Is there something you would love to do but can’t seem to find the time for? We have all been there with one or more things in our lives. I am married, have a teenager, a toddler and I work from home. It is hard finding even 20 minutes for myself a day. It is to get so caught up with responsibilities that you forget to make time for yourself.Finding time for yourself goes beyond just being able to practice your hobbies or take a long bath. The time you spend relaxing and enjoying yourself will actually help make you more productive! That’s right. Psychologist Neil Fiore Phd. explains, that “research shows that to be productive and creative, you must make time for recreation and relaxation. Trying to skimp on them hurts your motivation and often leads you to procrastinate.” No wonder I have been having a hard time getting things done! I need to spend less time procrastinating and more time doing something I enjoy. What about you? The problem is that I don’t seem to have enough time to get the things I should do done. How can I possibly devote precious time to enjoying myself instead?

6 Easy Ways to Make Time for Yourself

#1 Make a Schedule

Some people are very good at keeping a personal schedule. Others are not. If you already have your time managed well you can skip this one, but if you have trouble maintaining a routine like I do, this tip will take you far. It is important to know what you need to get done each day. I goes beyond writing down appointments and bill due dates on a calendar. What about scheduling your grocery shopping or making time for yourself? We often neglect the importance of keeping the time it takes to do our daily tasks under control. For example, if I don’t give myself an allotted amount of time for cleaning the house, it seems like I get stuck in a vicious cycle of cleaning it all day long. When I force myself to clean for one hour in the afternoon, I get more done in less time because I remain focused on it.Make a schedule and try to plan out your day making sure to schedule in some time for yourself. Be sure to then take that time and do something for you!

#2 Try a Micro-plan

If making a schedule is not for you, try this method. I have been micro-planning lately because my schedule is inconsistent due to my toddler son. Each morning, I make a list of the top 3 to 5 things I need to accomplish that day. As I check things off the list, I feel a sense of accomplishment which helps keep me motivated. When I have completed everything on the list, I get rid of it. No book or planner to lug around and keep track of, just a little piece of paper I can put in the recycle bin at the end of the day. I then reward myself by taking some time for myself and I feel less guilty about it, too.

#3 Eliminate Time Wasters

Sometimes the things we enjoy doing can get in the way of doing things that we would actually enjoy more, and sometimes we just do things that waste time. What things to you do that waste time?There is a lot of talk among medical professionals about screen time and its effects on children, teens, and adults. So, I decided to count how much time I spent in front of a screen on any given day and found it to be 8-10 hours a day on average! This is between work, where I look at a computer screen and leisure, where I watch TV or look at my phone. Only 4 hours are for work: the rest could be greatly reduced. For two days I went without watching my normal TV shows and I listened to music instead when I needed noise. It was amazing how much longer the day seemed to last! I really did have 3 to 4 good hours each day to be productive and also have some time to myself. I feel the time was much better invested than if I had watched TV or browsed the internet. Are there things you could better spend your leisure time on than what you are now?

#4 Outsource Obligations

Many of us like to be in control. We feel that we are not in as much control if we aren’t doing everything ourselves. This is especially true for perfectionists! But there are things that can be easily done by someone else. Think about the tasks and chores that you don’t like doing to see if you can pay someone to do some of them. You can also save time by taking advantage of services that grocery stores are starting to offer like ordering online and having them brought out to your car. You can even have them delivered to your door! Not everyone can afford to pay someone else to do things for them. If you can’t or don’t want to outsource, consider adjusting your standards a little. Are you overly particular about the tidiness of your house or your email inbox? Think about how you can scale back your standards a bit to save yourself some time.

#5 Focus Your Free-time

Making a schedule, getting rid of time wasters and reducing chores will only get you so far. After you have made the time for yourself, what do you want to do with it? It is easy to lose focus and spend this newly found time doing things for others or wasting time in new ways. Stay focused on what you want to do. How do you want to spend the time?

#6 If all else fails...Just Take It!

Sometimes, we are just so busy that we can’t manage to schedule time for ourselves. If this seems to be the case for you, my advice is that you just take the time anyway. If you find yourself alone with nothing to do for 5 or 10 minutes, use the opportunity to do something for yourself. Or, if you never seem to find yourself in this situation, just throw caution to the wind and take a timeout for yourself regardless. You will be happy that you did! Remember, “to be productive and creative, you must make time for recreation and relaxation. Trying to skimp on them hurts your motivation and often leads you to procrastinate.”