5 Ways to Find Me Time

What would you do if you had one hour to just yourself…everyday? Can you even imagine the possibilities?!

Read a book?

Workout?

Play with your kids?

Go to the nail salon?

Take a nap?

The options are limitless as we all try to find that elusive “me” time. It’s the one thing every parent desperately wants, but making time for ourselves seems practically impossible. Between kids, school, packing lunches, homework, laundry, bills, grocery shopping, work, and you know…sleep…who really has time?

But an hour to ourselves isn’t something we crave, it’s something we all need. Especially during the summer months. 

That’s why I was so inspired by Safeco Insurance and their newest #MY60 hashtag and campaign. They’re encouraging people to reclaim just 60 minutes a day over the course of 60 days. But how do we find that balance? Believe it or not it’s actually doable, ironically if you take the time to plan!

5 ways to find me time

1. Schedule Everything. Yes I mean everything! Work, date nights, workouts, kid’s events and sports, even your 60 minutes of free time. It’s much easier to find a window when you can see your calendar on paper, a Google calendar, or even an app on your phone like Cozi. 
2. Rise and Shine! They say the early bird catches the worm, so get up before your kids! I try to rise at 5:00 am during the school season and 6:00 am in the summer. I get in a workout, a cup of coffee or tea, and sometimes take a long hot shower. It’s so relaxing to have that quality time to yourself, plus it restores some peace into our overbooked lifestyle. And it’s much easier to start your day when you don’t have to rush to be late!
3. Meal Plan. This is so hard to do on the weekends when we want to play, or swim…but meal planning saves so much time. That hour on Saturday mornings can mean hours of time saved during the week. Plus meal planning really does help your budget as well. Bonus points if you make freezer meals on the weekends so you don’t have to cook during the week!
4. Prep the Night Before. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, if you have kids or  you work, you likely have to make lunches for yourself or your campers. Choosing outfits for little ones or even ourselves can also be time consuming in the mornings. So do it the night before, and make the coffee then as well. You may just save yourself 30 minutes in the morning!
5. Online Help! Don’t forget to take care of as much as you can online to help with your weekly routine. Bill paying, budgeting, appointment scheduling, and you can even place grocery orders ahead of time in some areas to save time. Why sit on hold at your doctor’s office if you can do it in seconds on your computer?

I was encouraged to start making time for myself last year when I interviewed Olympic Soccer star Brandi Chastain. She told me,

We have to see our own value, and when we do then we can give our best in the other arenas. I make it mandatory for myself…I exercise or hang out with my girlfriends everyday. Sometimes it’s at lunchtime, or some days at 5:00am. If I don’t do this then I don’t feel good. And if I don’t feel good I’m not a good mom, partner or friend.”

Safeco Insurace invites you to visit their site  to find tips and checklists on how to create and maximize a “do more hour” for yourself. With 93 percent of families in this country requiring a dual income, finding balance between work and our children is becoming increasingly difficult – but it doesn’t have to be impossible. 

If you decide to take this challenge as we are, please join the conversation over on mommy in SPORTS Facebook page! 

Disclaimer: I wrote this post on behalf of Safeco Insurance, but did not receive compensation!