Once the holidays are over, work and life resume as normal. All those demands on your time come flooding back. If you are a parent, the beginning of the school year is exceptionally busy with school and after-school activities.

With the demands of work and kids, you feel like you’re on a treadmill that you can’t get off. Holidays already feel like a distance memory.

How do you make sure you are not swallowed up by your busy schedule?

Take control of your time.

Do you remember reading my post about brain space?  In it, I recommended planning out your schedule to include some “me time.” Before you let the guilty feelings creep in, remember this … You need “me time” to recharge so you can deliver your best to your family or your workplace. “Me time” is about refuelling.

How do you find time for yourself?

I know it seems impossible, but you can do it.

• Can you drop the kids at sport and go for a walk with a friend? Or perhaps go to a cafe and spend some quiet time just being still?
• Can you choose to do nothing but relax while the kids have their afternoon nap?
• Why not book in for a special treat once a month? Get your hair done or have a massage. You’ll feel relaxed because you don’t have to do anything, someone is looking after you and you’ll feel fabulous afterwards – like a new woman/man.
• Another idea is to hire a babysitter one evening a month or a week so you can take an hour off, away from the kids and the house.  It might sound decadent, but you will learn to love this time and be a better Mum/Dad/partner/friend for it.
• Find the time-consuming parts of your day and work out ways to manage them. Something as simple as introducing a new routine can free up time you can then use for yourself.

How you use your time is up to you, but you need to stop filling quiet moments with activities. Housework or messing about on Facebook won’t make you feel relaxed.

Time is to be used, not filled.

If you can think of time as a limited commodity and appreciate its value, it will change the way you approach life.

What have you done for yourself this week?