Tired of neglecting yourself? So was I.
Here are 10 ways to make time for yourself
At it again,
Stuck in the same continual loop.
Agreeing to commitments I didn’t think were right,
Going places I didn’t like.
Feeling disappointed with the choices I’d been making with my life.
Sound familiar?
We’ve all hit points in our life where we feel like we’re wasting precious time. Building up a debt of time doing things were don’t enjoy.
After several years of being the unconfident type that committed WAY too much to others and not enough to myself, here are the 10 methods I can only recommend to others who shared the same feelings as me all that time ago.
1. Set aside time to unwind and relax
Set aside a specific amount of time each day to unwind and relax. This could be 30 minutes to 1 hour before you go to bed.
This time should be strictly devoted to you. No external influences (Phones or people) should interrupt it.
This could include going for a walk, taking a hot bath, stretching or having a meal without being distracted by work emails.
Pick any activity that helps you to relax and take care of yourself. (Don’t just watch Netflix, do something that benefits you).
Having this time set aside everyday will help to bring discipline and structure to your day, while also ensuring you don’t get burnt out and mentally exhausted.
2. Schedule time for self-care
To ensure you prioritize yourself and practice self-care, schedule an hour each week dedicated to your personal grooming and hygienic needs.
Shave, cut your nails, and hit the steam room — whatever works for you.
Take the time to refresh yourself.
To look good, you have to feel good (and vice versa).
If you want to maintain quality in other areas of your life, maintain yourself first.
Allow yourself to be more motivated and productive in the other areas of your life by feeling good.
3. Have some “me time”, get up 10 minutes earlier.
Why not try taking small steps and adding 5–10 minutes to your wake-up time each day?
This way, you’ll give your body time to adjust and won’t be too overwhelmed by a sudden big change.
Once you’ve established a regular sleep pattern, you’ll have the opportunity to start incorporating your desired morning routine. Do things you don’t have the time for in the day.
This could be anything from meditating, to reading, stretching, or having a regular breakfast.
Once you’ve made your habit a part of your daily life, you’ll be amazed by how much more productive you’ve become.
Of course, it’s still important to make sure you’re getting sufficient sleep for a healthy lifestyle.
Don’t neglect sleep to get more done, neglect your bad habits.
4. Don’t waste your lunch
Instead of spending your lunch break scrolling through social media, wasting precious minutes you won’t get back, why not use that time to build a side hustle? Finish a book or podcast? Or learn a new skill instead?
All the time you waste adds up. Use this time to do something productive in real life.
All the small effort you make compounds. Success is just consistency.
If you waste just 1 hour a day scrolling through social media, that’s 364 hours a year — 3 years’ worth over a lifetime!
Aren’t you afraid of letting your life leek away?
You only have one life, don’t waste it on a screen.
Make sure you use it to improve yourself or to make yourself money for a bright future.
The future is made today.
5. Don’t be a people pleaser. Just say no.
The single worst habit that the underconfident of society have is agreeing to everything.
Underconfident types tend to say ‘yes’ to every request, neglecting their own desires.
This often leads to wasting time and energy doing favours for others, attending events they don’t want to be at, and agreeing to views against their own morals.
It’s time for a change!
You owe 99.9% of people nothing. Start putting yourself first and saying no instead of wasting your time and life catering to others.
Prioritize yourself, find joy in the things you want to do, and grasp every opportunity.
There is one worse thing than failure, it’s regret.
6. Solo date night
Make a Weekly Date with Yourself:
It may sound odd but scheduling regular ‘date nights’ with yourself, however doing this can help build up confidence and prevent disappointment.
Going out alone will make you feel as if you can accomplish more. You won’t be dependent on others to go places.
Have you ever missed out on plans due to unreliable friends cancelling?
Going out alone or at least being prepared to, prevents all the disappointment. Just because they have chosen to miss out doesn’t mean you have to.
Go to the cinema, to that restaurant or even sightseeing. Get out of your comfort zone and make plans, stop being afraid to go out when your friends can’t join.
7. Book a day off, and do something you enjoy.
Set yourself up for success by taking a day off work to do something you’ve been wanting to do. Whether it’s attending a concert, going to a one-day event, or spending a day at the spa, dedicate this time to yourself and fully enjoy the experience.
Build the confidence to enjoy yourself and transfer that over to other areas of your life.
Pick an activity of your choice and book the day off. Don’t neglect what you want to do with your life for work. Yes, you have to earn money, but you can spear one holiday day can’t you?
8. Detox digitally
Last year I wrote an article about a ‘Digital detox’ (having a break from technology).
Taking a break from tech is beneficial to both your mental and physical health.
Spending time away from technology and emails and getting into nature by going on walks or doing other activities will make you feel relaxed and at peace.
Breaking the habit of being on social media and checking your phone constantly allows you to destress from the clutter in the digital world.
Give your mind the much-needed rest it requires to keep at its optimal function.
Avoid constantly being in work mode and getting burnt out. The goal is to stay consistent by taking regular breaks.
It’s a long-distance race, not a sprint.
9. Make time for hobbies that bring you joy.
I play the piano, I learn languages, and I write.
These are all hobbies, some of them I’m more consistent at than others, but the main thing is that I do them. No one makes me, I just enjoy them.
Establish hobbies and activities that bring you joy. Don’t let work take over your life; make sure to stay consistent and disciplined.
Keep working on them even when you feel discouraged or unmotivated.
I may have days when I can’t make it, I may have days when I’m not performing to my top standard, but I don’t give up.
At one point I was a foolish beginner. I am also very far from being a master, however, I am not where I started. The key is to enjoy where you’re at.
People who just live for work are the kind of people who get to the end of their life and think “I wish I did that”. Yes, you may have had a ‘successful life’, but did you enjoy it?
Did you accomplish what you want to accomplish?
10. Get moving
Take care of your body by setting aside time for exercising, yoga, stretching, or other physical activities.
Combining self-care with physical activity will help to keep you refreshed and resilient, and the commitment to maintaining your health will pay off in the long run.
If you can’t make time to take care of your body, you find the quality of your life deteriorating.
Without health you have nothing
If you are a physically able-bodied individual, you should aim to keep a standard of flexibility and strength throughout your life.
When you get a new car, you take care of it.
If you knew you would only have one car all your life you would take care of it especially. You’d do the maintenance, keep it clean, repair parts if needed and service it.
You should do the same with your body. Maintain it, service it.
You will only ever have one.
You notice when you get ill, but do you notice when you feel better? Be grateful that you can perform these physical movements as there are people in a lot worse situations than you.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. If you found it helpful and think someone else could find it helpful too, please share it and 👏🏽👏🏽.
A writer mainly on self-development. I occasionally write on personal experiences, interest and other topics too. If you are interested in self-development, then please read some of my other articles (linked below). Enjoy.
