If only time wasn’t an issue. I would commit! As moms, we say this to ourselves and others more times than we are willing to admit. Time is our most precious asset! You’ve heard this numerous times. But is it possible to make time for yourself as a mom?
We have so many things to take care of that our time is stretched.
You know how crucial it is to make time for yourself as a mom. But let’s face it.
It’s a struggle!
“Time is your most precious resource; make every minute count.” ~ Brain Tracy
So how can we make time for ourselves as moms without getting overwhelmed?
Here’s what I have been doing, and so can you!
How To Make Time for Yourself As A Mom
1. Write down everything you want to do
If time was not an issue, what would you do? Go ahead and grab your journal/notebook. Open that google doc and list 15 things you want to do for yourself.
What makes you happy?
What brings joy to you?
Where do you see yourself 5 years from today?
What kind of life do you want to create for yourself and your kids?
When you were younger, what dreams did you had for yourself and your potential family back then?
Write down everything you can think of. If you can’t think of 15 things it’s okay.
And if you got more than 15 things you want. That’s okay too!
2. Make time for yourself as a mom by getting clear on your goals
As mothers, we dedicate a chunk of our time to taking care of others and making sure that their needs are met, that we lose sight of what we want.
To make time for yourself as a mom, you now need to get as specific as you can with your goals.
Go through the list you created above and narrow it to 3 things that matter the most to you. It’s not that the other things on your list do not matter.
You are simply focusing on the things that are of higher priority to you at this point.
When we focused on too many things at once, we achived nothing. Which is quite overwhelming! I’m sure you will agree to that?
Write these 3 things that you want to achieve on a whiteboard/vision board or a sticky note and place it where you can see it daily.
Remind yourself every day what your goals are. The things that matter to you. Your dreams. This method of reminding yourself what’s important to you will eliminate all the background noises. You will not be easily influenced to do something – because it’s trending or another mom is doing it.
3. Plan for your day the night before
This four-minute trick for massive productivity was inspired by Marie Forleo.
Before calling an end to your day. Take 4 minutes and plan for the next day.
Schedule time for each activity. Not everything might go as planned, but you will be able to see where there’s a time gap that allows some quality time for yourself.
Planning the night before helps you to stay organized and more productive which leads to time-saving.
Use this time wisely because once gone, you won’t be able to get it back.
4. Wake up a tad bit earlier
You don’t necessarily have to be a member of the 5 am club. But waking up a little bit earlier than your usual time will allow you the much-needed time for yourself.
If your usual time to wake in the morning is 7 am. Maybe try waking at 6:30 am. Then use these 30 minutes to focus on yourself. Focus on whatever you want to accomplish in life.
Science has shown that we are more creative and alert in the morning. Our cognitive energy is at its maximum in the morning. And, as our day progresses – it is depleted.
At first, it may be a struggle. Your ego will tell you – “you don’t have to wake up so early, go back to sleep, it’s not worth it.” or some variations.
You are in control. Not your ego. So don’t let that ego of yours win.
Having a few minutes to yourself the first time in the morning while everyone is asleep will leave you feeling in awe.
Even if it is – to sit and sip your coffee while you read your favorite blog or a book.
This alone time will do wonders for your mental and emotional health.
When was the last time you had some alone time?
I know how difficult it can be for moms to have alone time. But we do need alone time for ourselves as moms.
If you are feeling overwhelmed with not having enough time in your day to work on yourself. Waking up 30 minutes earlier will transform those feelings of being overwhelmed immensely.
5. To make time for yourself as a mom, you need to know how you are spending your time
We all have 24 hours in a day!
Yes, we have different lifestyles/commitments and responsibilities. But it still comes back to – we all have 24 hours in a day.
Another #truthbomb is – we will always find the time to do the things we want.
Paying attention to how we spend our time will help us to identify how we can better manage and make more time for ourselves – as mothers.
Track your time by entering what you do on a regular day in the time spot on your calendar.
I love google calendar! But you can use whatever works well for you.
Analyze where most of your time goes daily.
How often are you checking your phone on a given day?
Are you binge-watching Tic Tok videos throughout your day? Is the TV on in the background while you are cooking dinner?
How much time do you spend in the kitchen preparing dinner? How much time do you spend complaining to your mom or girlfriends over the phone that you don’t have enough time for yourself as a mom?
Tracking how and what you do with your time will give you a realistic picture of some of your most unproductive hours. (Like scrolling through Instagram aimlessly for 5 minutes 20 times a day.)
Tracking your time will allow you to turn these unproductive hours into doing things for yourself as a mom. Focusing on some of your must-have ambitions.
6. Do not multitask
It’s a challenge not to multitask in this busy culture we live in. After all, we glorified the busyness culture.
As mothers, we believe we can do it all. We are looking at the news while prepping dinner and folding laundry.
We need to eliminate multitasking and begin to focus on one task at a time. By doing this – we can focus more on the task we are working on while giving it our best and getting the best results.
Choosing to multitask overloads us, stress us more, and makes us get less done because we are spread out – way too thin doing too much at once.
You know, like you take a 5-minute break every 15 minutes while preparing dinner to binge-watch Netflix or Tic Tok videos or maybe WatApps your girlfriend.
7. Make time for yourself as a mom by asking for help
Asking for help doesn’t mean you are weak. There are people in your life who loves and cares for you. People who are willing to be there and support you in all your adventures in life.
When you feel overwhelmed, reach out to these people and ask for their help. Express gratification for their support and utilize this opportunity to focus on the things that matter to you.
Let your kids clean up after themselves. Pack their toys up. Give age-appropriate chaos to them. This will teach them life lessons that will last them for a lifetime.
You do not have to do it all – because you are mommy!
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8. Respect your time
“Time is valuable, and when it is gone, it is gone. Time is wealth, and unlike money, when it is gone, you cannot replace it.” – Napolean Hill
Value your time. Put your time to good use. Respect your time!
You don’t always have to be the mom who volunteers to bake cookies for group meetings or the friend who brings a pie to parties. Or be the one to drive a friend to run an errand.
Respect your time. Don’t waste it doing things that are not fulfilling to you. Spend your time wisely.
When you respect your time, others will too!
9. Take care of yourself as a mom
When we take care of ourselves as moms, more productivity flows, and we accomplish more because we are not burned out or running on adrenaline.
Prioritizing time for yourself as a mom for self-care is essential.
We can’t pour from an empty glass. We need to make sure our glass is overflowing so – when we pour into others, we are not depriving ourselves of good health. But can serve others with joy.
Self-care looks different for everyone. So whatever it means to you – going for a run, bike ride, reading a book, browsing the mall, shopping. Build a routine to accommodate this. Because when you take care of yourself you can put your best foot forward and live your best life.
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10. Stop Complaining
We complain about everything and anything these days.
The more you complain about not having time, the less time you are going to have.
The more you express gratification and embrace what you can get done, the more you will get done.
It’s how the law of attraction works.
We attract what we think. And what we appreciate expands.
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Here’s to making time for yourself as a mom
You deserve time for yourself as a mom. You are worthy of having alone time and time for self-care or to do whatever it is you love.
Making time for yourself is not selfish. It’s self-love and is essential for your mental and emotional health.
Time is our most precious resource. So make good use of it. Don’t let it pass you by.
What will you be making time to do for yourself today? Share with us – in the comments below.
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