wellbeing quietly drifts down the list. The well-meaning advice “take care of yourself so you can lead others” starts to ring hollow when there is simply no time left.

What if there were another way? What if you could lead well without needing extra hours, by shifting how you use the hours you already have?

You might have heard the hype of waking at 5 am to “conquer the day.” For some people, maybe that works. But for many of us in education, already stretched thin, that routine adds pressure rather than relief.

I’d like to suggest a different approach , call it the Anti-5am Club. This is not a rigid schedule. It is a mindset. It is not about cramming more into your day. It is about noticing small, often-overlooked moments , brief pauses, transitions, routines , and using them intentionally to recharge.

You do not need to find more time. You need to reclaim what is already there.

Think about the 30 seconds before walking into a meeting. The wait while your computer boots up. The walk from one classroom to another. The few minutes while the kettle boils for coffee. Those are not wasted moments. They are quiet pockets of possibility.

Take a deep breath before you step in. Notice how you feel. Ground yourself.

Roll your shoulders while your computer starts. Release tension built up from your day.

Walk the corridor between tasks. Feel your feet on the ground. Notice your posture. Give your mind a moment to reset.

Small acts like these add up. They shift you from reacting to living more mindfully.

Leadership is not only about ticking off tasks. It is about choices. If another late-afternoon meeting drains you, it is okay to say no. That is not shirking responsibility. That is sustainable leadership.

Choose to spend time with colleagues who energise you, rather than those who drain you. Have conversations that matter with people who refresh you. Treat difficult conversations not as burdens, but as opportunities to practice compassion, clarity and authenticity.

Your workspace matters too. A plant on a windowsill can be more than decoration. It can be a small signal of calm and renewal. A favourite mug, a photo that makes you smile , these are not trivial details. They can deliver small moments of comfort and connection in a busy day.

Where possible, try walking meetings. Movement gives oxygen to your mind and body and sometimes helps ideas flow more freely. Even simple tasks like making lunch or washing a cup can become gentle rituals that reconnect you with yourself.

When you shape your surroundings with intention, you create micro-oases of calm throughout your day.

These are not major commitments. They are small adjustments, but over time they matter deeply.

Well-being for leaders is not a luxury. It supports resilience, clarity, and presence. When leaders flourish, it influences the culture of the whole school. Staff feel supported. Retention is more likely. School becomes not only a place of learning, but a community of care, growth, and connection.

The Anti-5am Club is not about grand gestures or rigid routines. It is an invitation to reshape the way you live your day. It is a shift from exhaustion toward presence, from survival toward flourishing.

When you begin to hold space for yourself even in the smallest ways , you may discover that you have more energy for others. More compassion. More clarity. More resilience.

This is not self-indulgence. It is leadership. A kinder, quieter, more sustainable way to lead.

When leaders flourish, schools flourish. And you have the chance to lead again with heart, strength and sustainability.