How to Make Time for Yourself When Busy
Many of us tend to feel as though we’re “pressed for time” or that there’s “not enough time in the day”. But, our amount of time hasn’t changed, we still get 24 hours each day. Modern conveniences have allowed us to save time from everyday tasks and chores and what may be a surprise to us all, the average amount of time we spend working each week hasn’t increased in decades… So why might this be happening? Are we striving to keep ourselves busy for job security? Is it a product of the digital age? Or maybe it’s a combination of things we try to do in order to “keep ourselves busy” on a daily basis.
Either way, being able to regularly make time for ourselves is very important to give us a break from our busy schedules to reflect on our current state and focus on our mental and physical well-being. This may be quite tricky to begin with and eventually get in the habit implementing into our lifestyles, but here we will discuss 10 valuable ways you can get started and continue to build on for years to come!
Seek/Be More Open to Help
People often find themselves bogged down at work, at home and begin to feel as though their lives are getting out of control. Stress starts to seep in and overwhelms us meanwhile our busy schedules aren’t getting any kinder.
Some people are often reluctant to ask for help as a matter of personal pride or not wanting to bother anyone, but asking for some help from time to time when you most need it is nothing to be ashamed of.
In fact, you’ll be able to find many experts and professionals who are the perfect people to ask for advice and guidance on how to manage your time more effectively and who to go to for help when you need it. From this, you’ll find great weights being lifted off your shoulders, giving you more time to ground yourself and even take a well-deserved break from any anxiety or emotions you may be dealing with.
Learn When to Say No
Society at times teaches us that the word “no” can be inconsiderate and impolite. So, we feel more obliged to go along with things we sometimes don’t have time to do in order to be socially accepted.
There are many different ways we can go about saying “no”, but that can all depend on the nature and the purpose of the situation at hand.
While saying “no” can be empowering and liberating for some, for others it can be intimidating or uncomfortable. There are several different ways to say “no” and learning to harness and implement this into everyday life can be confusing at times. But, with the right guidance and practice, you can effectively weave this into your life, rewarding yourself with more time and less stress.
Shift Towards Automation
Another great way you can save yourself time during the week is taking all the thinking and procrastination out of your everyday chores.
One easy example can be having a simple rolling menu so you know exactly what you’re going to have for dinner each day and also exactly what you’d need to buy from the shops.
You’ll find after a while this will save you so much time during the week especially if you’ve got kids or a partner to think about as well. If you find yourself stumped knowing what meals to prepare, what kind of nutrition you’d need, then an expert in this field would be perfect to create and stick to a proper plan!
Limit Distractions and Maximise Focus at Work
When we widen our attention to focus on multiple tasks at once, we are less able to absorb the details of the things we are trying to listen to, read or write.
So, when you’re next working on an important project, attending a meeting or even when speaking to a colleague, do your best to limit distractions such as social media and emails which we all need a break from once and a while!
Once you’ve got into the habit of limiting your distractions, you’ll never look back! Learning to focus your attention will be great for enhancing productivity, preventing you from coming back and asking questions.
Create Daily To-do Lists
Creating to-do lists day-to-day can be a very effective way you can organise and prioritise your daily tasks. However, writing a to-do list is one thing, but being ruthless with this list is the most important element!
Set yourself deadlines, milestones and reminders to keep yourself on track at all times. Also, take the time to regularly review your current tasks, which ones are the priority? Could you delegate or ask for help from some? Do any need less or more time dedicated?
Being ruthless with these elements is crucial, so no unexpected tasks or predicaments arise and so you can plan and manage your time much better.
Take Your Well-deserved Breaks
I know this might seem counter-intuitive to recommend taking breaks during the day to save yourself some time, but taking regular breaks will help boost your energy and keep you focused when you need it most!
Taking too few breaks could end up doing more harm than good, encouraging you to slip into some bad habits like checking social media too often.
Taking a break doesn’t have to just be switching monitor screen for phone screen. Take the opportunity to get some fresh air, go for a walk or even chat to some colleagues. All of which will also do wonders for the mental strength you need to get you through the rest of the day.
Keep Yourself Organized
Keeping yourself organized in every aspect of your day whether that be at home or at work is very important to save yourself valuable time during the day.
Making sure you’re keeping track of where your most important things are is of course going to save you more time during the day! Investing in things like filing cabinets, folders or even something to help you remember where something is when you need it can be beneficial.
It can be hard to keep track of every detail when you’re busy, but by keeping paperwork and other easily lost or overlooked items organized can help you get them done much more efficiently.
Finish Your Day with a Plan
This can be a great link to number 5 on our list. You can even set your to-do list for the next day the night before so you can save time creating the list in the morning, and stop feelings of being overwhelmed.
Planning your tasks and itinerary for the next day makes it so much easier to know how much time to spend on tasks, when to stop and also when to have your breaks.
Even taking just 5 minutes at the end of the workday can be helpful so that you don’t forget anything the next morning. This can allow you to hit the ground running and tackle the day with confidence!
Take Some Time to Relax
Pick one day of the week that you’re going to keep free and use it however you desire! This can be your chance to be spontaneous and spend some quality time with friends, family or even to take yourself on a date.
It’s really important to take an evening to relax probably once a week so that your mind and body gets a chance to rest, recover and rejuvenate.
You never know, you might even find that next piece of inspiration you’ve been looking for to take back into work!
Plan a Wellness Retreat!
Don’t ever feel like you can’t switch off from your busy schedule. Take some time to focus on your mental and physical well-being on a healthy escape from the stress and tension of your busy schedule.
Wellness retreats are perfect for those looking to detoxify, relax or even keep fit. Making time for a wellness retreat would create valuable time to allow the mind and body to re-charge and feel revitalised upon returning home.
An immersive retreat like this will provide you with a refreshing boost, perfect for motivation to tackle those pesky full-on schedules with confidence!
Sometimes we can struggle to know how to even think about creating more time for ourselves let alone how to confidently carry out a plan of action to do so… But that’s okay! Sometimes it’s not easy to know which routes to take or who to go to for help, but there are countless experts and retreats who specialise in these kinds of areas. Providing anyone who needs it with valuable advice, guidance and the perfect helping hand to a clearer, more organised lifestyle.
Talk to our Retreat Away Specialists today to discuss tailor-making your ideal wellness retreat, you can call us on 0203 6375994 or fill in our enquiry form here.
