Take YOUR Time

My article below was featured on www.streamingfaith.com May 2010. You can still find it! Search on the News page under the Women category. If it blesses you, will you please take a moment and comment about how? Don't forget to pass on the goodies! Thank you & God bless.

Many of us are in a constant state of busyness. “There’s never enough time in the day.” “I’m always tired.” “I need a vacation.” If you find yourself speaking such words on a regular basis, you need a “time for me” break. And another one. And another one. The point is, time for yourself should be taken on a regular basis, not after you have suffered a nervous breakdown, fainted from not eating right or simply shut down under the mental weight of stress.


Don’t fall into the guilty trap of feeling that you must work all the time. Your body was designed to handle an impressive amount of intelligence and physical activity, but it was also designed to rest. The harmony of these three create a lovely symphony of your life – one composed specifically for you. Wouldn’t you at least like to hear it?

Let’s begin writing your lyrics:
1.Write down these five areas of your life: mental stimulation, physical fitness, emotional stability, spirituality and fun. Rate the wellness of each category from 1-10, 10 representing excellent, 5, fair and 1, poor. Be honest, and your results will speak for themselves.

2.For each category, write five things you could do to maintain wellness – or sanity – in that area of your life.

3.Get a calendar and decide the days of the month you will accomplish one item from each category. Record your decisions on the calendar, and place the calendar somewhere where you have to see it every day.

From month to month, vary the items you select to do in each category. You may find that you have time for more than one item per category in a given month. You will also discover which things really work for you and which things you only thought would work for you. You can eliminate or add to your original list as you make such discoveries.

The key here is not to focus on accomplishing all of the things you think you need to do each month. Rather, it is to continually do something towards the goal of “taking time for me” each month. Plan for the month, but focus on the week so that you don’t get overwhelmed. If you don’t follow your plan this week, so what? Move on, and plan to take time for yourself next week. Write down these activities for yourself in your organizer just as you would an appointment. In fact, write them down first, and then plan appointments and other obligations around them. Place items on your list that you enjoy doing. It’s all about you. Soon you may find yourself doing these things – taking time for you – automatically. You will hum your symphony without even realizing it. It will be the background music – the peace – of your life.