At a recent gathering I attended, the leader asked us to share one thing we wished we had an unlimited supply of. Did you know that TIME was the most common answer?
How often do you wish for more time in the day? A few extra hours after the kids go to bed? An extra day between the weekend and Monday to ACTUALLY catch up?
STEP 5: Ideal Schedule
If only you could wave a magic wand and suddenly have that extra time you are all dreaming of to not only do all the things on your task list, but to also carve out that time for YOU and your self care? Did you know that it IS possible? The best place to start is by looking at your schedule.
Whether you are a stay at home mom, working mom balancing in office and work from home days, or a mompreneur busting out business goals in addition to running your home, you all have a schedule you adhere to. And you are the creator of that schedule.
Sit down and block out your ideal week. Put in your work commitments, uninterrupted family time, workouts, reading, meal prep, laundry and intentional time with your partner. All the way down to the simplest of tasks.
This strategy allows you to be fully present in the moment to do the thing you are supposed to be doing. That hour you have blocked off to help your middle schooler with an art project, the lunch date you scheduled with your partner, the workout you promised yourself to do. Knowing that you have carved this time out for those things will help you to stress less about your never ending to do list.
Don’t let this anti-stress strategy stress you out though! This is meant to be a general guideline to follow and YOU can choose how flexible or stringent you need to be each week. Review this schedule each Sunday with those that it impacts and shift things as necessary. Entering a week as busy as yours without a plan is like trying to put Ikea furniture together without directions…don’t risk it!
STEP 6: Dream it!
When was the last time you allowed yourself to put everyone else’s needs aside and actually asked yourself what YOU wanted? Have you given yourself the opportunity to dream recently? What are you hoping to achieve this week, this month, this year? What do you want to actually get back to making time for? Nothing is off limits, here! If it makes you feel alive, its worth it!
Grab yourself coffee or tea (and your favorite water container full!) and brain dump all of the things you want to do, accomplish, complete, etc. Set aside 30 uninterrupted minutes. Then go back through them and prioritize what you would like to happen first.
Share these with your partner (encourage them to do this exercise too, and share with each other!) Then make a plan to achieve them! Include them in your ideal schedule, in your budget, and share with those closest to you for accountability.
This can be a quarterly strategy to make sure you are keep YOU at the top of your list!
I also want to remind you that prioritizing yourself is not a selfish act, but rather a self-full act. We’ve all heard the saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup”, and I resonate with the analogy of putting your own oxygen mask on before helping others with theirs. Prioritizing your time and your dreams is oxygen for your soul and your mental health, and is imperative to continue to be the support to your friends and family, too!
I hope you find a moment in your day today to put your own oxygen mask on and take a nice deep breath before going out and serving those you love.