Why Banking Your Time Doesn’t Work

For many leaders I’ve spoken with recently, 2026 so far has felt like the longest year ever. It’s been a year of packed calendars, urgent decisions, and very little breathing room. I’ve heard more than a few people say lately, “I just need to get through the next few weeks.”   

But the challenge with that mindset is that the next few weeks quickly turn into the next few months. Before we know it, half the year has passed and we’re still telling ourselves we’ll slow down later.  

Consistency Beats Catch-up  

The truth is that you can’t catch up on 7 days of rest in one day. Trying to do so will only leave you feeling antsy and like you’re wasting time. Your brain has been going at full speed for the last week. It doesn’t have a rest switch you can just flip. You’ll find yourself pretending to rest when really all you feel is unproductive.  

Years ago, my business coach told me, “Investing time in yourself is the smartest thing you can do.”   

And yet many of us don't see it that way. We postpone personal time because our goals feel too urgent. We tell ourselves we’ll take care of ourselves when things calm down. But the truth is, things rarely calm down, and self-care doesn’t work like a bank account where you can make deposits later.  

How to Schedule Rest Time  

My coach broke it down in a way that stuck with me. So, I’m imparting that wisdom onto you.  

There are 168 hours in a week.   

If we subtract 56 hours for sleep (assuming a solid 8 hours of sleep per night), that leaves 112 waking hours.   

If you take roughly 10 percent of those hours for yourself, that’s about 12 hours a week or about 1.5 hours a day.  

That still leaves you with 100 hours left for your work, your mission, your family, and everything else that matters.  

When you look at it that way, 12 hours doesn’t feel selfish. It feels strategic.  

The key is being intentional about your rest. If you’re not, you’ll swing into extremes. You’ll spend too much time off and it won’t feel like productive rest. Or you just won’t rest because you don’t feel like you have the time to do so.  

Making the Shift  

When we postpone self-care, one of two things tends to happen: we either lose that time entirely, or we spend our weekends trying to “catch up” on rest. Neither approach works very well.  

The shift happens when we stop trying to bank time and instead build rest into the rhythm of our lives. Smaller, consistent breaks are far more effective than occasional attempts to recover from burnout. Consistency beats intensity every time. 

Check out my Timesaver Toolbox in my monthly newsletter to get more time management strategies.