Remember, remember, self-care this November

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For many Learning and Development professionals, November feels like the final uphill stretch.

Budgets have been squeezed again, training requests are piling up, and plans are shifting as many organisations adjust to strategy changes, restructures or cost pressures. It’s busy, it’s demanding, and it can feel like there’s no space to stop and think.

When we say self-care, we’re not thinking spa days and vitamin drips – that’s a different blog. We mean the deliberate choices that help you stay effective, keep perspective and avoid burnout — the kind of self-care that lets you still show up and deliver in March, not just make it through December then crash.

Here are three practical ways to do that.

1. Take time to recognise what’s been achieved

When was the last time you paused and took stock? As L&D professionals we’re all used to extolling the benefits of reflecting to others. It’s a simple, fulfilling and beneficial practice, especially following training. The hard part is making time to do it, especially when your to-do list feels like a huge, towering mountain. But pausing to zoom out and review what you have achieved can help you maintain perspective. It can also give you a much needed dose of motivation.

Try this:

• Block out half an hour this month to list three things you’ve made happen this year that made a difference.
• Be specific about what your role was and how it impacted the result. Perhaps you led the move for all training at your charity to be delivered online, from induction to management development. There was resistance from the office-based team but you found a way to bring them onboard and now they’re fully engaged and championing the new online system to other staff.
• Include what happened as a result of these three things.
• Share them with your manager or your team. It’s not self-congratulation — it’s clarity about your impact.

2. Be clear about what’s realistic

In tight times, it’s tempting to take on every request that lands in your inbox. But constant responsiveness isn’t the same as effectiveness.

Try this:

• If a new piece of work comes in, ask: Does this align with our priorities? Is it achievable with the resources available? Sometimes the most professional response is to say, “We can do that next quarter,” or “We can do one of these things well, not both.”
• Define two limits for the remainder of the year and communicate them with your teams. For example: Training requests received after 10th December won’t be processed until the new year. Or: No programme design without a clear brief and agreed timescale.

Protecting your capacity is a professional responsibility, not a luxury. Being realistic protects your time and helps set a constructive tone across your organisation — one where planning replaces firefighting.

3. Build recovery into your working week

You don’t need time off to reset (though it helps if you can take it). What makes the difference is creating space to think and breathe within the week.

Try this:

• Block short, uninterrupted time after major training sessions to reflect on what worked.
• Step away from your inbox for 30 minutes daily.
• Plan one half-day before year-end for strategic review rather than delivery.

These small pauses aren’t indulgent. They’re what make you able to sustain the quality of your work and the clarity of your thinking.

The takeaway

Self-care in L&D isn’t an optional extra. It’s part of being effective — especially when resources are tight and expectations high. Taking time now to recognise your progress, set realistic limits and protect your energy means you’ll finish the year with purpose, not exhaustion. And of course, the organisation you support will benefit too.

Remember, remember, self-care this November.