This guide is a small gift from us at Kata to the people holding it all together behind the scenes: Registered Managers.

Below, you will find twenty-four tiny, practical “gifts” you can give yourself across the month. Each one is simple, realistic and designed to help you protect your energy, lead with intention and keep quality and kindness at the centre of what you do.You do not need to do them all. Pick a few that speak to you and treat them like little doors on an advent calendar. One small change at a time.

Why Registered Manager wellbeing matters, especially in December

 

When Registered Manager wellbeing is ignored, everything else becomes harder: decision making, communication, documentation, staff support and the overall feel of the service. December can magnify this. By making small, intentional changes to how you plan your days, protect your time and connect with your team, you not only feel better, you also strengthen quality, compliance and culture.

Skills for Care and other sector bodies talk a lot about how leadership sets the tone for staff wellbeing. The same is true for Registered Manager wellbeing itself.

Day 1 – Breathe Before The Inbox

 

Why it helps
Most days start in firefighting mode. The second you open your inbox or WhatsApp, other people’s priorities take over. Those first two minutes can decide whether you lead the day, or the day drags you.

Try this
Before you open anything, make a drink, take three slow breaths and jot down your top one or two priorities for today. Only then open emails and messages. You are training your brain to start in leadership mode, not reaction mode.

Day 2 – One Non-Negotiable Break

 

Why it helps
Skipping breaks is normalised in care. It is also one of the fastest ways to make poor decisions, lose patience and burn out.

Try this
Choose one 15–20 minute slot in your day and block it out in your diary as “Break – Do Not Disturb”. Let senior staff know this is protected, unless there is a genuine emergency. Use it to eat, get fresh air or just sit quietly. The point is to fully switch off for a moment.

Day 3 – Start A “Done” List

 

Why it helps
To-do lists in social care never end, so you often finish the day feeling like you failed, even when you moved mountains.

Try this
At the end of each day, write down three things you progressed or completed. They can be small:

• “Had a good conversation with X”

• “Updated care plan for Y”

• “Called a worried relative”

Keep the list somewhere visible. It is evidence that you are moving things forward.

Day 4 – Delegate One “Just In Case” Task

 

Why it helps
Registered Managers often hold onto tasks they no longer need to do, “just in case”. This blocks your time for leadership and quality work.

Try this
Pick one task you still do out of habit, for example basic stock checks, simple audits or chasing training. Identify a staff member who could grow into this. Explain the why, show them how, give them a simple template and set a date to review. Delegation is also development.

Day 5 – Five Minutes Of No-Agenda Walkabout

 

Why it helps
It is easy to get stuck in the office. When you are not present in the service, you can miss mood, body language and early warning signs.

Try this
Once a day, leave your paperwork, put your phone down and spend five minutes walking through the building. Say hello, notice the atmosphere, listen to snippets of conversation. No clipboard, no checklist. Just being there. You will learn a lot.

Day 6 – One Real Check-In With A Team Member

 

Why it helps
Staff are more honest in relaxed moments than in formal supervision. Genuine connection builds trust, which underpins safe care and open cultures.

Try this
Choose one person this week and ask, “How are you really finding things at the moment?” Then listen. You do not have to fix everything on the spot. Sometimes being heard is the support.

Day 7 – Set A Phone Boundary

Why it helps
Being constantly reachable means your nervous system never fully switches off. Long term, that is not sustainable.

Try this
Choose a time in the evening when work WhatsApps and emails get turned off. If you have to remain on call, decide what counts as a genuine reason to contact you and be clear with the team. Protecting your rest is part of protecting the service.

Day 8 – Micro-Supervisions For Learning

Why it helps
Supervisions often become box-ticking. Used well, they are a powerful quality and culture tool.

Try this
In one supervision this week, add two questions:

• “What helps you do your best work here?”

• “Is there anything getting in the way?”

Capture the answers and see what small changes you can make.

Day 9 – Ten Minutes To Reset Your Desk

Why it helps
Physical clutter makes mental clutter worse. A clearer workspace can genuinely help you think more clearly.

Try this
Set a timer for ten minutes. File or shred old papers, tidy cables, clear cups, and keep only today’s key documents on the desk. Have one simple list in front of you. It is not about perfection, just making it easier to focus.

Day 10 – Celebrate One Small Win

Why it helps
In care, people often hear about problems, not about what they are doing well. That slowly drains motivation.

Try this
Choose one example today of something that went well: a calm response to distressed behaviour, a lovely interaction with a resident, a clean audit result. Thank the person or team involved and link it back to the people using the service. For example, “That meant X had a much better day.”

Day 11 – Focus On One High-Impact Area

Why it helps
Trying to fix everything at once leads to shallow change and a lot of stress.

Try this
Look at your last audit, mock inspection or CQC report. Pick one key area such as medicines, safeguarding, MCA or documentation. Decide one clear action for the next week, assign roles and timescales, and stick to it. Deep is better than wide.

Day 12 – Protect Thinking Time In The Rota

Why it helps
Quality work, reflective practice and planning need uninterrupted time. If you do not protect it, it disappears under day to day pressures.

Try this
Block out a regular two-hour slot in your rota or calendar labelled “Quality / Planning Time”. Let staff know that during this time you will be working on audits, action plans, governance or development, and are only interruptible for urgent issues. Treat it like a meeting with CQC.

Day 13 – Ask For Help Before It Becomes A Crisis

Why it helps
Managers often wait until they are overwhelmed before reaching out, which makes solutions harder and stress higher.

Try this
Make a short list of people you trust to be honest and supportive: your Nominated Individual, area manager, a peer in another service, a consultant. If something keeps you awake more than two nights in a row, speak to one of them. Early conversations lead to better outcomes.

Day 14 – Reconnect With Your Why

Why it helps
Constant pressure can make you feel detached from the reasons you started in care in the first place.

Try this
Take five minutes and write down: “Why did I become a Registered Manager?” and “What does good care look and feel like to me?” Keep this somewhere you can see it. Use it when making difficult decisions. If it aligns with your values, you are probably on the right track.

Day 15 – Do A “Fresh Eyes” Walkthrough

Why it helps
Overfamiliarity means you stop noticing things families, new staff or CQC would see immediately.

Try this
Walk the service as if it is your first day. Notice what you see, hear, smell and feel from the front door through to the communal areas and bedrooms. Write down three things that would improve the experience for people using the service and visitors. Action at least one this week.

Day 16 – Make Compliments Contagious

Why it helps
Positive feedback builds culture. It shows people they are seen, not just when something goes wrong.

Try this
Whenever somebody says something good about a staff member, pass it on. For example, “A family member told me how kind you were to their mum yesterday.” Where appropriate, repeat it in handover or a team meeting. It encourages the behaviours you want more of.

Day 17 – Create A Realistic Daily To-Do List

Why it helps
Overloaded lists set you up to feel like you are failing every day. That chips away at confidence.

Try this
Each morning, limit your main list to five key tasks. Everything else goes into a separate “parking bay” list. If you finish the top five, you can choose something from the parking bay. If you do not, you have still done the most important work.

Day 18 – Guard Your Days Off

Why it helps
If you regularly “just nip in” on days off, you never fully recharge. Long term, that is unsafe for you and the service.

Try this
Only visit work on a day off if there is a clear, essential reason. If you must check in, schedule one short call with your deputy, agree what you will cover, and then step away. Your days off are part of your leadership strategy, not a luxury.

Day 19 – Remove One Unnecessary Task

Why it helps
Not everything you inherited as “the way we do it” is actually useful. Some processes waste time and add no value.

Try this
Look at your regular reports, meetings or forms. Ask, “Who reads this? What do they do with it?” If nobody can answer clearly, challenge it. Can it be simplified, combined with something else or stopped altogether? Freeing up time often comes from subtraction.

Day 20 – Build A Five-Minute Learning Habit

Why it helps
Keeping up with guidance, CQC expectations and best practice can feel overwhelming, so it gets pushed aside.

Try this
Once a week, set a five-minute timer and focus on one thing: a short article, a key part of a policy, one CQC quality statement or evidence category. Jot down one action or reflection. Over a year, those small moments add up.

Day 21 – Invite Honest Feedback

Why it helps
You cannot fix what you do not know about. Safe cultures depend on people being able to speak up.

Try this
Ask a trusted colleague or team member, “What is one thing I could do differently that would make your job easier or improve the service?” Listen without interrupting or defending. Say thank you. Decide what you will do with what you heard.

Day 22 – Create Your “Storm Plan”

Why it helps
When things go wrong, you are already under pressure. Trying to decide everything on the spot adds to the stress.

Try this
On a calm day, write a simple plan for when the service is under pressure. For example:

• who you will call for support

• what tasks can be paused

• how you will communicate with families and staff

• how you will look after yourself

Keep it accessible so you are not starting from scratch during a crisis.

Day 23 – Book Something Just For You

Why it helps
Having something positive to look forward to outside of work helps your mental health, energy and perspective.

Try this
Before the end of December, book one thing for January that is purely for you: a day off, a massage, a walk with a friend, a class, a creative workshop. Protect it in your calendar like you would a key meeting.

Day 24 – Be Kind To Your Future Self

Why it helps
January can feel heavy. A small message from “December you” can remind you of what is already working.

Try this
On your last working day before Christmas, write a short note to yourself and leave it on your desk or in your diary for January. Include three things:

• what is going well

• what matters most to focus on

• one reminder that you are already doing far more than you think

Bringing It All Together

You do not have to wait for the new year, a new inspection framework or the “perfect time” to look after yourself as a Registered Manager. The smallest shifts in how you plan, delegate, rest and connect can make a real difference to quality, compliance and culture.

At Kata, we spend our days supporting managers and providers with:

• Mock CQC inspections and quality reviews

• Ongoing quality and compliance support

• Leadership recruitment and interim management

We see first-hand how hard you work, and how powerful it is when managers are given the space, tools and support they need.

This guide is our small festive thank you. Feel free to share it with your deputies, seniors and fellow managers, and if you would like support with quality, compliance or leadership in 2026, you can get in touch with us here.

Finally, Merry Christmas! 🤶🎄✨