27 Things You Can Do For ME TIME (even though you’re busy)

The other day I was chatting with a few other Moms about me time ideas. Excuses were flying around like crazy.

• “I don’t have time.”
• “I’m never alone.”
• “More important stuff needs to be taken care of.”
• “It’s just not that easy to find the time.”

I call BULL! We have been invested in this parenting gig for a really, really long time. We are running the show, holding down the fort, steering the ship… however you want to put it.

If we want to be able to manage this life as Moms, then we have to take care of ourselves, or we are going to crack.

Finding, creating, and demanding small spaces of time for ourselves has to be a priority.

There is no waiting for when things settle down because things will never settle down. The time to start taking care of you is NOW!

Luckily the hardest part is making the decision to find time for you. Since you are reading this I would bet you’re on board.

Use this list of me time ideas to get yourself thinking; read it a few times. Jot notes of activities you can expand on or change a bit. Better yet, tell us your plans in the comments to inspire others.

Me Time Ideas for Early Risers

Not everyone is an early riser. If you’re not, that’s okay! If you do wake up early you can make a daily routine that starts with some of these me time ideas.

• Journal. Buy yourself a pretty journal and grab a pencil. Just start writing or use journal prompts. (This is a great time to cultivate gratitude. Use these prompts of things to be grateful for as a stay at home mom.)
• Drink coffee out of your favorite mug. In quiet. Until it’s empty. No reheating is required.
• Give yourself a pedicure. Enjoy a warm soak and sit still while the polish actually dries!
• Do yoga. Or stretch or lift weights or learn a new dance from someone on YouTube.
• Create a miracle morning routine. The Miracle Morning has changed the way I start my day. I wake up an hour and a half before the kids. It’s my time and centers me for the day. This simple process reminds me why I do what I do for the rest of the day. (This is an affiliate link, but you can also get it from the library!)

Me Time Activities That Only Take a Few Minutes

Look at your to-do list, could any of these me time activities fit into your day without much fuss?

• Go for a walk. It can be for the purpose of exercise, but it doesn’t have to be. Pick a route you enjoy and focus on the little things that make you smile. (PS… you can do this while pushing a stroller or following a trike.)
• Sketch. Next time the art supplies come out for your little artist, grab your own sketchbook!
• Read a book. You know… one without pictures. Pick a fiction book, an inspirational book, or a book that teaches you something new. Of course, if you enjoy reading books with pictures, that’ll work too. Once you get started, it’s amazing how many 5-minute reading sessions you can find throughout the day.
• Fall in love with a new musician or group. Remember how fun it was to find a new artist? Once you started listening, you couldn’t stop!
• BREATHE! These three breathing exercises are simple to learn. They work for energizing, relaxing, and meditating.

Things to do for Me Time During Chores

You have to do them anyway! You might as well add some me time ideas to the process.

• Shop for fun. When you tell Hubby how long you’ll be out running errands, round up a little. Use that time to stop at a “just for fun” store or spend some extra time browsing your favorite aisle at the store you’re at.
• Listen to an audiobook. Scrubbing the toilets is much more fun when you get to listen to the next chapter of your book!
• Meet a friend for breakfast. Breakfast and shopping. One of my favorite days of the week is grocery shopping day. That’s because I get up really early and meet my Mom for breakfast. We enjoy an hour of quiet chat time and hit the store just as it opens. It doesn’t affect anyone else, and I get some me time!
• Watch a movie. Make it a rule that you fold laundry alone. Each load buys you about 10 -15 minutes if you fold really slow… hee hee. By the end of laundry day, you’ll have watched the whole thing and be looking forward to full laundry baskets.
• Enjoy a hobby. Bring along something fun to do while you wait in the carpool line. Crochet, needlepoint, or reading a magazine about your favorite hobby can all be done while waiting.

Me Time Ideas To Plan Ahead

Get a couple of me time activities on the calendar. You’ll be surprised how much easier it is to make them happen when you plan ahead a bit.

• Join a book club. Find a local book club or join one online. Check out the book club for recovering readers, put together just for busy Moms.
• Learn to paint. In our area, painting studios are all over the place. They offer classes and open paint sessions. Find one and go! Meet a friend there or go on your own.
• Date your love. Ahhh, you remember him, right? Part of taking care of you is taking care of both of you. And that means dates. Sneak in at- home date nights after the kids are in bed.
• See your friend. Some of your friends have kids, right? Setting up a play date might not be exactly what you have in mind for a girls’ night, but it’s still fun. Just make sure to plan some stuff that involves moderate Mommy involvement so the two of you can sit back and chat for a bit.
• Soak in the bath. With candles and enough music to drown out the noise on the other side of the door. It’s okay, and actually good, to claim some time for yourself. You can give your family a time frame if that helps them feel better. And be strict about interruptions. After a few times, they will know you mean business and figure out how to manage without you for a bit.
• Create a Vision Board. Get clear on your goals, priorities, and values. The bonus is having clarity for the upcoming days which might just increase your overall well-being.
• Do a Crawl. Pick a day and schedule a crawl. A group in my town did this as a big event for a plant group. The day was spent following a map of plant stores around our town. This year I’m going to do my own. I haven’t decided if I want to do it alone or with a friend. I plan to crawl bookstores. Doesn’t that sound like a lovely way to recharge my batteries?

Me Time Ideas to Invest In

There are plenty of me time ideas in this post that take little no money. Here are a few that might just be worth investing in.

• Massages. You could go for a foot massage, chair massage or full body. Schedule one now for some time in the future or schedule a recurring massage that becomes a regular part of your life.
• Get Your Nails Done. Let someone pamper you before the next event on your calendar. Spending time relaxing while you get a pedi might be just what you need to show up as your best self.
• Spa Day. I’m going to stretch this one a bit. What does a spa day look like to you? A face mask in quiet house while you binge Netflix cuddled up in bed? Getting your makeup done by someone else, just because? Or maybe it’s an actual day at the spa. You choose!
• Buy a Chair. Is there a piece of furniture in your house that brings you joy? That you love sitting in, looking at, spending quality time in? Buy one with YOU in mind, share it if you want to.
• Join a Class. Find a class that teaches a new skill or gets you moving. It can be a one-off class or something you do regularly.

Need a Mom Win for today? Mark reading this post down as MOM WIN! –> 50 Mom Wins You Didn’t Even Know You Could Celebrate

Where can you fit in some me-time today? Commit to it in the comment section and I’ll check in later to hold you accountable!