Balancing self-care and urgent needs in your nonprofit role. How can you prioritize effectively?

Balancing Urgent Needs in Your Nonprofit Role To prioritize effectively, start by recognizing your limits. Accepting that you’re human—and not a machine—helps set realistic boundaries. Overcommitting leads to burnout, harming your health and work quality. Say no or delegate strategically; it’s not a weakness, but a step toward sustainable productivity. Self-care isn’t selfish—it’s essential. By understanding your capacity, you protect your well-being and enhance long-term impact. Collaborate with your team to share the load, ensuring urgent needs are met without sacrificing yourself. #NonprofitBalance #SelfCarePriorities #UrgentNeeds

This is a great question. And I see many other contributors have given "head" answers. I see matrices, formulas, and equations on how to get this. I also like to add, we never get this perfect. It's like a dance. Sometimes we're going to lead wrong, but the key is to stay in constant attunement with our partner-or in this case, our employees/teams. Schedule, and prioritize, regular check ins with your team while cultivating a culture where vulnerability is ok. Know how to do that? Model it. Tell your team when you aren't ok, and when you're at 50% on a day. Be a human, and realize everyone else on your team is as well.

First, know your limits and don’t overwork yourself. Set clear priorities by identifying what truly needs urgent attention. Take short breaks to recharge so you can stay effective. Learn to delegate tasks when possible to avoid burnout. Say no to extra work that isn’t essential. Taking care of yourself helps you serve others better.

Eisenhower Matrix also called Urgent-Important Matrix helps to prioritise tasks Steps to draw the matrix: Draw a four box square. Label the X-axis as "Urgent", "Not Urgent" Label the Y-axis as "Important", "Not Important" Group tasks into one of the four boxes. First Quadrant ( upper left): Urgent and Important Second Quadrant (upper right): Important but Not Urgent Third Quadrant (lower left): Not Important but Urgent Fourth Quadrant ( lower right): neither Important nor Urgent Tasks in Quadrant One demand action right away Schedule tasks of Quadrant two for a later time Delegate the tasks of Quadrant three to others Delete the tasks of Quadrant four. Figuring out how to spend time on tasks becomes easy with this matrix

Urgent vs. important—a critical lens for nonprofit leaders. Urgent tasks scream for attention, often pulling focus from what truly matters. Important tasks, tied to your mission, drive lasting impact but rarely feel pressing. Mastering this distinction empowers you to prioritize strategically, escaping the crisis trap while advancing long-term goals. As a CEO and collaborative article specialist, I’ve seen this framework spark clarity and momentum. Share your approach—how do you balance the two? Let’s elevate nonprofit leadership together.

The Pomodoro Technique also called The Tomato Timer Technique helps people manage time better Steps of Pomodoro Technique: Start with singular tasks and narrow it down Ideal time for a focused session on task accomplishment is 25 minutes Work consistently for 25 minutes with complete dedication; set an alarm and forget about it Make a note of what you intended to accomplish and what you accomplished to critically analyze your session Take a short break of 3-5 minutes After the break, start another round of Pomodoro Repeat this process for 3-4 rounds After every four rounds, take longer breaks of 30-40 minutes Rules of Pomodoro: Bite-Sized tasks Grouping smaller activities Integrity of task completion Re-checking tasks

Seven Pillars of Self Care developed by The International Self-Care Foundation (ISF): Pillar 1: Health literacy and Knowledge to actively manage health care Pillar 2: Mindfulness, Self-Awareness and Agency Pillar 3: Exercise and Physical Activity Pillar 4: Mindful and Healthy Eating Pillar 5: Mitigate risks by taking responsibility for your actions and behaviours Pillar 6: Hygiene Pillar 7: Rational and Responsible use of diagnostics and medicines According to Beard, the Seven Pillars of Self- Care are: Mental Eg: Meditation Emotional Eg: Setting Boundaries Physical Eg: Hydration Environmental Eg: Clean Spaces Spiritual Eg: Connecting to a higher power Recreational Eg: Hobbies Social Eg: Family and friends

Self-care is an act of resistance for me. It's a way to push back against the burnout culture that tells us to keep going no matter the cost. More importantly, it’s how I sustain the energy, creativity, and motivation I need to tackle big challenges. Much of my self-care is the same, whether at home or in another country. In my breaks from work, I immerse myself in nature, movement, sound healing, kirtans, and tea. So it always feels accessible, and peace of mind is a strategic advantage for sure.

Balancing self-care and urgent needs in a nonprofit role starts with effective delegation. It’s not just about reducing workload—it strengthens the organization. Delegation creates space for strategic thinking, prevents burnout, and fosters efficiency. More importantly, it develops leadership by giving team members opportunities to grow, build confidence, and take on responsibility. When done well, delegation isn’t about offloading tasks—it’s about creating a culture of trust, shared ownership, and long-term sustainability, ensuring both the leader and the organization thrive.

One thing I found was learning to say no. The mission can be known to take over your life and prevent self care. Focus on the urgent and essential tasks and prioritize work life balance. Delegation and collaboration are critical. Also there are so many AI tools, nonprofit leaders can use to simplify the repetitive tasks with automation. Use AI to free up the tasks computers are good at to focus on things humans need to do.