7 Ways to Make Time for Yourself

Feeling a bit disconnected from reality? Burnt out perhaps? Looking for a way to carve out some time for yourself? I’ve got some ideas, read ‘em, try ‘em, share your experiences, and then offer some tips of your own.

First, turn off the computer! If you are anything like me, it is easy to get sucked into the computer. Facebook, Google Reader, blogs, news, YouTube, endless streams of random (but interesting!) pages, spreadsheets, solitaire, budgeting programs. Many times we use the computer in fulfilling ways: talking to friends, writing, or balancing our finances. Still, staring at a computer screen and type type typing away for hours brings a host of physical problems, not to mention the mental/emotional ones. Turn off your computer (power it ALL the way down) and step away. Now that I’m no longer on my computer, what to do?

2.  Read a book. Any book.

3.  Call a friend in a different city. Don’t send a text message or an email, pick up your phone and dial (or press speed dial).

4.  Create something: bake a cake, draw a picture, write a poem, write anything that comes to mind, fold a paper airplane, fold origami, take a photograph.

5.  Move your body: go on a walk, practice yoga, take a hike, dance around your room.

6.  Take a nap. Naps are wasted on the young, treat yourself to a nice midday snooze.

7.  Learn something new: practice basketball free throws, learn how to feng shui your room, teach yourself a language with Rosetta Stone.

So stop reading the internet and go to it!

Photo by Jason Rogers