You're Doing Me-Time Wrong (Here's the Fix)

You're doing me-time wrong, and I should know. I've been doing it all wrong too. I'm changing it up so every moment is for me, and I'm not gatekeeping how.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's no spacious version of me-time coming. If you're holding out for a stretch of hours that belongs to you and only you, quiet, unhurried, nothing pulling at your attention, you're going to be waiting a long time.

So stop waiting for the version of me-time you used to picture. Start looking for it inside the time you already have, the time that's technically for other people, or for keeping the household running. It doesn't have to belong entirely to that.

Take the grocery store. That trip is never going to be me-time in the traditional sense. You're feeding people, running an errand, checking a box. But there's a difference between rushing through it, heads down and stressed, and swinging by the coffee shop first, putting your AirPods in, and letting a podcast, an audiobook, or a song that isn't a children's theme song fill the space while you do it.

Nothing about the errand changes. You still have to go. But you get to be a person doing it, not just a parent checking a task off. That's the shift worth making with more of your day, not just the parts that are already free.

I flipped this switch myself, and it's held up. I get my nails done once a month, but it feeds my me-time needs every day. Whenever I look down, I see polished nails, and it makes me happy. It makes me feel like a little bit of me shows up when I'm playing with Play-Doh or folding laundry.

You packed a beautiful snack box for the kids. Put one together for yourself too. Call your best friend while you're changing bed sheets.

Put together a playlist called Me-Time and add to it any chance you get, so you don't have to search for something to listen to when you have a minute. You'll have a list waiting for you.

For me, it's lipstick. I put it on every day, even if I don't leave the house. I love a bright one. It's a way to have fun and enjoy something I like every day instead of waiting for an occasion.

Once you flip the me-time switch, the floodgates of ideas on how to find yourself in every moment open easily. Have fun, and don't wait for me-time to appear. Make it happen