This is part 2 of a list I excerpted from my 2000 book, How Much Joy Can You Stand? (Ballantine) which I'm about to re-release on the Net as a free ebook. (Watch for details here.)
- Multi-task. Fold nurturing practices into your routine, such as meditating or praying while you walk, or practicing an instrument while dinner cooks. Rather than stare at work on the train, take a book you've been wanting to read. Books on tape are especially good for this.
- Rethink your routine. Jot down your daily routine, then reevaluate it. Does reading the newspaper cover-to-cover do as much for you as working on the furniture you keep wishing you had time to refinish?
- Cut corners cooking. Take advantage of gourmet take-out and grocery-store fast foods, such as prewashed salad, precut vegetables, and premarinated chicken.
Let the answering machine pick up. Better yet, get on-line and encourage friends to e-mail you, instead of calling. - Create your own sanctuary. Make a room of your own, preferably with a door. Hang a Do Not Disturb sign on it, and don't let others interrupt you. Family and friends will honor your request to have some time for yourself only if you do, too.
- Quit volunteering so much. Cut your list back to only those things that truly enrich you. Give other people a chance to do the rest.
- Divide up the housework. Hand over the laundry and vacuuming to your mate. Teach your children to do dishes, cook meals and mop floors. And be willing to give up control of the end results. Read Patricia H. Sprinkle's book, Children Who Do Too Little ; Why Your Kids Need to Work Around the House (and How to Get Them to Do It) for terrific pointers on how to make this happen.
- If you can't relax your standards, delegate. Hire local teenagers, professional housecleaners, or even a temp service to help you clear out your desk, answer correspondence, pay bills, organize closets, walk the dog -- whatever you can give up that makes more time for you.
- Do something you truly love. Once you've created this time for yourself, use it wisely. Take on the challenges and dreams that really will improve your life. Chances are that once you start, it will be very hard to stop.
Technorati Tags: Joy, creativity, motivation
Suzanne, I think that last point is so important - use the time wisely. So often we make space for ourselves, and then quickly fill it up again until we are stressed again! It takes a little bit of discernment to make sure you are filling that space with the things you truly want :)
Posted by: Evie | June 07, 2006 at 11:07 AM