168 hours in the week – how are you distributing yours?

14^th November 2011

You are my friend when you can guard my failure, challenge my thought and celebrate my success. Unknown

It’s Monday morning again and for some it follows a fabulous weekend and you’ve relaxed, recharged and you are raring to go again (that includes me).  For the rest of you, maybe you’ve woken up not feeling any more refreshed than when the weekend started because you did so much or you’re just burnt out.

There’s no denying that life these days is busy. Fun as it is, simply managing work, family and social commitments can feel like a bit of a juggling act. So it’s hardly surprising that something gets lost in the mix. Yesterday I mentioned the word ‘neglect’ which seemed to get a reaction and if I’m honest that’s exactly what I wanted it to do, get your attention.  Because let’s be honest it can be easy to forget to make time for ourselves, so this week I’m inviting you to put aside 10 minutes a day dedicated entirely to ourselves.  Why?  Because we’re worth it!

Why ten minutes you may wonder, well because it’s realistic, I think all of us can find ten minutes a day, heck most of us mess about on facebook for three times that probably!

So what could you do with those ten minutes, you might use them to go for a walk, to catch up on that novel you’re reading, to plan what you’re gonna eat for your dinner or to simply sit back and relax with a refreshing cuppa. It doesn’t matter how you use it, what matters is that it’s an opportunity for you to get back to you.

You can start right now if you like; put together a list of the kinds of things you would indulge in if you had more time. For example, you might like to potter in the garden, try a bit of meditating or read a book. Refer to this list for inspiration next time you find yourself with a spare 10 minutes. Remember, this is your time – use it to get you back to you.

I got this idea from a magazine I was scanning yesterday and quite liked it, there were three categories ‘relax, recharge, refresh’ which one do you most need, it might be a different one each day.  Relaxing is the easiest I suppose because it involves not doing a lot, something none of us have time for, so a ten minute soak in the bath maybe, a bit of pilates or yoga, a face mask, meditation – anything that chills you out.  Recharge, well you could have a boogie round the kitchen or go for a walk round the block or ten minutes on your Wii Fit.  Refresh - sit and read for ten minutes (this is what I’m going to do, I love to read but never have the time, so this week I’m making time!) or get crafting or scrapbooking, or maybe journaling/blogging something that takes you away from reality for ten minutes so you’re ready to cope when you return.

Go on – it’s only 10 minutes, but as you’ll soon realise, 10 minutes can make a big difference.

168 hours in the week – how are you distributing yours?