Feel like you never have time for yourself?
Maybe you feel like…
- You have no control over your schedule
- You’re always busy
- Even when you have free time, you feel guilty and don’t enjoy it
But you can have more time for yourself – no matter how busy you are. I used to work 80-hour weeks and have no personal time – but today, I work 20-hour weeks and get to enjoy time with my family and passion projects.
Want to learn more? Read on!
Jump straight to…
- Audit your time
- Schedule time for yourself
- Prioritize the right things
- Optimize your life
- Let go of perfectionism
- Set boundaries
- Delegate
- Get support
- Take care of yourself
What does it mean to take time for yourself?
To put it simply, taking time for yourself means actively and intentionally setting aside a portion of your day that’s dedicated to yourself.
This time should be about recharging physically, emotionally, and mentally so that you’re not always stuck in working on other people’s priorities, be it at work or at home.
Let’s call it radical self-care.
This could involve:
- Taking a nap
- Meditating
- Reflecting
- Exercising
- Cooking dinner
- Practicing an instrument
- Taking a bath
…And so on.
Sounds nice, right? Then why do we have so much difficulty finding that time?
Why do you struggle to make time for yourself?
First of all, if you’ve had a hard time setting aside time for yourself, know this: You’re in good company.
According to one study, some 40% of people say they rarely have time for themselves, and about a fifth say that guilt is one of the reasons why.
They simply can’t imagine prioritizing themselves over all the other things on the to-do list, whether it’s work, chores, caring for children, or socializing.
Another reason why people have so little time for self-care is because they don’t set the necessary boundaries. In fact, about 58% of Americans have trouble saying “no,” and around 63% consider themselves “people pleasers.”
The result? Our schedules quickly become too jam-packed.
But here’s some good news: Your schedule has more flexibility than you think. In many cases, it’s not about what’s on your plate, or how much is on there. It’s about your approach.
Below, we’ll get into strategies for how to improve your approach to time management.
But first, let’s talk about why “me time” isn’t just a nice idea — it’s essential.
The importance of taking time for yourself
Taking time for yourself may sound selfish. It might feel like a luxury you can’t afford.
However, the reality is that you can’t truly show up for your responsibilities if you’re exhausted, stressed, and burned out.
In fact, if you don’t take your self-care seriously, you could be facing a range of stress-related health problems, including:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Memory problems
I know these risks are real because I used to work around the clock — and I literally ended up in a hospital bed.
Luckily, I was able to make significant changes and turn things around. Self-care was a huge part of my new approach to work and life.
So, keep this in mind as we get into the details: You’ve got to fill your own cup before you can pour over into anyone else’s.
Now, let’s look at some of the best ways to start carving out time for yourself.
How to make time for yourself when you are busy
Making changes to your routine can be tough, especially when it feels like you’re already operating at full capacity.
That’s why I’m going to share some relatively simple techniques and tips that have worked wonders for me and so many of my clients.
And if you’d rather watch a quick video, take a look here:
Here we go!
1. Audit your time
The first step toward finding more time for yourself is to get a better idea of exactly how you’re spending your time.
The easiest way to do that is to conduct what’s known as a time audit.
Here’s how it works, in four simple steps:
- Choose a time-tracking tool, such as Clockwise, Timely, or Motion. An Excel sheet can also do the trick.
- Track your time in 30-minute increments for a 2-week period.
- Analyze your results by grouping similar activities and identifying the areas that seem disproportionately time consuming.
- Implement changes to the way you use your time.
Yes – it’s that simple. But I can’t overstate how important this process is.
Without a solid picture of your routine, you’ll have a much harder time identifying the potential areas of change.
That’s why I conduct a time audit 4 or 5 times every year. The results are often full of surprises — and, in most cases, clear opportunities to carve out more time for myself.
Head over to this detailed guide on time audits for a useful time-tracking template.
2. Schedule time for yourself
In order to make self-care a reality, you can’t just hope it’ll happen. You’ve got to plan for it.
So, open up your calendar, and schedule it in. You can start small with just 10 minutes a day, or an hour each week.
Don’t see enough space?
You might need to wake up a little earlier or cut down on your social media use.
Most importantly, once you’ve scheduled that chunk of “me time,” you’ve got to stick to it.
Treat that slot on your schedule like it’s the most important appointment of the week.
Then, make it a routine, and gradually extend your self-care routine over time.
Having said all that, if planning isn’t your strong suit, don’t worry. I’ve developed a framework that makes planning easier than ever.
It’s called the Winning The Week Formula, and you can check it out right here.
3. Learn to prioritize the right things
If there’s one sentence we’ve all heard way too much, it’s “I don’t have time!”
I’ve said it. You’ve probably said it. But this simple phrase often misses the point.
The thing is, you DO have time. A limited amount, sure. But the real question you should be asking is: How are you spending the time you have?
Let’s take an example.
One of my clients, Margie, told me that she didn’t have 30 minutes of spare time to go to the gym.
She was really adamant, so I convinced her to track her time — just like I described earlier in this post.
It turned out that Margie was spending a whopping 11 hours reading the news each week.
So, as you can see, the issue wasn’t really that she didn’t have time — it was the way she was using it.
That’s where priorities come into play.
Managing priorities is key to finding more time for yourself. And a great tool for assessing priorities is the Eisenhower Matrix.
Basically, you split your to-do list into four categories:
- Do First: Urgent/important
- Schedule: Important/not urgent
- Delegate: Urgent/not important
- Delete: Not urgent/not important
From there, you can better assess how to allocate your limited time.
Don’t forget to include self-care in the matrix!
4. Optimize your work and life
Put aside the sweeping, dramatic changes for now and focus on the small steps you can take to make everything in your life a little bit easier. Let’s say just 1% easier.
That might mean reorganizing your kitchen or your office space so that things are a bit easier to find.
It might mean grouping similar tasks into batches so that you can tackle them together.
Or it might mean downloading a free online task manager — like our favorite, Asana — to help you keep better track of your work priorities and deadlines.
Small changes like these may not sound like the answer to your problems, but they build up over time.
And if they lead to just a small amount of time for self-care, it’ll be worth it.
5. Let go of perfectionism
Our culture teaches us to strive for 100% all the time. We’re constantly being told that the more we give, the better the result will be.
But here’s what we’re not told: Perfectionism doesn’t count in a lot of situations.
In fact, striving for perfection can actually lead to unrealistic expectations — and that, in turn, leads to wasted energy and disappointment.
The thing is, once you’ve let go of that perfect ideal, you’ll see that there are so many imperfect solutions to the problems and challenges we face.
And those imperfect solutions tend to work out just fine.
So here’s my tip: Think about which areas of your life don’t require perfection, and try to care 15% less about those areas.
That’s 15% of your energy that you can dedicate to other areas, such as a personal project, a hobby, or time with your kids.
6. Set boundaries
As I mentioned at the start of this post, boundaries — and saying “no” at the right time — are a huge part of making time for yourself.
If you don’t take ownership of your time, people will take advantage of it. And even if a distraction seems relatively minor or harmless, studies show that each one can cost you up to 25 minutes of productivity.
So, how can you set boundaries, regardless of whether you’re working in the office or at home?
The most important part of setting boundaries is clear communication.
When you’re in the middle of something and can’t be interrupted, say so. Be firm but polite.
For example, when someone asks if you’ve got a minute, you could say:
“Actually, it’s not a great time. Could you try me again in the afternoon?”
Or:
“I’m right in the middle of a work block, but I’ll be done in an hour. Can we chat then?”
It can also be useful to show people that you’re not available so that they aren’t as likely to disturb you.
One way to do that is to face away from others who are sharing your space or who might walk by. Another option is to put on some huge noise-cancelling headphones.
I know these tips may sound silly or awkward, but they can make a massive difference.
7. Delegate
Next up is Delegating.
Now, I’ve heard from a lot of managers who feel like delegating can be more work than it’s worth.
I get those concerns. But the thing about delegating is that it’s a skill on its own — and it can take some practice to get it down. Once you do, you’ll be wishing you started long ago.
For starters, you’ve got to choose the right person for the job.
There’s no getting around that part, and you might need to try a few different people before you land on a match.
However, the other part of delegating has to do with how you lay out the task at hand.
When you’re delegating, make sure to include the following:
- Clear, step-by-step instructions
- An idea of what success should look like
- An approximation of how long the task should take
By providing this information, the chances that you’ll be satisfied with the work are going to be much higher.
Having said that, you’ve also got to keep reasonable expectations.
Could you do the task better yourself? Maybe.
But remember what we said about perfectionism… and consider whether this is one of those situations where you could care 15% less (hint: it probably is!).
8. Get support
Even with this list of relatively simple strategies to have more time for yourself, initiating changes to your adult lifestyle can be really, really challenging. It’s even harder when you try to go it alone.
Sometimes, all you need is an ally who can offer support while also holding you accountable for the goals you’ve laid out for yourself.
Your ideal ally might be a good friend, a coach, or even a complete stranger who happens to be on a similar path.
That’s why we created Lifehack Tribe. It’s a membership community of thousands of people from around the world who are all looking for the same thing: complete lifestyle freedom.
Members of the Tribe support each other in making that goal a reality — and they do it using the transformative, time-tested Lifehack Method.
Learn more about the Tribe and how to join it right here.
9. Take care of yourself
Last but not least, I want to return to the idea of self-care and what it looks like in practice.
After all, once you’ve managed to carve out some time for yourself — even if it’s just a small amount to start — you’ve got to decide how you use it.
Some people have a clear self-care routine in mind, but that’s certainly not the case for everyone.
So, if you’re not sure where to begin, here are a few ideas from our community:
- Get Moving: Engage in a physical activity that you enjoy. Take a hike, attend a yoga class, or do some light stretching at home.
- Read a book: Relaxing with a book is one of the most popular self-care routines because it allows you to take a much-needed break from the real world.
- Practice self-talk: Take a few minutes to stand in front of the mirror and talk yourself up, just like you would a friend. It might feel strange at first, but it’s a powerful way to boost your self-esteem and motivation.
- Prepare a healthy meal: Cooking can stimulate your brain — and your taste buds. Search for a healthy, nourishing recipe and give it a go.
Find additional ideas and resources for radical self-care in this post.
And as you embark on your self-care journey, keep this in mind: There’s no right or wrong approach to self-care.
What’s next?
There you have it! Nine tips and tricks for how to have more time for yourself.
Learning to take self-care seriously — and making space in your busy schedule for it — isn’t easy.
But I hope you can see now that it’s not out of reach, and there’s tons of support out there.
If you need a firm nudge to get the process underway, check out our Winning the Week workbook.
It’ll teach you how to supercharge your productivity levels so that you have plenty of time for the self-care you deserve.
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