5 Easy Ways To Make Time For Yourself Even When You Think You Can’t!

This post has been written in collaboration with Jord Watches. I received a beautiful Cora Polaris wood watch in exchange for my honest review. All opinions about the watch, self-care tips, making time for yourself, and other suggestions are my own.

Cora Polaris Turquoise Jord Watch

make time for yourself

Making time for yourself and practicing self-care might be the last thing on your list. I get it. With all the responsibilities you already have with work, housework, motherhood, or even caregiving, how can you possibly have time for yourself?.

Here’s the cold truth: we really, truly, don’t have time. I know. That’s why we must make time. Because the less time and attention we give to ourselves, the more difficult it will be to give our time and attention to others. It’s as simple as that.

time is of the essence

Today, I am talking about time for two reasons.

  • Reason 1: I am hosting a giveaway for your chance to win a $100 gift code towards the purchase of any Jord watch of your choice, and
  • Reason 2: Making time for myself is a subject dear to my heart and I want to take this opportunity to share my self-care tips with you.

Trying new products and sharing my experience with my readers is one of my favorite parts of blogging. But I enjoy even more when the process inspires me to tell a story.

Here’s a short and clear review of my Jord watch. And a little story about my tried and true ways to make time for myself.

Jord Watch Review

The moment I opened the carefully packed box, I knew this would be a stylish and well crafted watch.

Jord Watch

All the little details included in the package. A lint free gray cloth, a small travel bag in suede with matching polishing cloth, and a ‘Preserve Cleaning Oil’ pen (top right in the picture below) to care for the wooden wristband.

Cora Polaris Turquoise Jord Watch

The watch is beautiful and classy. It has a vibe of sophistication of natural zebrawood from West Africa encased in hand-polished metal with 14ct gold tones. The dial is a beautiful and vibrant turquoise that I could not resist. If you know me by now, you know how much I love anything in such hues.

Most watches have additional options for customization, like mixing and matching faces and woods. They can also be sized for the recipient. I used their measuring guide, but the watch was still a little too big for me. My personal advice would be, go 1 cm smaller than what the chart says.

Pro Tip: My local watch repair shop adjusted the wristband for me by removing 2 links for just $5.

Cora Polaris Turquoise Jord Watch

Even my jewelry box agrees.

Cora Polaris Turquoise Jord Watch

A constellation of Swarovski crystals depict the Little Dipper. The North Star is accentuated at 12 o’clock. How beautiful is that? For a girl that loves astronomy, this is such an original touch.

Cora Polaris Turquoise Jord Watch

My second favorite feature has to be the back plate. Which isn’t even a plate, but a sapphire crystal window where the watch’s mechanics are visible. There’s also a small crystal in the dial.

Most watch backplates can be engraved. Which is something I would’ve loved to have, but you can’t have it all. I am very happy with my see-through plate.

Cora Polaris Turquoise Jord Watch

The watch is self-winding, which means that it doesn’t need batteries. It has a 40-hour power reserve that can be maintained through hand winding and the natural movement of your body.

This is truly a timeless and stunning piece! All the designs are really beautiful, but it wasn’t hard for me to pick my favorite. The Cora Polaris in turquoise and gold was love at first sight.

Cora Polaris Turquoise Jord Watch

I want you to stick around because I am giving away a $100 gift code you can use towards any Jord Watch of your choice. And just by entering you will receive a 10% off coupon code, too.

How to Make Time for yourself

Fancy Jord watch or not, making time for yourself and practicing self-care is an important part of life. I was talking to my friend Alicia today. I mentioned how difficult it’s been for me to be the caregiver of my father-in-law. He has Alzheimer’s disease.

Her words were simple but wise. ‘Caregiving for an Alzheimer’s patient is tougher on your mind than it is in theirs. So, take care of yourself!’

Boy, is she right?! The last 6 months have been rough for me. The inspiration behind my article ‘5 Things the Exhausted and Overworked Mom Needs to Do Right Now‘. So, in a desperate search of time for myself, I have found 5 ways to make that time. I am taking care of myself even when I think that there’s no possible way I can.

Here’s what I am doing to practice self-care. Perhaps one of these tips will help you make time for yourself, too.

1. Wake Up {Way} Earlier

If you would have told me a year ago that I would be setting my alarm to go off at 4:45 am, I would’ve laughed.

Well, self-care tip #1 is this. I am giving myself 2 hours of ‘me time’ every weekday morning. After 5 months of practicing this, I can tell you that those are the most productive hours of my day.

Now, the definition of ‘Me Time’ is subjective. To me, the best way to spoil myself is to allow myself enough alone time to write, set goals, edit pictures, or create a product. Because my work is my passion, and my favorite thing to do, this is one of my favorite ways to take care of myself.

In my article ‘10 Daily Habits that Will Save You Time at Home‘, I also mention how waking up earlier has helped me manage my time better, which in the end means less rushing, and therefore, less stress.

2. Schedule Time With and For Yourself

Yes, sounds obvious but most of us don’t do it. We are too busy taking care of others, attending birthday parties with our children, chauffeuring them to and from school or soccer practice, running errands, and grocery shopping. But we rarely schedule time with and for ourselves.

Although I consider myself a healthy person, I know that preventive care is absolutely necessary. And I failed to schedule it for the past couple of years. One of my personal goals this year is to take charge of my health.

I am really good at scheduling well visits to the pediatrician, and dentist appointments for my son. I should be as good taking care of my own health. Even if it means going to the dentist -which is not the most pleasant thing to do- scheduling time to take care of yourself brings satisfaction, and most important, peace of mind.

Taking care of your health, scheduling appointments (doctor, chiropractor, dentist, nutritionist, etc.), is a good -and smart – way to make time for yourself.

3. Sneak In Me-time Without Guilt

If you find yourself spending a great amount of time with and for others, you need to sneak in me-time. Here’s what I do. It may not be ideal for some, but in most cases, it’s absolutely necessary for your own sanity.

  • Read a book while your children are engaged in any extra-curricular activity. Glance and smile at them, praise their progress, but also, whenever possible, give that moment to yourself. Some kids skills thrive on their parents staring at them, others perform better when they’re zoned in and know no one is watching ( I know mine does).
  • Put on your headphones and listen to your favorite podcast (or music) while making dinner. I do this to cancel TV noises and get ‘zoned-in’. I give my son a heads up and tell him to come and get my attention if he needs me.
  • Grab a coffee and a snack, or even lunch at the grocery store. Sitting down minutes before or after the shopping gives you a sense of ‘slowing down’. You deserve the moment of silence, and the moment of ‘doing nothing’.
  • If you have the flexibility to work from home, go out to a coffee shop and put in some work hours out of the house. At home, we are constantly distracted by ‘all the things’! Stop straightening the house -a.k.a. tending for others-. Grab a cup of coffee and your laptop. Make time for a work meeting with yourself. Try it!

Think about all those little moments you can steal. There’s no harm, no guilt.

4. Make Self-Care a Priority

We are experts at setting rules for our kids when we want (or don’t want) them to do this or that. We have them on schedule for doing homework and for bedtime. We set screen-time limits, and teach them the discipline to attend their soccer practice every time. We teach them what priorities are, what comes first.

Why can’t we be strict like that with ourselves? We need to find a way to be strict with self-care and make time to practice it. In other words, you can’t let yourself go. No one is going to tell you what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. You need to take the act of self-care seriously. It’s an essential part of your well-being.

I recently read on an Instagram post from my friend Jennifer, The Intentional Mom, how she makes running and going to the gym ‘non-negotiable’ in her daily routine. Even though she doesn’t love running, she loves the feeling of accomplishment once she’s done.

The key words here are ‘non-negotiable’. Self-care, whatever your method or routine is, is non-negotiable. Make it a priority, schedule it, practice it, and repeat.

5. Stick to The Routine You LOve

Finally, when you find a non-negotiable self-care routine that works for you, keep it rolling. Do whatever is possible to exercise it over and over again until it becomes a habit. Until it becomes so natural to you that you don’t even have to think about fitting it into your schedule. It becomes a part of your life.

Now, habits can change from time to time. Sometimes certain circumstances break our routine and our habits get thrown off. This is absolutely normal, and an inherent part of life. But whenever possible, stick to that one routine you love. Make time for it.

As an example, I used to walk 3 miles, 4 times a week, at 8 a.m. for over a year. It was glorious! It was the best self-care routine I have ever stuck too. It was more of an exercise for the mind than for anything else. Unfortunately, this routine changed due to changes in my personal life.

Currently, I am sneaking in me-time at night while I sit and watch TV with my family. Although it may sound like I am not really giving myself ‘alone time’, it works, and I love it. Sticking to this self-care routine is easy because it’s the last thing I do in the day.

After dinner and showers, we watch 30 min of TV as a family, to unwind. I take those 30 minutes to apply body lotion, and do my facial care routine. I also love to set my essential oils diffuser.

Lastly, before turning off the light, I apply my favorite hand-relief lotion. Something I don’t get to do throughout the day since I am always on the go, washing my hands, or typing on my computer.

This nighttime routine I am sticking to, is the perfect example of an easy way to make time for self-care without having to sacrifice anything.

Enter the jord watch giveaway

I hope you have found a tip or two that will help you make time for yourself and practice much-needed self-care. Whatever your choice is, big or small, any type of self-care -whether is an extra cup of joe at the coffee shop, a brisk walk, intense exercise, or a beauty routine- it is good for the mind and the soul.

As promised, below is the link for you to enter for a chance to win a $100 gift code towards any purchase of any Jord Watch of your choice! And remember, when you enter, you will automatically be entered to receive a 10% off discount code.

Every watch comes with a one year warranty and options for return and exchange, and free worldwide standard shipping.

Good luck!

Flavia
Wooden Wrist Watch

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