Motivational Monday, 5 Tips For Carving Out Time For Yourself

Make Time for Yourself!

Happy Motivational Monday!!!  Today’s post is going to be about carving out time for yourself and some tips on how to change that thought to an action.  It occurred to me recently that I don’t take very good care of myself.  I don’t do things just for me.  In fact, I don’t even know who I really am aside from being a wife and a mom.  Think back, when was the last time you did something that was just for you because you honestly enjoy it?  I’m not talking about walking around the grocery store because your husband is watching the kids or running errands because you have a couple hours of free time when the kids are in school.  I am talking about no-guilt YOU time?

It’s taken me a long time to realize that it’s ok and perfectly acceptable for me to have time to myself, for myself.  I’ve been making small, livable changes lately for this very purpose.  Self-discovery is an amazing thing and I am really starting to enjoy my guilt-free time.  My changes aren’t that huge either.  I didn’t want to freak myself out or set myself up for disappointment so I started small and I’ll ease my way into bigger and better things as I feel I can.  

So, what am I doing right now to make that happen?  Here are my Motivational Monday, 5 Tips For Carving Out Time For Yourself –

1. Make YOURSELF a priority!!!  This takes a LOT of practice {and something I am continuously working on}!  If you have to, pencil yourself in your calendar.  I realized that I needed to get my “me” time in first thing in the morning {7:30-8:00am daily} or I would find every excuse in the book to not make me a priority.  Things would come up or I’d get busy doing something else and before I knew it, my day was done and I didn’t do anything for myself.  If it was for someone else, I’d be sure I would have time so why wouldn’t I make that time for me.  I’m just as important, if not more!  And you’re important, if not more too!
2. Have a morning ritual.  For me, after I see the kids off to school, it’s time for me to take 5-10 minutes and just reflect.  I try to keep that time quiet so I can actually hear my own thoughts as they come to me.  During that time I will do some journaling, meditating and I may pull a card or two out of my oracle decks to help put me in the right frame of mind for the day.
3. Use all free time as me time.  Get creative!  For instance, when I am making dinner the kids are all off doing their things {homework, visiting with friends, playing games, etc.} and my husband is zoned out watching the sports channel on tv.  I put my rice-a-roni in the microwave to cook for 20 minutes.  That means I have 20 minutes I can do something in while I wait for it to be finished.  I bring a book into my living room, read and listen for the beep from the microwave.  I am away from the kids, the noise from the tv, and I can focus on my reading.  I’m currently reading, (affiliate link) *Don’t Let Anything Dull Your Sparkle: How to Break Free of Negativity and Drama by Doreen Virtue and it’s really eye-opening for me.  I can relate to a lot of what is inside this book and so far I really recommend it if you are looking to free yourself from drama, inside and outside of your own life and body.
4. Plan ahead!  On Sunday’s I will sit down and plan how my week will go.  It isn’t always accurate but I feel that having it written down I have a better chance of having things run smoothly so that I can have a few minutes to do the things I’d much rather be doing.  I will plan what needs to be cleaned and when.  I plan weekly and/or monthly meals (depending on how motivated I am), days I will go run errands, and I’ll remind myself and make note of any appointments, kids activities or events that we need to be at that week.  It helps to have things somewhat organized.  Being a tad bit organized will help you really determine how much time you can actually squeeze in for yourself. 
5. Be grateful for your time.  The more you feel grateful for the time spent doing something you truly love, the more time you’ll suddenly have.  You’ll start to subconsciously create more time for yourself because you’ve finally realized that you ARE important and you feel better about yourself.  The great thing about feeling better about yourself is that once you are in that place, it starts to rub off on other relationships in your life.

Do you carve time out for yourself throughout the day?  How does it make you feel?  What do you do with your “ME” time?  What tips do you have for making time for yourself?  Please feel free to comment below and chime in.  I’d love to hear what you have to say!