Finding Time for Yourself

Written by Heather Smith

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Balancing a career, higher education, and children is a tough act, and more often than not one very important aspect of your life gets left out of the mix: time for you. However, this is arguably one of the most important factors in your life. Making time for yourself each day is essential to preserving some of your sanity and becoming more effective in the other demanding areas of your life. It may seem hard to find time for yourself, but these five tips will help you carve out a few minutes a day where the only thing you have to focus on is you:


Wake up before everyone else. Even if it’s only for enough time to have one cup of coffee in the early morning quiet before the normal hustle and bustle, it will be worth it. You need some self-reflection time and some time to prepare for your day, and 30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time can provide you with just that. 


Schedule a date night. Even if the date consists of only you, hire a babysitter for the night and get out there and do something that you’ve wanted to do. It can be an hour long massage or simply going to the park to read a book, but whatever it is make sure it’s time dedicated to doing only what you feel like doing – not running errands or checking things off your to do list. 


Take lunch breaks away from the office. Instead of hurriedly scarfing down your lunch every day in front of your computer, utilize that hour to get out of the office. Try out a new café that you’ve been eyeing and allow yourself a much-needed break from the office, from school, and from life. 


 Take a vacation day for yourself. Take a day off of work while the kids are in school and play hooky for the day. Go do something that you’ve been daydreaming of doing, like checking out the new art exhibit that just opened or spending a couple hours at the beach. Taking a personal day once or twice a year can be a wonderful way to recharge. 


Get the kids to help with chores. Lessening your workload, even if it’s just in minor ways, can help free up some much needed time for yourself. Delegate easy chores to the little ones; it will help make them feel like they’re more grown up because they get to help and it will take a menial task off your hands, allowing you to sit for a minute instead.


Often as moms we think we aren’t doing enough if we aren’t completely booked every minute of every day. Now that so many moms are career women as well as students furthering their education, all in addition to their responsibilities as a mom, it’s getting harder and harder to find time to take for you. Making time for you is essential though, so make it a priority.

About the Author: 

Heather Smith is an ex-nanny. Passionate about thought leadership and writing, Heather regularly contributes to various career, social media, public relations, branding, and parenting blogs/websites. She also provides value to live out nanny by giving advice on site design as well as the features and functionality to provide more and more value to nannies and families across the U.S. and Canada. She can be available at H.smith7295 [at] gmail.com.