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Make Time For Yourself

Written on August 11, 2009 by Will Irvin

I’ve written before on the importance of time, and the fact that it is the one thing they aren’t making any more of. No matter what else is going on in the world, or in your life, time marches on, oblivious to the surrounding world. Whether you work for someone else, or you are a freelancer, you have to make time for yourself on a regular basis. It will not only help you stay sane, but it will actually improve your life.

Daily

I wrote last week about how you don’t have to be busy all day to feel like you’ve been productive. True, some days you will have enough work that has to be done that it will keep you busy all day. Other days, you will not. Regardless of how much work to do, you must take time out each day for yourself. Resist the urge to eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner at your desk. Take the time to get away from your work, and go eat your breakfast, even if your breakfast consists of nothing more than a cup of coffee and (gasp) a cigarette. You should also take a break from work every hour to recharge your brain. It has been proven that people become less productive if they do not take regular breaks throughout the day.

Weekly

I’m not sure of the point in history at which two days of the week became the “weekend”, but I’m sure glad they did. Having those two days off each week is very important. Much like the hourly breaks during the day, the weekend is a time for relaxing and recharging. You aren’t doing yourself or your clients any favors by working all week and then also working on the weekends. Take weekends into account when you bid on jobs, and consider that time as spoken for, and not available for performing work. If you work for someone else, it is perfectly acceptable to tell your employer “no” if they request that you work on the weekend. Inform them that they have you full-time all week, but the weekends belong to you. Be sure to make them understand that you need the weekend time to recharge so you can be effective the following week. They certainly don’t want you to get burned out, and become totally ineffective, do they?

Monthly

Once a month, you should go out and do something. If you have the means, and you enjoy such things, go to a movie, a play, or other form of public entertainment. If you’re more of an outdoors-y person, go to a local park, lake, or other nature area, and spend the day there. The point is to get out of the house, and remove yourself from all the distractions, stresses, and worries of life, if only for a few hours.

Quarterly

Every three months, go somewhere. Pack your bags, and get out! Seriously, you need to get away once in a while, even if it’s only for a weekend. You can plan the trip, or you can make it more spontaneous, whatever you prefer. Do not take your laptop with you. Do not plan the trip around internet access or wi-fi hotspots. Leave contact information with friends or family in case of a real emergency, and then turn your cell phone off. That’s right. Turn it off. Disconnect from the world for a few days, and just relax. You’ll find that when you do return to “life”, you will be rehcarged, and re-invigorated, and raring to go.

There’s only so much time. You can’t spend it all working. Well, you can, but what kind of life is that? A boring, stressful one, that’s what. Take little breaks during the day, and remember that the weekends belong to you, not to your clients or your employer. At least once a week, get out of the house. Go do something and leave your work at the office. At least once per quarter (every three months), go away for a weekend. Get away from it all and recharge your batteries. If you aren’t making time for yourself, then what’s the point of everything you’re doing anyway?

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