Make Time for You

 How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.  But do you ever get to the end of your day and think "What exactly did I do today???"   We've all had those kinds of days - days where things seem to get away from us, ad by the end of it all, we realize that we didn't accomplish those pesky things on our TO DO list.    

A few years back, I was raising six kids and seemed to be able to get everything done, everything remembered, without making a list -- well, without writing down the list.  I've always made mental lists!  But as time has gone on, it seems there are more things to remember, and less mental capacity to actually do the remembering!  Ahh the joys of growing older.     And yet, I still have days where I wonder what I did all day.   But rather than wonder, I decided to start making a list of all the things I could remember doing all day.  And while it wasn't all the things on the planned TO DO list, I didn't just sit around watching Netflix and eating bon-bons. 

If you're like me, your TO DO  list looks a lot like mine:  Work stuff (meetings, research, writing) , Errands (banking, library, gas station) , Children (school, lessons, scouts) , Appointments (health, fitness, car repairs) , Shopping (food, clothing, drugstore) , Home (cleaning, laundry, cooking).   You get the idea.  But what's missing from that list?   The topic of Personal, those things that we need time for:  inspiration, reflection, relaxation, grooming, crafts.  

When it comes to finding time for yourself, one of the "tricks" I learned was to make sure my kids helped out in daily chores.  Because there were six of them, we rotated tasks.  One set the table, another helped cook dinner, two more would wash and dry dishes after a meal, one took out the garbage ... you get the picture.  But just those little tasks added up to less things I had to do myself, giving me extra minutes to use for myself later in the evening.  There we also lots of other benefits as well for the kids, who are now thriving adults.

So the next time you're making your daily or weekly TO DO list, make sure that the Personal category isn't listed last.  I've learned over the years that if we don't take care of ourselves, there's nothing left to give to others.  You matter.  We all matter.  Make time for you.  You're worth it.