One of the most common objections when people ask how to put themselves first?
“I don’t have time!”
You’ve got a job. You’ve got a family. You have a partner, a dog, 3 hobbies, a sick parent, a social life AND a volunteer community to attend to.
Where exactly is this magical “time for myself” coming from? How can people afford to put so much time into self-care?
The truth?
You can’t afford not to.
The good news is that you don’t need more than 24 hours in a day to feel like you are coming first in your life. In this blog post, I will show you the super simple trick I use to put myself first WITHOUT needing more hours in the day.
Why do I need to put myself first?
Before I give you strategies for putting yourself first, I need you to understand this: it is NOT rude to put yourself first.
Ever heard of filling your own cup first? Of putting on your own oxygen mask first?
That’s about as clear as you can get. For some reason people think that your mental safety isn’t as important as physical safety. We all want to look after the other people around us.
But consider this:
- Can you take care of people if you are burnt out?
- Can you show up at your kids’ events if you want to stay in bed?
- Can you love your partner fully and whole-heartedly if you are in a constant state of exhaustion?
- Will you go out of your way to help friends if you barely have time to take a shower and enjoy breakfast?
I want you to be a good person who gives their energy generously.
Which is why I need you to start setting boundaries and putting yourself first.
Strategy for How to put yourself first: Make more time for yourself (I know, bare with me)
Yeah great Lucy, I want more time for myself so you tell me to “make more time for yourself”. Fabulous.
No honestly.
MAKE.
More time.
Carve out more time in your day.
Make more time for yourself by giving yourself more time to do tasks. You will notice an INSTANT change in your overall energy because you won’t be rushing to get everything done.
Instead, you will be cruising and enjoying the process of slowing down.
This simple self-care technique will:
- Improve your mental clarity
- Give you more breathing space for yourself
- Help you be there for others more
- Increase your energy
Easy ways to MAKE more time for yourself without adding hours to the day
1) Get up earlier than you need to
No matter what happens in the day, you have those quiet moments with your hands wrapped around a hot drink before work/before kids get up/before the rush of the day.
And that sounds WAY bette than running out of time and drinking coffee/brushing your teeth simultaneously like you usually do.
2) Do regular tasks slowly
It helps if you have already woken up early like the first point says!
Take time to eat breakfast. Brush your teeth for the recommended time. Drink your coffee while it’s still warm. Walk from your car to the office and stop to say hello to people.
Feeling less rushed=feeling like you are in control=feeling like you come first
3) Give yourself permission to enjoy things
For example, if you are enjoying cooking, take the time to indulge in the process- nobody will die if you take an extra few minutes standing in the warmth of the kitchen.
Nobody will die if you take a few extra minutes to feel the sun on your skin on your lunch break.
When youre in the shower, take a few minutes to breathe and enjoy the feeling of your body wash and getting clean again.
4) Say no more often
If you “don’t have time” to put yourself first, figure out what’s getting in the way!
What is on your schedule that is taking time away from precious self-care?
If you think you don’t have time, ask yourself questions like:
- Do I ACTUALLY not have time? Or am I running things inefficiently?
- Is it vital that I do this? Could somebody else do it?
- Am I doing this becuase I think I have to?
- Does this make ME happy?
- Could I pay for this to be done?
- Where do I need better boundaries?
- Am I thinking about this longer than I need to? Does that mean I should take it out of my life?
The first step of setting boundaries is to assess what energy leaks you have.
What parts of your life are sucking your energy and taking you away from your self-care?
That’s why I created the Energy Equation Exercise.
This calculator will help you assess what you need to remove from your life so that you can start putting yourself first unapologetically.
Using this free tool will help you
- Calculate what % your mental battery is on
- Help you prioritize your own needs (and not just look after everyone else)
- Help you make self-care a priority in your week without lighting a single scented candle (no fluff or b.s. here, just pure energy calculations!)
- Show you where you need to set boundaries in your life so you can show up as the most energized, high-vibe version of yourself
You can download this energy tool for free below and start putting yourself first TODAY.
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