We all enjoy life more when we have time for self each day.
Do you ever lament “I wish I had time for….” when talking about the things you love that make you feel good? The New Year is the perfect time for goal setting, and this week I want to help you work out ways that you can find more time to do the things that make you healthier and happier, and make this the best year ever!

Write a “List of 101 Dreams”- broken into columns of the facets of your life... include self, relationships, work, all the areas that make up your life.
Don’t limit yourself to the first things that come up in your mind. Keep writing everything, big & small, that you would like to see in your life in 2019.
Choose things that feed your soul, de-stress your mind and bring you enjoyment.
Think of things you would like to do this year, things you would like to enjoy each week, and also each day. This can be your “Health & Happiness” list, it can also be your “Goals" for the year.

My “Health & Happiness” list is always the same variations year in year out... it includes:

• Daily exercise (for me this is a combination of bike riding, gym sessions and yoga)
• Time to breathe without my days being overfilled
• Preparing nourishing food & trying new recipes that keep me inspired
• Caring for my skin daily 
• Inspiring work projects that challenge and grow me
• Time outdoors in nature 
• Eating at the dining table or outdoors instead of in front of the television 
• “Couple time” that isn’t work related
• A weekly home-spa ritual of at least an hour 
• Having an organised kitchen, my bathroom feeling “spa-like" and my office being clear and inspiring
• Reading books that either grow my mind, inspire me or give me escape
• Meditating
• Being around a much-loved pet and giving and receiving unconditional love (for us this is Kenji, our rabbit!) 
• Holidays to places that connect me with my soul

My “Goals” this year are to finish (at least) one of the two books I am writing, to create more films, to do more of what I love at work (which is writing and creating to share our lifestyle and inspiring others), to travel less for work so I’m home more often, to have more breathing space in my days, and to beat my last times cycling up the mighty Dolomites in Italy in July!

Change can only happen when you change yourself. Is it really true we "have no time”? This is the time to analyse how we use our hours each day.. truthfully!

Log your time outside of work and sleep.

Most of us spend an average 8 hours at work (if you spend longer at work, more on this to follow), and sleep on average 8 hours. That leaves all of us with 8 hours in the day for us to choose what we do with.

I hear you saying, “But I have so many other responsibilities I need to do with my 8 hours, it doesn’t leave time for me!”
This is true, we all have to do things like prepare food, home organisation etc, but can we get more organised with these aspects? Can we create more boundaries with our time?
Example: can we meal plan better for the week? (This is actually one of the books I am writing, it’s called “Nourish Your Week”, filled with my favourite recipes that form the foundation for an organised week.. so excited to share this soon!)
How much time do we spend looking for things each day, or finding the right outfit to wear, because you’re not organised or prepared in advance? It’s time to get proactive, not reactive. Know your days and weeks, and prepare.
Write down a list of areas you can improve on with a little planning, and record how long you think you can save as a result. Every 10 minutes you can save will add up quickly. This is a confronting but positive action.. it’s like finding money in the bank you never knew you had.

My Sunday afternoon routine.. Prepping the foundations of meals and snacks for a successful week ahead!
These are frozen green smoothie bags and raw Cacao & Orange energy balls, which will be part of my book coming soon "Nourish Your Week".

I highly recommend everyone use a screen time app on their mobile phone for a month. Most people would be shocked to see how many hours, yes, HOURS, we actually spend EACH DAY “relaxing” by scrolling through social media, web surfing etc, or “just checking” regularly. It is an addiction. Then add TV screen time, and you will realise there are many extra hours available to you if you bring awareness to how much of your “8 hours free time” is taken by this form of “entertainment”. In reality screen time doesn’t feed your soul, it drains it (I bet none of you put in your 101 dreams List “I want to spend more time on Social media & watching TV!!).
Use a Screen time app:
Are you ready to face the reality of how much time you give to your phone each day?
Get brave..
I guarantee it will help you find more time for you starting NOW! 

In the book “168 Hours” by Laura Vanderkam, she shares that “in a culture where busyness is a sign of worth” it is very easy to miscalculate how much we actually work in a week.
Most of us overestimate our working week compared to the free time we have, or could structure our day differently to include more things from our “List of 101 Dreams” in our day. 
For example, we may work a lot of overtime, but could we train ourselves to get more done during our standard working days through better efficiencies or delegation? Do we need to travel to that meeting, or could you achieve the same results on the phone or Skype?

Unless you oversee an account that requires immediate action, checking every single email the moment it comes in is a huge distraction to your focus and goals for the day.

I aim to only read my emails at several periods of the day, and at the time I am actually able to action them. If you are checking things you don’t have time to action, then marking it as unread only to read it again you are wasting hours each week, and stressing yourself out unnecessarily!

(If this subject peaks your interest I highly recommend read “168 hours" to start the mind process, followed by “Work Smarter Live Better” for a work focus)

“We will never, ever get to the bottom of the bulging to-do list that most of us have- either in list format somewhere, or buzzing around our brains.

To think otherwise is an impossible dream”- Lorraine Murphy from “Get Remarkably Organised”. Acknowledging there will ALWAYS be something to do, can help us release ourselves of the guilt we often feel when we stop and take some time for self.
This is especially difficult for high-achievers. But honouring that time for self is a “goal for best living” will help us to acknowledge that it’s ok to let some things wait until tomorrow.

This is an area many people see as a “luxury”.

But isn’t life meant to be enjoyed? Aren’t we meant to feel great?
 
I know personally, when I have some time for self, I am a much nicer person to be around, I make better decisions, and I am so much happier.
The seemingly small things have the power to make a BIG difference in our life. 
WATCH OUR VIDEO TO GET MORE TIME FOR SELF-CARE RITUALS TODAY!

•  “168 Hours”- by Laura Vanderkam
• “Work Smarter, Live Better”- by Cyril Peupion (specific to work organisation)
• “Get Remarkably Organised”- by Lorraine Murphy