3 Tips Put Yourself on the Priority List

Begging for a dose of personal time? A book and a bath sounds fabulous right about now.

Giving season is just around the corner so it is time to start mentally preparing to give the right amount while still saving time for yourself. Half of us walk around drained and depleted…this year, that will not be you.

Although everything on our to-do list feels like a must—friends, workouts, family and a dozen other necessities—personal time doesn’t appear out of thin air. And there is nothing more important than taking care of you.

Make yourself a priority with these 3 steps to a little solo time:

1. Make a Date with Me, Myself and I

At the beginning of the month make a point to pencil in 3 hour-long activities a week that are dedicated just for you. Try a morning yoga class or take an hour in the evening to finally learn how to knit. Whatever you choose, make sure to write it in the calendar and commit to it. Also, keep a timer. At first it will feel uncomfortable to a giver to spend so much time focusing on yourself, but a set time will help you oblige to the me-time rules without feeling guilty. This is a time when you make yourself completely unavailable to everyone else but you.

2. Go on a Project Diet

Carving out me-time is a lot like dieting. You have to cut out unnecessary tasks and to-dos (just like you would calories) to succeed in your healthy lifestyle plans. To find more personal time learn to delegate tasks, say “no” to keep your calendar from overflowing and take a hard look at the projects that are sucking up too much time. This, sadly, may mean less time creating everything on Pinterest.

3. Be a Smarty Pants Worker

The truth is, most of us spend 5 hours of an 8 hour work day actually working. The rest is unnecessary ”fillers” like chatting around the water cooler, surfing the web or thinking about lunch. Although a midday break has its perks, ultimately these brain power time sucks are cramping our productivity. Imagine what you could do with an extra couple of hours in your day if you worked really hard while you were at work. Re-evaluate your work load or prepare yourself to be more efficient with these tools to simplify your life or tips to create more hours in the day.

Spending some one-on-one time with yourself takes a bit of creative effort, but any extra moments for yourself can make all the difference in your health. Be at your best with some down time!

What are some of your favorite ways to make more time for yourself? Leave a comment below and some of the ideas may be a part of a future BSW article!

photo credit: alanwordguy via photopin cc