6 Ways To Find More 'Me Time'

6 Ways to Find More 'Me Time'

What chains us to our jobs? The prime culprit is fear. People are afraid of not getting an e-mail, missing a conference call—and of what they’ll discover about themselves if they relax. Before you can carve out time for yourself, do some soul-searching—not just about what you want but also about what you need. As human beings, we all need to take time to feed our souls. Here are some strategies for getting started.

1. Track where your time goes For several days, jot down what you’re doing every half-hour. Look for time-devouring sinkholes like reading blogs or flicking through TV channels. Ask yourself, “Is this the best way I should be spending my time right now?”

2. Identify what you like to doMake a list of your activities over recent months. Put a plus sign next to those that energized or excited you and a minus sign next to those that drained you. Use your past to plan your future by putting more plus activities on your calendar.

3. Schedule leisure first People think like Cinderella: First they have to finish their work and then they can do what they like. You may assume you have no other choice, but how you spend your time is based entirely on what you choose to do with it. If fitness is Priority One, for example, block out time for workouts and stick to your schedule.

4. Unplug Spend time being rather than only doing. Don't automatically turn on the news when you get home. Cocoon yourself in silence. Several times a day, come to a complete stop. Einstein used to sit in his chair with his keys in his hand and relax his mind until the keys fell, hit the floor and woke him. Thinking creates bodily tension, so when you close your eyes and clear your mind of thoughts, you re-energize.

5. Build pleasure into every dayListen to music that stirs or soothes you. Find music that you like to dance to and do that with your partner. Once you expose yourself to just a little pleasure with your partenr, it's like rekindling an old romance. You want more of it. And you can get it. You don't have to wait for the big birthday cake of a vacation.

6. Plan your breaksSchedule a long weekend every season as well as an annual vacation. Save for these holidays just as you would for retirement, so you think of them as an investment in your health rather than an expense. Make your need for time off clear to your boss and co-workers. Tie up loose ends before you go and delegate responsibilities to trusted colleagues. Leave your BlackBerry or laptop at home--or at least in your hotel room, so you can check messages at your convenience. Let go of vacation guilt and accept leisure for what it is: a life-enhancing gift to yourself.

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