Have you ever thought about making a change in your life, but your schedule is SO BUSY that the months roll by and that goal is still a lofty wish? Ugh! I’ve been there! So let me help you take control of your time and develop your basic self-care routine.
Here I have created an easy step-by-step process to generate a daily plan. And once it becomes routine, it is easy to modify! But the biggest reward is that YOU are in charge of your time, your day, and your energy. LET’S GET STARTED!
The steps are outlined below, but you can click here for a free worksheet.
Step 1: Sleep
Recommended nightly sleep is between 6-8 hours per night. Decide how many hours you need/want to plan for. Then set your PM sleep time and your AM wake time.
Step 2: Work/School
Fill in your scheduled time during the day (ie: work schedule, school schedule). You can create 2 versions: one for the days you are at work/school and one for the days you are home.
Step 3: Responsiblities
Make a separate list of daily responsibilities. Some examples are dinner, laundry, running the kids to lessons. I usually leave a chunk of time in my schedule to perform these duties even if they change from day to day. Group items together that you do on a weekly basis that you need to make daily time for (laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, mowing lawn).
Step 4: Wish List
Make a wish list. These are the things that you would LIKE to have time to do. Examples include exercise, drinking more water, meal prep, reading, meditation/prayer time. Note times of the day that you prefer to do these things. (For example, I like to exercise in the evening because I prefer to shower in the evening). Group items together that you do on a weekly basis that you want to set time for and insert the activity.
Step 5: Re-evaluate
Look at your list. Is it realistic? Is there anything else you want to add? Keep a separate list for weekly activities for the days you don’t have work or school (such as meal prep, grocery shopping, finances etc).
Step 6: Fill out the Worksheet
Start entering times and tasks on the worksheet. I put all of my daily responsibilities on my schedule and see where I can incorporate my “wish list” items. Sometimes it helps to cross items off of my list above as soon as I enter them on the schedule.
That’s it! You’re done! Does it seem do-able? Is there balance? Do you have down-time/me-time? Below is a sample schedule that I have used.
SAMPLE SCHEDULE
Below is a sample of one of my days. I make sleep a priority, schedule my “wish list” items of drinking more water and exercising around my responsibilities, and plan my menu to hit my goal of 5 servings of fruits/veggies daily
| Time | Activity |
| 6am | Wake, chug water #1, 15 minutes of quiet time with coffee in bed |
| 6:15 | Breakfast for everyone: oatmeal with fruit, wake kids up, get lunches ready, get ready for work |
| 7:30 | Kids on bus, chug another glass of water, leave for work |
| 8:00 | Work starts |
| 10:00 | Chug glass of water #2, almonds and large raw carrot |
| 12noon | Lunch: turkey, cheese, lettuce wrap, yogurt with granola, seltzer water |
| 2:00pm | Glass of water #3, apple |
| 4:00 | Work ends, drink Water #4 on way home |
| 4:30 | Kids off bus, Have snack for everyone: fruit smoothie, prep for dinner |
| 5:00 | My Time (exercise, meal plan, music), Water #6 |
| 6:00 | Dinner (heat and serve): grilled veggies, turkey burgers, brown rice |
| 7:00 | Kids homework, everyone showers/PJs, Water #7, free time for everyone afterwards |
| 8:30 | Kids in bed |
| 9:00 | Plan for next day, lay out clothes for morning, fill glass of water next to bed, brush teeth, PJs, quiet time with hot tea, read |
| 10:00pm | Lights out, Sleep |
“When you say ‘yes’ to others, make sure you are not saying ‘no’ to yourself.” ~Paolo Coehlo
GOOD JOB!!!
*I also cover the topics of: Finances and Creating a Budget, Establishing Routines that Stick, and Health benefits of sleep, hydration, meditation, beauty, and exercise. Click above to read more on each specific topic!
