I am a huge believer that being happy and doing things you love is one of the most important aspects of life. We often spend so much time doing things to make other people happy, that we often forget about ourselves. While I do feel that it is very important to help others, I still want to urge you to make time for yourself. Here are my top tips to make more time for the things that you personally love:
I want you to think about what a typical day looks like for you – What do you HAVE to do versus what you THINK you have to do? What could you drop? Many times, a lot of the tasks that we “think” we have to do are things that we choose to do. What is a part of your daily routine that you don’t necessarily have to do? Consider dropping this task if it isn’t adding any value to your life.
Think about what are you committing to each week and for how long – Are there faster ways to do these things, or do they even need to be done at all? If it makes sense for you and your budget, could you pay someone to help you? What could you cut and not do at all? I really want you to think hard on this, because it really can help you analyze all of your weekly activities. Do you spend a lot of your free time cleaning? If so, then maybe this is something that you could pay to get help with? If it isn’t in your budget to pay someone, what tasks could you consolidate to make things go quicker? There is no single right or wrong answer that will fit with everyone’s needs. These are very individualized choices, but with a little thought, they really can help you determine how you could be best spending your day.
Once you have determined all of the tasks that you have to get done, ask yourself if there are different ways to do the same task – Can you occasionally work from home, which would save you from a long commute? Are there flex work arrangements, where you can work more hours in a day, so you have other days off? Can you work days other than your normal Monday through Friday? Again, this will vary widely by company, but it never hurts to ask.
Create time in your schedule at least once a month for some self reflection – I want you to do this because it is not only a great stress reliever, but it also allows you the ability to constantly re-evaluate your time. Most people’s lives and activities have seasonality to them, so this needs to be done quarterly at a minimum. If you find yourself too busy, then it will be really easy to identify what is causing too much stress, and what needs to be cut. If you want to still honor your current commitments, then finish out this year, but say “no” to those things next year.
What ideas do you have to find more time in your busy schedule? Please let me know, because I always love hearing your ideas. Thanks, and have a great day! 🙂
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