For many, including myself, making yourself a priority, is a hard concept to grasp and other times it is so easy. Why is this?
For me, I have found that making myself a priority makes my life much easier. I feel better about taking on each day. I feel in charge and in control of my life. The challenge comes in when I have feelings of wanting to belong, or be part of something, or want to feel valued and important then my decision making process shifts. Instead of doing things for myself that are good for me and those around me I start doing things for other people that make them happy and don’t take into consideration the impact it will have on me, my time and my feelings. I allow my day to run me instead of me running my day. Can you relate?
An example of this might be when I take on extra grand-parenting time knowing that I have work to do. I say, “yes” and then end up having to get up early to finish a project I am working on or stay up later so that I still get quiet time with my husband. My family is probably my biggest weakness but I think you get the idea. It isn’t that I don’t want too help and be involved it is that saying no feels selfish which is why I struggle on a daily basis with making myself a priority.
Here are a few things that I do to protect my time and make me a priority.
- Schedule my workouts into my calendar – the workouts don’t always happen but at least the time is blocked out for me.
- Schedule time away with my husband – running three businesses keeps us very busy we have to plan quality time for us so that we stay connected and on the same page.
- Getting up early has also been instrumental in making me a priority. This took me a while to figure out but now it allows me to get my “thinking work” done before the world comes to life and things get crazy. I feel accomplished, organized and prepared for whatever the day may bring.
What are some tools and strategies that you use to keep yourself a priority?