Finding Time for You
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[00:00:00] Hi, today's focus is really around the adage that you cannot pour from an empty cup. I've noticed a trend in my coaching clients where those who come to me with parenting or family concerns truly at the end of the day, want and need the permission. The time, the space and the ability in general to have time for themselves. They want to have it all because they're juggling so many plates and they're each so important that none can afford to be dropped or sacrificed to make time for themselves. The risk of this is losing yourself and parenthood, which happens. So, so frequently. So today we're going to talk about this very common challenge and some practical tips for time management that can really help you get to the other side of it so let's go
Hey friends, [00:01:00] it's Katy, host of the Christian Career Mom podcast, founder of Covenant Collections Christian Parenting Company, and author of Christian children's book, Happy Are the People. Whether it's your first time listening or you've been here with us before, the Christian Career Mom exists to remind us all that while busy is an often unavoidable state of being, it is not a badge of honor and it is not a measure of our worth.
God gives us everything we will ever need to thrive in our careers, our personal lives, our families, and most importantly, our faith. We explore all the ways to tap into that God given grace here and find fulfillment in all areas of our lives. It's so important to have a supportive community to lean on, and that's exactly what we're here for.
So grab a cup of coffee or your favorite drink, find a cozy spot to listen, and let's dive in. It's you, babe.
Hey friends. Welcome to episode 11. As a parenting coach and as a Christian career, mom, myself, I completely understand the [00:02:00] plate juggling. It's so simple for people to say, you need to make time for yourself. You can't pour from an empty cup. You have to put your own oxygen mask on first and so on. But it's much more difficult in reality, for those of us who simply are not willing to give less than 100% in any area of our lives, except for. To ourselves. Many of us are juggling multiple roles and responsibilities from being a dedicated parent and excelling in our work to maintaining our faith and nurturing relationships. We're like real life superheroes giving a hundred percent to everything and everyone around us. But unfortunately that leaves one crucial aspect that often gets neglected. Ourselves. Eventually we're all faced with this realization that those old outages are true. And we can't pour from an empty cup. We can't keep being good at everything while running [00:03:00] ourselves into the ground. And we can't risk giving less of ourselves to the things that we value the most. This is where light bulb moment number one comes in. Right. Which is, Hey, I need to figure this MI stuff out because I cannot mess up these top priorities. Which are often your family, your career and your faith. Then as we start to be open to that idea, we have light bulb moment. Number two. Which is, you know what? I actually want to focus on myself a bit more. Which can open up a mental block of is this selfish? Do I have time for this and so much more. But light bulb number three happens right before we actually take action. And that's. You know what, actually, I need this, I want this and I deserve this. That's when we're finally ready to find [00:04:00] time for ourselves. If any of that sounds familiar and your at any place from point a to Z in that process, then today's episode should be helpful for you. We're going to focus on the importance of prioritizing your self-care and how to actually make time for yourself without sacrificing your other priorities. So let's start off by making this abundantly clear. Self care is not a luxury. It's a necessity for maintaining your overall wellbeing. It involves taking deliberate actions to preserve your physical, emotional, and mental health. Self care is crucial in a few different ways. And I want to give those examples because when I say self care, I don't necessarily mean. Nails and hair. I mean things that truly benefit your mind, body and soul, which if you feel like that's your nails and hair, then that's fine. Getting enough rest and prioritizing moving your body and [00:05:00] eating well is going to prevent you from so many illnesses and a significant risk of burnout. Which you cannot afford to have. So reason number one, self care is important would be of course your physical health. Number two is your emotional health. Managing your stress, anxiety and negative emotions in general. By taking time for yourself is going to help you keep your emotional battery charged and build resilience that will get you through these busiest years of your lives. And number three. Mental health. These activities such as meditation or relaxation will provide mental clarity and creativity, which can then enhance your problem solving abilities and your decision-making skills. Number four is your relationships? Caring for yourself allows you to maintain healthy relationships with others because you're able to communicate better. [00:06:00] And provide greater support to others. And lastly, number five is increased productivity. Taking breaks, although it seems counterproductive actually makes us much more productive. We're wired to perform more efficiently when we're refreshed and rested. Next, I'm sure we're all familiar with the empty cup analogy, but just in case. Let's picture you have five cups on a table in front of you. Only one of them is full and that cup represents you. The other four empty. And those are your family, your work, your faith and your relationships. You can't afford not to pour into those cups. So you have to each day you give more and more of yourself to each of them and you're doing great. You're a rock star. You're managing it. All people literally compliment you and say, wow, she really can [00:07:00] handle everything. You feel confident and sure of yourself and your processes. Over time, your self cup is getting emptier and emptier, and you're starting to realize that soon you're going to run out of water in your cup. And your top concern isn't even, oh my goodness. I'm going to be empty. Your first concern is, oh my goodness. I'm not going to be able to give those other four cups what they deserve, what they need, what I owe them, what I have to give them. There's nothing left for me to give them. And that's not an option. So that's where light bulb number one comes in. I need to refill myself. Which is the empty cup analogy, essentially, you literally cannot pour anything from an empty cup. So, if you allow yourself to reach empty, you will soon realize there's nothing left for those other things that you care so much [00:08:00] about. I feel like God designed us this way on purpose, knowing and encouraging our selflessness. But putting a protection in place for us that really requires us to avoid neglecting ourselves. If we want to continue giving to others. The myth of perfection is a big one here. And most of us do fall guilty to it at some point or another, we think we have to do everything exactly. Right, but that's not the case. So please remind yourself of that frequently. You need to do the best that you possibly can, and that will never be perfect. And that will always be okay. So hold yourself to achievable goals and realistic expectations to reduce some of the stress in your life and make sure you implement some effective time management strategies into your day. And find ways to make time for self care in your busy schedule, even if they're quick and simple methods. Also incorporate some form of support and [00:09:00] accountability to make sure you stay true to your goals. As always lean on your faith for a source of strength and support. So I'm going to give you six time management strategies to really help with this. And you can obviously take what may work for you and leave the rest, or try a few different things for a period of time to find just what works best for you. So number one, you're going to list every task that needs to be completed. Including time for the self care you choose to work towards and you're going to prioritize them. Then obviously you focus on your top priorities first. Number two, create a daily schedule. I don't think I could personally function without this. Well, I would, but one of my cups would get neglected for sure. Most likely mine. Uh, to-do list time blocks and so on. I really overestimate the amount of time each task will take so that I can allow [00:10:00] for life interruptions, because I know how it makes me feel if I reach the end of the day and I didn't achieve everything on my list. So I hold myself super accountable to them, whether that's completely reasonable or not. But be realistic with the time blocks so that you aren't spreading yourself too thin or making your day to day unrealistic. Or completely devoid of enjoyment. Number three set boundaries. Don't over-commit yourself be comfortable saying no to something. If you don't truly have the physical time, the interest or the mental capacity to take it on. Number four delegate tasks. Include your family in tasks that may be draining you throughout your home. And if it's an option for your family, consider outsourcing in the areas where it's possible, like cleaning and grocery shopping. Or yard work. Number five, avoid multitasking. And I know this one hurts me too. It [00:11:00] feels so productive, but statistically multitasking actually increases our stress and decreases our efficiency. And last number six, schedule five minute reset and recharge breaks throughout your day. For example, if you homeschool and you know that your emotions typically run higher towards the end of bookwork time. Your patients gets thinner block five minutes every day. After that homeschool time. Where you step away and spend quiet time with yourself to reconnect and reset. If you want to work more closely together on your unique needs, challenges or concerns, please feel free to email me. At Katie that's K a T Y. At covenant collections.com to discuss if coaching may be a good fit for you. Or you can head over to covenant collections.com/coaching. [00:12:00] To learn more about how to get started and what all you can expect from a one-to-one coaching experience with me. So I just want to thank you for your time and remind you that you are not only capable, but you are so worthy of achieving the life that you dream of and pray for. I hope this was helpful and I hope you have a great weekend. I'll talk to you soon.
Let me say something else. Um, what I can say then? Hope you like the podcast!
I just learned how to say it! Leave my mommy in the blue!
I'm learning!
I couldn't possibly say it better than him. So if you enjoyed this podcast, please do head over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review. Share it with a friend and [00:13:00] subscribe so that you can get updated when we post new episodes. Love you and have a great day.
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