You’re never going to bring your best self to work unless you have the ability to look after that self

I have a job in a startup and work really hard from 9am-8pm, then just want to crash out on the sofa before getting up and going through it all again. How do I make time for self-care, such as the gym? At my company, no one goes to the gym during the day.

It’s a shame that your startup has subscribed to antiquated productivity views by making you work an 11-hour day. At my startup, Beautystack, I wanted to make it clear from the beginning that we wouldn’t encourage burnout culture. New hires are surprised that we work a comfortable 9-5pm or 10-6pm, depending on what you prefer, and I rarely text people outside these hours, apart from my co-founders. (If I do, I don’t expect them to reply.)

This approach means I have to keep our launch goals very tight and do a rallying cry in the office when it gets a bit lax. I give a “time is money/the enemy is working when we are not” speech, and it revs everyone up a gear.

No one can maintain 100mph without losing their mind. To get the best out of a team, they need to recharge. That might be a lunchtime run, or just getting home at a decent time to allow their minds to unwind, so they come back to work the next day with fresh ideas and a positive attitude.

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You ask, “How do I make time?” Well, no one makes time; everyone has the same amount and it’s up to you what you do with it. Understand that you’re never going to bring your best self to work unless you have the ability to look after that self.

It doesn’t matter what anyone else in your company does. Eat early and do a 30-minute workout during lunch while listening to a podcast. By the time you get back to your desk you’ll feel brand new and energetic. Maybe you’ll start an office trend.

• Send your questions for Sharmadean to bossing.it@theguardian.com

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