Here’s 4 Quick Ways To Find Time For Yourself

Gone are the days when the little wife would kiss her husband goodbye each morning as he headed off to work, and she stayed home in her apron baking, cleaning, and singing to herself.  They’ve been gone for a long time.

Today, it looks more like this:  Mom and Dad both get up at the crack of dawn, waking their kids with it, dragging everyone off to school and daycare, then speeding back after work in hopes of not being late.  Then after a rushed dinner and getting to bed late, mom and dad are so exhausted that they try to go bed early in order to get ahead on the next day.

Which situation are you in?

You As A Hard Working Mother

In most households, mom works too. Sometimes it’s a matter of survival and not a matter of choice.  But being the working mother doesn’t have to be a burden.  Yes, it’s hard.  It’s also hard to just be the stay at home mom that takes care of her children all day.

In either case, you cannot find alone time very often.  The stay at home mother has constant needs of children surrounding here.  The out-of-home working mother has coworkers and managers constantly bothering here.

How do you find more time for yourself?

Find Time For Yourself

I like what the Fringe Hours emphasizes.  It’s impossible to try and have personal time when your children are awake.  It’s just non-existent.  There are always interruptions, crying, and someone needs you.

Solution?  Find your time when your kids are asleep.  That leaves you two options-early morning or late evening.  Take advantage of BOTH.

The first few hours of the day are often your most productive and most peaceful.  Giving yourself even just half an hour before your kids wake up can make a difference for your entire day.

Then after the kids are in bed and you’re winding down for the night, set aside another half an hour to just do what you want.

• Read that book you’ve had on your nightstand for months.
• Take that relaxing bath you’ve wanted all week.
• Watch that TV show you’ve been holding out on.

But sometimes the fringe hours won’t work.  I get it.

Carving Out Even More Time

So how do you carve out time for yourself when your children are awake?  There are a couple things you can do.

1 - )  Designate a mommy time.  You’ll have to get the entire family’s support on this.  Have a time during your day at home that you can’t be bothered unless it’s an emergency.  It may take a little time to help little ones understand what an emergency is.

But once they get it, and you’re happy and excited to help and play with them after mommy time, it will come over smoothly.  The trick is to convince your mind that it’s okay to be having your mommy time when they’re so many other things going on.

The trick is to convince your mind that it’s okay to be having your mommy time when they’re so many other things going on.

2 - ) Another option is to really just sit in your car during your lunch break and do the things you want to.  Take a nap, read your book, watch videos on your phone.  Whatever it is that can be done in the privacy of your car is totally fine.

Even if you have a private office at work, the separation into a non-work space will make a big difference.  Trying to have your personal time at your desk will still garner interruptions and distractions.

3 - ) Or just plain get outside.  If possible, go on a walk so you can listen to that podcast you’ve been waiting for.  Or sit down under a tree and just enjoy the beauty of your surroundings.

Nature is a natural pain reliever and aphrodisiac in ways that aren’t fully understood, but should certainly be taken advantage of.

4 - ) If you have no other alternative, honestly, you can take extra time in the restroom.  When you’re on the potty, it can actually be the perfect time to read some, or watch that little video you’ve been saving.

Sounds corny and lame, but really, grabbing that little snippet of time to do what you want to do goes a long way.

Need Some Help?

The hard part about all of this is that we seem to need to adapt our schedules and routines ALL the time.  It’s such a pain isn’t it?  Children are growing, your body is changing, your priorities are constantly shifting.  How do you ensure that you are finding the time for you?

I’ve had to make big changes recently and I did it with a lot of help from a simple course that I took from Crystal Pain.  Her Make Over Your Mornings Course really helped me find the time to make things happen for myself in my mornings, and also in my evenings.  (She has an evening course too!)

If you want to learn more about that, just visit Make Over Your Mornings, or you can read my full review and experience with it at this link.

>> Why You Should Make Over Your Mornings <<

Finding time for yourself, whether you’re a working mother or not is a BIG deal.  If your needs aren’t met, nobodies meets can be met in all the ways that you are to serve others.

It’s back to that lame old saying, “If mamma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”  It’s true.  So make sure that you are doing the things that bring joy to your life.  Make sure that your personal care and needs are met before destroying your one and only life without sustaining it.

How do you find time for yourself?  What essential routines have you put in place?