Funny the excuses we come up with to not do the things that make us happy. New job, illness, kid’s activities. Life gets in the way sometimes of the little things we do just for us. Like maintaining this blog….

I realized over the holiday break that it had been over three months since my last post. How did I allow that to happen? Better still, how can I make sure to post more regularly in 2024?

As I usually do, I scoured the internet for a helpful article or two on the topic and found the following article by the Harvard Business Review. According to Make Time for “Me Time”, the first two steps to carving out time for yourself are:

1. Stop, take a deep breath, and realize that the world doesn’t rest completely on your shoulders. But won’t the world fall to pieces if all the tasks on my list aren’t done to my standards or God forbid, not done at all?
2. Give yourself permission to take care of yourself now. It’s true that there will never be a time when life is less busy for you. Just take your moments now.

Check out the article for other helpful pointers such as:

• Define What You Need: Think about what basic needs do you have to keep yourself healthy. For example, how much sleep, physical movement, nourishment do I need to function? Asking yourself these questions shouldn’t fill you with guilt.
• Determine What You Can Do: What is reasonable given your current situation? I can’t write a novel this month, but I can write a short blog post each week.
• Set the Time: Put it in your calendar beside your kid’s soccer practice. Every Friday at 6am I write a blog post. It makes me happy and helps me get through the end of the week. I look forward to settling into my office with my morning coffee.
• Prep Yourself: Your self-care time is sacred. Eliminate the hurdles like clothes on your treadmill. Make it as easy as possible to do what makes you happy.
• Be Clear with Others: Explain to your family that you’ll be taking this time. My family thought I was crazy for not doing what I wanted and totally support my outside activities. They like me better when I’m happy and well-rested. Imagine that!

Work your way back to what makes you your best you.