When you work from home and have children, it’s very likely that you’re always “on.” It can be difficult to stop the constant motion and take time for yourself, but it’s vital.
If you’re not paying attention to your own needs and taking time for yourself, you may face increased stress, dissatisfaction, resentment and eventually total burnout.
Here are five quick and easy ways to make time for yourself during the day, even for those of us with the most hectic of schedules.
1. Schedule “Me” Time
If you live by your calendar, the only way to ensure you’re setting aside time for yourself is to schedule it. Treat your downtime like a client meeting or other important appointment in order to make it a priority. Then do what you would normally do to plan for a client meeting — arrange childcare, clear your calendar, and mentally prepare.
2. Make It Part of Your Week
Planning the first segment of time to yourself is a big step, but use the momentum to figure out new ways to incorporate this time in your week, every week. Plan far enough ahead that you can avoid the stress and struggle of fitting it in, and eventually it will become second nature and part of your weekly planning.
3. Get Buy-In from Your Family
If you have children at home, you may find that it’s increasingly easier to plan and enjoy time to yourself when you have the support of your spouse or partner. Talk to him/her about what kind of time you need and why you need it. If they understand the importance of this time, they will be able to support you in making sure you get it.
4. Return to a Loved Hobby
It can be an entirely separate challenge to figure out how to use the time to yourself. One way to start is by simply returning to activities you’ve loved in the past, but have not had much time to focus on lately. Reading, meditating, knitting, cooking, taking a bath or just watching TV – it doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you enjoy it.
5. Let Go of the Pressure
It may take a few weeks before you’re truly able to let go of all of your other commitments and truly enjoy your “me” time. Focus on clearing your mind of your other responsibilities and pressures and work to be in the moment. Eventually, it will get easier, and you will create a pocket of much needed time that you look forward to every week.
How do you make sure you plan for and enjoy time to yourself?
Image credit: juliaf
Alyssa is the owner of avertua, LLC, author of VA Secrets Revealed, founder of the Virtual Assistant Hub, blogger at the Small Business Idea Generator, mom of three, and a whole bunch of other stuff!
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Alyssa Gregory
I'm a small business enthusiast, entrepreneur, writer, speaker, team builder and consultant who has a passion for learning, creating opportunities for collaboration, and sharing knowledge. On a typical day, you can find me sharing small business tips, advice and resources on About.com, the Small Business Bonfire, Twitter and Facebook, while juggling my three kids, ages 4, 3 and 1.
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