Take time for yourself

Put yourself out there Life has a way of flowing effortlessly when we put ourselves out there. If there’s something you’ve been wanting in your life, take one small action towards it and notice how other things fall into place. It could be a simple phone call you’ve been putting off, a book you’ve been meaning to read or a website you’ve wanted to visit. Do it now and have faith in the power of taking that first step. Tie up loose ends Regularly schedule one hour a week to devote to tying up loose ends. These little to-dos take less time than you think to complete and yet, left undone, eat away at you, draining your energy and clouding your mind. If you finish in less than an hour, use the extra time to reward yourself with a special indulgence. Eliminate clutter Are magazines and catalogues piling up on every flat surface in your office? If you’ve had them for over three months and still haven’t read them, it’s time to take an honest look at whether they are adding value or complicating your life. Go online and remove your name from catalogues you don’t read. Cancel magazine subscriptions that clutter your life, drain your energy and rob you of peace-of-mind. You can always purchase the odd magazine or two when you have some extra time to devote to reading (i.e. when you’re on vacation or home sick). Make life easier Items that are used together should be stored together to make tasks easier and save you time. Store all your car wash supplies in one bin; your gardening supplies in another. Imagine how much easier it will be to wrap gifts when your gift bags, cards, scissors, bows, tape and pen are all stored together. Live in the moment We have become a society of multi-taskers, but in an effort to be more efficient, we have robbed ourselves the pure pleasure that comes from performing simple tasks. Next time you wash dishes, fold laundry, or set the table, focus only on the task at hand. Engage your senses; notice the fresh smell of clean laundry, the rainbow colours in the soap bubbles, the beauty of a table set with care (candles, flowers and cloth napkins). You’ll feel less frazzled and more peaceful. Let go of the “shoulds” Next time you catch yourself thinking guilt-inducing things like, “I should go to the gym” or “I have to wash the windows”, shift your perspective. Find a way to make the task more enjoyable so you can replace the “shoulds” and “have tos” with “like to,””want to” or “could.” Reframing your thoughts in this manner puts you in control because you are deciding to do the task out of desire not criticism. Another option is to reevaluate the task to see if it really is a necessity or if you can drop it from your to-do list altogether.