4 Easy Steps To Creating "Me Time"

Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Safeco Insurance.

"Sometimes you just need to disconnect and enjoy your own company"

~Unknown

Folding laundry, cooking dinner, attending PTO meetings, scheduling doctor appointments, sending emails.  For many of us life has become a series of seemingly neverending tasks we complete for others.  Often time completing all of these tasks leaves very little or zero opportunity for us to spending disconnecting or engaging in activities for the sake personal enjoyment.  In a nutshell, me time has become as mystical and non-existent as a unicorn, but that can all change today.  I've partnered with Safeco Insurance to share 4 steps that make creating me time easy and simple.

Why Creating Me Time Is Important

Safeco Insurance recently conducted a survey in which 70% of participants agreed that they needed an extra hour in their day to dedicate towards doing something for themselves.  40% would use that extra "do more hour" for personal hobbies, while 29% would prefer to use their extra sixty minutes for complete alone time and 22% were interested in using that time to step outside of their comfort zones and try something new (a sculpture class, maybe?).  So why is me time important anyway?

Well, 55% of these survey participants admitted to having used negative behavior/actions as a way to cope with their frustration over lack of free time.  Some of these negative actions include increased anger, withdrawing from family and friends and overeating.  I can personally confess that I've experienced all three of these.  Being a mom, wife and working from home is very demanding and when I get overwhelmed because I haven't had my time to unwind and take care of myself, it shows BIG time.  (Check out the infographic below for more info.)

How To Create Me Time

Now that it's been revealed that not carving out enough time for ourselves can have some serious side effects, Safeco has decided to help combat this issue by launching their #MY60 challenge.  They created this challenge to encourage us to purposefully take steps to reclaim 60 minutes of our day over a 60-day period.  Thus we create a "do more/me time hour" in which we can let go let of our stresses by focusing on and participating in activities that make us happier across the board.

 

Safeco also teamed up with psychotherapist and author (Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days), Jonathan Alpert.  "The best way to avoid negative behaviors stemming from not having enough time to do it all is to change your thinking about what needs to be done," he notes.  "Carving out an hour in the day of 'me' time is essential to personal happiness."  Alpert has the following steps/tips to offer about how we can take back our 60 minutes of personal time:

1. Change Your Thinking 

"I'm so busy" and "I don't have time for anything" are negative comments that are sure to keep you feeling overwhelmed. Think more along the lines of make good use of the time that you do have or having perspective that you can only do so much in one day and to accomplish what's reasonable for that given day.  Empower yourself to think "can" and "will" instead of "can't" and "have to."

2. Track How You Spend Your Time
Do this for one week.  Many people are entirely unaware of what they do hour to hour and where the day goes.  The simple exercise of noting what you're doing each hour can have a huge impact.  Track your time and know where you're spending it.

3. Determine Which Tasks & Activities Are Vital & Which Are Optional
Structure other tasks around those that are vital.  Schedule your day by doing the important tasks first, using the first 15 minutes of your morning to organize your work area.  This is when you are freshest and energetic.  So often the less important tasks get in the way of other things that need to be done which can be distracting.  It's often easier to do the things that aren't as important, but fear can lead to procrastination and ends up keeping us stagnant.

BONUS TIP

4. Learn To Say 'No' & Show Up
Now that you've adjusted your attitude, found out where your time was going and have all of your important scheduled, don't contradict your actions by adding more to your plate.  I know that saying 'no' is especially hard moms and women in general.  It's in our nature to be naturally nurturing want to help out when people ask.  However, we have to remember that there can be no 'me' time without the 'me.'  Practicing saying 'no' gracefully and start showing up for yourself!

To learn more about how you can participate in the #MY60 Challenge or find more tips, visit www.safeco.com/MY60.

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About the Study

Safeco Insurance commissioned ORC International to conduct a quantitative methodology to measure attitudes towards time management and balancing leisure time with work and essential tasks. During April/May 2015,  a 10-minute online survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of approximately 2,000 adults aged 21 to 75 within ten major media markets (approximately 200 for each: Boston, NYC, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, Charlotte, San Francisco, Columbus, Philadelphia, Phoenix).*”Total” reported is an unweighted average of these ten markets.

About Safeco Insurance

In business since 1923 and based in Boston, Mass., Safeco Insurance sells personal automobile, homeowners and specialty products through a network of more than 10,000 independent insurance agencies throughout the United States. Safeco is a Liberty Mutual Insurance company.

Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2013 direct premiums written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 78th on the Fortune 100 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2014 revenue. For more information about Safeco Insurance, go to safeco.com.

How do you make time for yourself? Leave a tip in the comments.

My Weekend WrapUp

Wow, this weekend was a long one for sure. Saturday was Moving Day!!!  Yes, Moo and I are back in the city-the Queen City that is.  I'm very excited because she was born here and I love it here.  Feels like I'm finally home again.  Anyways, I never knew that we had so much stuff.  It's amazing how many belonging Moo has aquired and she's not even two yet!!  There will be some serious cutting back.

Thankfully, I didn't have to do any of the actual physical moving. That job went to my lovely fiance, Jay.  (Thanks babe.)  He was such a gentleman about not wanting me to lift anything.  All I had to do was supervise and pack.  And he's always been that way.  He even unloaded everything once we got to our new spot.

I have to tell you guys that moving is overwhelming. Just seeing all those boxes and storage containers that had to be unpacked made me a little dizzy.  I mean we had boxes in the living room, the kitchen and the bedrooms.  The living room was just a mess and we couldn't even sit in it the first day. It took me all night just to get the sofas cleared off.  And then it stormed for a while and I decided to call it a wrap.

Sunday was a little better in that we finally made some progress in getting most of the boxes unpacked.  Wow, Moo has a ton of clothes.  Everything from Faded Glory to Kenneth Cole and Calvin Klien.  Her clothes filled up the entire walk-in closet in her room!!  Talk about a wardrobe to die for.  I am really going to cut back on buying her clothes.  Not sure what to tell people to get her this year for her birthday or Christmas since she is not in need of toys or clothes anymore. 

Hmmm....maybe we can do shoes and books instead?  We did take a break from cleaning and putting once we got the Master Bedroom somewhat cleared and the bookshelf put together.  Unfortunately, the Time Warner Cable people did not come out like they were suppose to install our cable and internet.  I was certainly bummed and a little pissed off because I have important things to do like chatting with you guys and work.

I guess you could say that my weekend carried over into Monday starting with a nice trip to the beauty salon.   It felt good to have an hour of Me Time and get pampered.  My hair certainly thanking me for it too. I had been neglecting it since my last hair cut.  And speaking of hair cuts, I can't believe my hair has already grown back.  I thought it would have stayed short for a while, but I guess not.  I got it trimmed up a little bit so that it wouldn't be as long.  And i think that I have found a new hair stylist.

The young lady who styled my new do was amazing.  She was polite and friendly.  She kept me me talking but didn't get too personal.  And she is amazing at what she does.  As she told me, she's a creator when it comes to hair.  I am certainly looking forward to my appointment with her the end of the month.

I also, went to visit with my family on Monday.  My mom was not too pleased that I was moving and seemed even more distant towards me.  She wouldn't stay in the same room with me for more than five minutes.  I know that she does not agree with my moving to put my family back together, but this is my life and I have to live it.  I love Jay even after everything that we have been through.  I played just as big of a part in our relationship failure last year as he did.

But you forgive, heal and move forward.  I'm not like these other young couples who are giving up so easily today.  In the words of J.Lo "Stay together, it's the new trend."

Me Time Monday

I'm sure some of you read my Oh So Emotional post from last week.  Well, today I decided to take Kenya's advice and enjoy a little Me Time.  Kenya is the author of {{In My Own Words}}, an absolutely amazing and keep it real blog that I am falling in love with!!  I invite you guys to check it out. I'm having a blast reading some of her older posts.  Oh and she's the an author in real life. She wrote "This Too Shall Pass."  I'm in the process of ordering a copy to read.

I'm always down for supporting my fellow blogger friends.  But back to Kenya's advice, I took a little time to pamper myself today and it felt wonderful.  Right after I wrote about my hitting the wall with my current single/co-parenting situation, I called Moo's dad and told him that I needed him to be more active in her life other than what was outlined in our court ordered visitation agreement and he agreed that he would start picking her up to free my afternoons on his days off.  Well, today I was trying to iron some clothes and what not but as usual I couldn't because Moo made up her mind that she wanted Mommy to hold her for almost an hour.

I was just about to get frustrated, but I took a deep breath and told myself that ironing could wait.  And since school is out, I don't have to hire a sitter. My baby sister babysat for free while I got my hair relaxed, cut and curled.  I feel like a new woman!!!  Let me first say, I had been going natural for over two years until about 6 months ago when I tried to put a relaxer in my hair.  Guess what, it didn't take. 

I have super curly hair that I prefer straight and it has a mind of it's own at times.  Now, I know that some girls say they would kill to have the hair that I have, but quite seriously I was tired of firing up the hot comb and the fishing out the pressing grease.  Not to mention, I still haven't found a product that will tame my frizz when it's wet or humid out. And as an up and coming business woman bad hair days have to be a thing of the past.

I came home refreshed and relaxed. I was so relaxed that I didn't even get upset when Moo stole my Ranch burger only to play with it and throw it on the floor.  I didn't yell when she smashed cheese puffs all in her play pin. I'm learning on this journey of motherhood to pick my battles and to use the help that God sends me even if it's not the person I want it to be.

Yes, it would have been nice if her father hadn't bailed out saying he was going to work overtime to pay for some new apartment he wants to move into.  However, I know that she was in good hands with my sister and had blast running around at my aunt's house.  New pics coming soon. Good night out there.