How often do you say out loud or think to yourself, “I don’t have time for that,” or “there is not enough time in the day.” This belief can be one of the greatest obstacles to creating a new habit or from taking time to do something for yourself. I can understand the response because we all do have a lot on our plates, but have you ever really looked in detail at how you are spending your day? Do you truly not have enough time? Continue reading to learn the 3 ways I was able to create more time for myself.
#1 – Create a Schedule
I resisted the idea of a schedule for a long time because it seemed so restrictive but organizing a schedule has been such a game-changer for creating myself more time. Firstly, track a day (up to seven) of your current schedule of how you are spending your time. Try to account for everything, including:
- Work, including travel to and from work
- Sleep and Rest (this should be a minimum of 7-8 hours)
- Kids activities
- Meals, including prep, shopping
- Hygiene and getting ready
- Social and connection time (with your partner and friends)
- TV, social media, time on your phone
- Movement and exercise
- House maintenance
See, that is a lot to pack in one day!
Reflect on your week:
- Is that how you want to be spending your time?
- What would your ideal week look like?
- Can you reduce some activities to make room for others that you value more? What are your priorities and do they align with how you are spending your time? Some ways to reduce time doing things that you’d rather not, include delegating those tasks or batching time with things like cooking or cleaning.
Create your new, more ideal schedule.
- When we schedule things, we are more apt to do them. Creating a schedule helped to focus my day, I know what I am doing and when. I make sure to prioritize and schedule time for myself and things that recharge my batteries (a key for stress management). A couple of other tips:
- Be realistic, don’t overwhelm yourself
- Be flexible, I use the schedule as a guide but try to understand when unexpected things happen.
- Maximize the time when you feel the best. Are you a morning person or are you more motivated in the afternoon/evenings? Try to schedule your tasks that require more of your energy during your peak times.
#2 – Cut Down on Media
This was one of my biggest time wasters. I’m not saying that social media and TV shows are all bad. I love some of the creativity on social media and I do truly enjoy a good show, but I wanted to be more cognizant of just how much time I allocated for these forms of entertainment. By being more mindful of phone and TV time, I was able to create more time for exercise and meaningful connections with friends and family.
#3 – Start Saying No
Sometimes to create time for yourself for things you want to prioritize you need to start saying no to things that you are doing out of guilt or any other reason that doesn’t fill up your cup.
I have no doubt that if you follow these steps, you will be able to prioritize a little extra time for yourself. Good luck!