quality "me" time is more important than quantity. [arrow from "quality" to:] - Better work-life balance - Greater wellbeing - More engagement at work Quality "me" time doesn't necessarily mean being alone. Just doing what you want counts! Our favorite ways to spend our free time: 1. Watching TV 2. Socializing and communicating 3. Sports, exercise and recreation 5 Alone-Time Tricks 1. Wake up 30 minutes earlier than the rest of your household. [arrow to:] If making time for yourself is hard, do it early in the day while you have more willpower to stick to your goals. 2. If you have an office door, close it. [ILLUSTRATION idea: Do Not Disturb sign] 3. Take your lunch break in a park. 4. Temporarily unplug from your gadgets. 5. Make monthly dates with yourself. Ditch the Guilt Remember that taking care of yourself keeps you from burning out, which helps you be a better partner, parent, child and friend. DON'T tell your partner: I need space. DO share what you're doing: I joined a softball team. Be a "Satisficer" When faced with lots of options, people who are "satisficers" go for the "good enough" choice instead of the "perfect" one—saving them selves time and energy along the way. Try Reframing Think: I get to spend time with my kid instead of I have to spend time with my kid. This can make the time you spend caretaking feel less like work and more like play. USE YOUR "ME" TIME WISELY Invest in a good book, a musical instrument, a video game or stuff to play sports. Products that give us experiences—versus purely material goods—make us just as happy as life experiences like vacations, according to research. [Arrow from "Products that give us experiences" to:] They help us feel more competent in our lives. [Arrow from "life experiences" to:] They help us feel more connected to others. Both experiential products and life experiences help us express our identities. Find Your Flow Psychologists say we feel most alive and happy when we're fully engaged at a challenging task that we can handle. Get Social Feeling connected is essential component of human happiness, so make sure some of your "me" time helps you interact with others in ways that you enjoy: - Book club - Mani/pedi date - Game night - Happy hour drinks - Crafting party - Group hike - Camping trip Make Sleep-time "Me" Time Research shows that the quality of our sleep is affected by how positive or negative our thoughts are as we drift off. To prime yourself for good sleep, try expressing gratitude before bed through a prayer or a journal entry—or just think thankful thoughts. [quote] "I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude." —Henry David Thoreau SOURCES: Barker, J.E., Semenov, A.D., Michaelson, L. et al. (2014). Less-structured time in children's daily lives predicts self-directed executive functioning. Frontiers in Psychology. British Psychological Society Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm Carter, S.B. (2012). "6 Reasons You Should Spend More Time Alone", Psychology Today. Carter, S.B. (2012). "Why You Shouldn't Feel Guilty About Stealing a Little Time for Yourself", Psychology Today. Carter, S.B. (2015). "Reframing Parent-Child Time Can Reduce Stress", Psychology Today. Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York, NY: Harper and Row. Diener, E., Seligman, M.E.P. (2002). Very happy people. Psychological Science. Gailliot, M.T., Baumeister, R.F., DeWall, C.N. et. al. (2007). Self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source: Willpower is more than a metaphor. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Guevarra, D.A., Howell, R.T. (2014). To have in order to do: Exploring the effects of consuming experiential products on well-being. Journal of Consumer Psychology. Moneta, G.B., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). The effect of perceived challenges and skills on the quality of subjective experience. Journal of Personality. Offer, S., Schneider, B. (2011). Revisiting the gender gap in time-use patterns. American Sociological Review. Pew Research Center http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/04/18/on-weekends-dads-find-more-time-for-leisure-than-moms/ Schwartz, B., Ward, A., Monterosso, J. et al. (2002), Maximizing versus satisficing: Happiness is a matter of choice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. University of Michigan, The Early Years of Marriage Project Wood, A.M., Joseph, S., Lloyd, J. et al. (2009). Gratitude influences sleep through the mechanism of pre-sleep cognitions. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. " />
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NoneWhen we don't take care of ourselves, our ability to take care of the other stuff (and people) in our lives breaks down. Join our 4-week track for activities that help you allocate more "me" time—and make it a long-term habit. Try the "Find More Me Time" track today!
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