7 Ways to Make Time for Yourself

Are you the workaholic? You work 8+ hours a day for at least five days a week (or more). You may take work home with you, pick up extra hours/shifts, or never take a personal day.

Are you the socialite? You are going out every weekend with friends, and during the week having power socials. Every chance you get, you are surrounded by people, socially active on the treadmill of life. You may have a romantic partner that you spend tons of quality time with.

Someone can be happy living these types of lives, and if you are, I’m happy for you. But what if this is your life, and you’re not happy?

“Being alone” sounds like a scary concept to some, but trust me when I say having alone time can be what saves your soul. All of us have our own, unique identity, and letting everyone else borrow us can become tiring. Quality alone time should consist more than when you’re in the car, in the bathroom, and in your bed.

If you want to make some changes, here are 7 Ways to Make Time for Yourself:

1. The Power of “no”

Why do something that you don’t want to do? Whether it’s picking up an extra shift or going out with friends, you can say no. Some may not like when you pull that power word out from your belt of responses, but they need to respect it. You also don’t need an explanation behind why you’re saying no. If you like to clarify why you’re saying no, tell them the truth. Sometimes we are burned out from our day or week, sometimes we are not in the right state of mind, and sometimes we simply want to be alone.

2. Start with 5 minutes

Where do I begin to create time for myself? A great way to start the process is by starting with five minutes a day. Think about what you like to do and give yourself permission to do it for five, uninterrupted minutes of peace. I started with the basics: sit down, close my eyes, and breathe for five minutes. Weight melts off of your shoulders and you can fly without having to move from your chair. After breathing, I started to focus on activities I enjoy like writing and reading and activities that helped clear my mind like cleaning and working out. Before I knew it, five minutes would grow to ten minutes, then a half hour, and before I knew it, I was able to dedicate a whole hour to doing whatever I wanted, for me.

3. “Do Not Disturb” My Sanctuary

Do you remember a time when cell phones weren’t snug in our pockets or glued to our hands? I do, and with some of my best memories, a cell phone wasn’t present. Cell phones become distracting as they notify us about…everything imaginable! Also, our boredom craves internet activity which has become convenient on our phones. Give yourself a break and put your phone on “do not disturb” mode or turn it off. This is an activity you could start by trying to do for five minutes and eventually see how long you can go without using your phone.

4. If You Don’t Schedule, It Won’t Happen

“Hi, I have a 5 o’ clock appointment with quality alone time.” Wouldn’t that be amazing to say? Luckily, you can. Look at a typical day for yourself and jot down tasks that are mandatory and require your attention. Next, observe activities that you may do that you don’t love and you don’t need to do in order to have a successful day. For example, one of mine was a specific game on my phone that ate up a lot of my personal time. I realized it was another boredom blocker, and having too many of those in one day can prevent you from getting what you need to get done. Then, figure out when is the best time to score your alone time. For me, whenever I let Poe (my dog) out, I go outside with him and read. These small intervals help me get more reading done than I have in past weeks. Never forget: Your time is just as important as everyone else’s.

5. I Choose You, Hobbies!

Is there a project you’ve always wanted to finish? Have you stopped doing something you thoroughly enjoy? Give life to hobbies and interests you have. Our hobbies and interests are pieces of us, embedded into our core. This is a part of what makes us unique and shows everyone what makes us truly happy. Hobbies and interests are easily pushed to the side because they aren’t “required to function in every day life”, but they are necessary to our happiness. Some people may want to go to work, eat, sleep, and start over again, but most people like variety and spice. If someone tells you not to pursue something that isn’t harming anyone and you enjoy doing, do it anyway. Do it for yourself.

6. Body, What’s Wrong?

One day, I was running around work with my head cut off, worrying about when I returned home the amount of school work I had to turn in that night. As I was running, I started feeling pain in my chest, and in that moment, my body was telling me “You need to slow down.” Listen to your body because it knows you better than you do. When you get sick, you’re supposed to rest until you become well again. If you make the time to have moments of self-relaxation, your body won’t be complaining, and you get to continue doing great things.

7. Road Trip!

If you can figure out how to make the time, getting away is a beneficial option to rejuvenating yourself. Last year, I did something I had never done before: traveled alone by plane to two different states. It was a terrifying thought that turned into a breathtaking experience. You become in tune with your environment, and the only person you have to answer to is yourself. This can be opportunity to expand the mind and help you grow as an individual. If you can’t afford to travel a far distance at the moment, start with going to the movies alone or out to dinner. It can feel strange, but if you can enjoy your own company, you will appreciate everyone who comes into your life.

Comment your thoughts below. Thank you 😊

I Want To Be

I want to be an adult. When you’re ten years old, you have to listen to grown-ups. I just want to eat ice cream whenever I want. All of my money will go to new toys. No more school. I make all of the rules. I can see friends whenever. Sleepovers and pizza every single night. Being an adult is fun.

I want to be a kid again. I’m tired all of the time, and I wish all of the naps I cried through I stopped myself and closed my eyes. Everything costs money. Before I know it, it’s time to pay on the mortgage, car insurance, and please God can we stop going through food so fast? I reach the cash register after thirty minutes of shopping, and the screen yells, “$250” at me. I miss my parents. I wish I could hear their voice again, even if they are scolding me. I know everything was out of love. I miss my friends. We’re all super busy with work and our new lives. You develop a future with someone, and it feels like everyone else becomes lost at sea. I thought school was annoying until I started working in an office cubicle and someone twenty years younger than me is telling me to hurry up. I don’t want to hurry up.

Time went by too fast, and I want to do what my child is doing right now: dreaming.

Mr. Writer’s Block

A young man sits at a mahogany desk, brainstorming intently as he caresses his facial hair. His computer screen, blank as a face from a passing-by stranger. Sunlight breaks through the dusty, maroon curtains to tease the man in coming outside.

“Stupid nice weather, I have a deadline.” The man starts tapping his fingers on the keyboard, but nothing appears.

“Mr. Johnson wants something new, something unique, something…juicy.”

He starts to scratch his scalp to the point that hair follicles land around his workspace, “What the hell am I going to write about?”

The man notices dust on one of his knickknacks: an hourglass filled with sand.

“Maybe if I clean for a little bit, my mind will start racing with ideas.”

He goes to the linen closet and grabs a blue mini duster from the top shelf, walks back to his office, and beings dusting. The particles dissipate as the duster brushes over them. The curtains receive their overdue cleanse, the printer screen is readable, the knob to the office door sparkles with gold, and the hourglass is pristine as time ticks away. Everything in the room can breathe again.

The young man sits back down at his desk chair, “An hour went by already? Damn, I didn’t think of anything either.”

He begins psyching himself up, “Okay, you can turn this in on time. You just have to choose what to write about. Anything in the world, you have a sea of ideas to fish from. Which idea is going to bite? Think man, think!”

The man’s stomach begins to growl, “Cleaning made me hungry, I’ll make some soup on the stove and the warming broth should cleanse my creative pallet.”

He travels into the kitchen and pulls a box of tortellini soup from the freezer. Next, he grabs a pot from the cupboard whilst letting the water from the sink run. Then, he fills the pot slowly and brings it over to the gas stove to boil. Finally, he adds the chicken soup mix and stares at the pot, waiting for it to bubble.

A grayish, black dog runs into the kitchen and sits at the man’s feet, “Scooter! What are you up to?”

He begins to rub the dog’s stomach as the dog’s back hits the floor. The man whispers in the dog’s ear, “Do you want to go outside?”

The black dog jumps up and charges for the back door, leading into the fenced backyard.

“Let’s play fetch.” The man starts throwing a chewed-up blue and red ball for Scooter to return to him. After the 3rd throw, Scooter makes the man fetch the ball by running around the yard in circles with it.

“You’re a silly doggie, aren’t you?” The man smiles.

He starts pondering to himself, “It must be nice not having any responsibilities and all the time in the world to do…whatever you want.”

The man looks up at the sky and notices a full moon making its presence. Stars start forming throughout the rest of the sky and the man notices how much time has passed since he’s written nothing.

“Alright Scooter, time to come inside. I have to write…”

His eyes widen, “The soup!”

The man runs inside as Scooter follows through the doggy door. Approaching the kitchen, he sees a small flame coming from the unfinished pot of soup.

“Shit.” He gasps as he looks around the kitchen for a solution.

“Water, no. No water. I need a cover.” He frantically digs through a cupboard until he gets the right size and puts it over the pot. He lets out a sigh of relief but slips on the ground as he turns around. The man notices brown smears under his shoe and on his clothes.

“Scooter! Why didn’t you go to the bathroom outside?!”

The man notices the time on the oven stove, “My piece is due in 1 hour!”

He runs back into the office as his mind is drowning in thoughts, “I still need to eat dinner, I have to take a shower, and there’s a big mess in the kitchen I have to clean. How am I going to get everything done?!”

He smashes his fists onto the desk, causing the hourglass to fall and break onto the floor.

The man freezes.

He stares at each piece of glass scattered across the floor, the sand in a mountain pile.

After a 1-minute silence, he starts to laugh.

“I know what to write about.”