I get it. We always have something pressing going on and we feel like we’re running out of time. Whether it’s a business meeting, studying for finals, having to stay up all night working on next week’s project, raising a family, or even running your own business, we are always living on the go. We live from day-to-day, constantly running on empty and anticipating our next cup of coffee. I really do get it. Sometimes there are seasons where we are busier than other seasons we are in. But if we want to be our most productive selves, we simply cannot pour from an empty cup.And I don’t mean by refilling the coffee pot. Something we have to realize is that staying busy doesn’t necessarily mean that we are staying productive. If we want to lead these great lives, we need to first take time for ourselves.
Taking time for yourself can seem overwhelming in an already hectic schedule but it is honestly so detrimental to our overall health when we don’t. The great thing about taking time for yourself is that this can be a lot of different things to different people. Below, you can find a few tips that you can apply to your own situation!
5 Ways You Can Take Time for Yourself This Week
- Breathe
Breathe in and breathe out. And then do it again about 10 times after. Seriously. I think a lot of the physical wear and tear we face would be avoided if we knew how to breathe properly. We don’t realize that when we are shortwinded from running around all day we aren’t able to truly focus on our tasks. Did you know that you can set timers to remind you to breathe? There is a reason why breathing is so important to our overall health! It is so easy to forget how to do the very thing that keeps our bodies alive and thriving. - Get Quiet
Again, I feel like this is one of those things where we know we need to but we forget how to. You shouldn’t have to be stressed out or feel overwhelmed to get to a quiet place. I think it’s great to find a quiet place and sit and reflect on your schedule before it ever even starts. I think there is something to be said about Sundays being the typical days of rest. How great would feel if the night before we start our days we already have reflected on the week ahead of us? For people, finding your quiet place means entering your prayer closet and getting alone with God. Others resort to yoga, meditation, or even bubble baths to sit and reflect. For others, it means getting a good nights rest before a long day. Regardless of how you get quiet, finding time for peace and tranquility sets the tone of the week before you. We actually talk a lot about finding rest and getting quiet in our “Know When to Rest” episode! - Find your Top 3
So many times we get carried away in all of our tasks and deadlines that we tend to forget about the more important things in life. Finding your top three key tasks for the day is essential to creating an easy schedule to stick with. For some people, scheduling out the three most important tasks for each day is easier on the weekends. For others, this may be an easier thing to do at the start of each day. Regardless of when the time is best for you, stop filing anything that isn’t in your top three as major priorities. The dishes can always be put away tomorrow. Stop letting the small stuff dictate your schedule. - Read Something Influential
I think everyone should read a least two influential books a month, regardless of your circumstances. Why? Because you simply can’t pour from an empty cup. Facebook and Pinterest are fun, but unless you follow a bunch of motivational speakers, social media isn’t going to give you the tools you need for filling back up. The Bible is always full of influential stories of people who triumphed in the hardest seasons of their lives. Self-help books are also great ways to give you insight on what you need to hear. There are tons of great books on maintaining good habits, finding the essential things in life, and how to create your own future.
If you need to, go and buy a daily motivational quote calendar that inspires you to be great. Whatever it is, go find yourself something influential that speaks to you.
- Find What You Can Say No to (And What You Have to Say Yes to)
This tip follows how to find your top three priorities. How often have we promised the world to someone that asks us to help them in their endeavors but have forgotten our own? Look, it’s okay to extend a hand in your area of expertise. But there are times where we blindly accept challenges and deadlines without focusing on our own. This inevitably creates the lackluster and barely-made-it results for both ourselves and our colleagues. I think if you have extra time and are able to give it your full attention, by all means, take on another opportunity. Just don’t do it at your expense. There are things that we absolutely have to say yes to if we want to keep our jobs and not flunk out of College. However, there are also things that we don’t have to agree to and aren’t in our best interest. Sometimes having the best interest of others is by finding what you can say no.
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