Self Care Guide for Extremely Busy People // 5 Tips

Recently, I’ve been extremely busy, which is why I’ve been thinking about what a self-care guide for extremely busy people would look like.

I have a full-time job, I’m working on growing my blog. And I’m 100% committed to these things every week—which means I’ve been spending a lot of time working. And even though I’m passionate about all of these things—no one is making me do them—I still feel overwhelmed sometimes.

So, since I’ve been writing a lot about self-care recently, I realized that due to my limited time, I needed to start thinking about how I could personally incorporate more self-care into my routine.

I need self care in my busy life, just like you do.

Below are my tips for people who are *extremely busy* and need more self-care in their lives.

Suggested reading: What is self care, and why is it important?

 

Tips For Self Care At Work

Tip #1: Schedule Time To Think

My first tip for taking care of yourself when you’re extremely busy is to schedule time to think. This is something I just heard a few weeks ago, and when I heard this tip…when I heard it, I literally took a deep breath and a sigh of relief.

I need time to think when I’m trying to overcome problems and roadblocks in my business. If I am trying to innovate and overcome obstacles, I need time to THINK.

And if I’m very busy?

Its not going to happen unless its on my calendar. So, schedule time to think.

This is different than meditation, because its related to work and productivity. We can talk about meditation and spirituality another time.

Right now, we’re surviving. 🙂

Tip #2: Do The Things You’re Dreading First

My next tip when you’re very busy is to do the things you’re dreading first.

There are different ways of thinking about this. Some authors tell you to do your favorite, easy tasks first.

I like to do my least favorite things first, get them out of the way, and then move on to things I enjoy.

I have more momentum in the morning, so if I do the awful stuff first, I have something to look  forward to in the afternoon.

If you’re looking to get started with self care, download my FREE self care checklist.

Tip #3: Reward Yourself (Treats + Self-Care)

I try to find small ways to reward myself and create joy in my work life. I enjoy work—my full time job, working for myself, and side projects that are contract related.

But work is work, so I find time to reward myself.

Luckily, I feel rewarded most of the time for my work today. But I’ve been in thankless jobs before, and in those cases it becomes MUCH more important to reward yourself.

How can you make a task special? How can you make it your own? Can you be creative with it?

If you have a big project, can you create smaller goals and benchmarks for yourself?

What can you do to celebrate each goal and benchmark if no one is helping to celebrate those wins?

Another way I reward myself is with small treats and surprises. I love using Cratejoy to find self care subscription boxes. I recently tried the TheraBox and it was…amazing.

This post contains affiliate links, meaning: if you make a purchase after clicking I may get a commission at no cost to you. 

I tried the Hopebox too and was underwhelmed.

But the TheraBox had a lot of legit self care items that I find myself using. An oatmeal lavender soak for the bath, facial masks, foot masks, notebooks for journaling, a beautiful charm bracelet, and more (review coming soon).

Tip #4: Take Breaks From Electronics

My full time job is for a web based service company. I have a blog. And my side jobs all relate to blog content or Facebook advertising.

Soooooo……….yeah.

Lots of computer time for this girl right here.

And I’ve learned that its extremely important for me to take breaks from the computer.

Lunch at my desk is a thing of the past.

Step away from your computer—and schedule it on your calendar.

It’s important for your productivity, mental health and frankly, your physical health as well.

P.S. If you’re looking for sustainable self care, stop sabotaging your emotional health… I created a tool that helps achieve sustainable happiness with a few lessons and activities on how to create solid foundations for well-being. Check it out below…

Tip #5: Prioritize, But Be Patient

Lastly, prioritize your tasks…

Spend time writing down everything you need to do, and then determine the order of priority for each. Your list contains non-negotiable items. But some things can wait longer than others.

And when you feel particularly time-crunched? You’ll realize that some things you thought seemed non-negotiable turned out to become lower priority in the end.

Self care is non-negotiable—at least for me. Without some semblance of self care and priority for myself, I eventually can’t function. Or I can, but I’m not very productive. I can effectively fake it until I make it for a while, but I always eventually break down without self care.

Lastly, be patient and forgiving with yourself if you can’t finish everything on your list.

When your time is packed, one small thing throws everything else off.

So take a deep breath, do the best you can, and give yourself a hug.

Tips For Self Care At Home

When I originally wrote this post, most of my self care tips were about work since *that* is where I was the most overwhelmed.

I have a full time job, I work on this blog a lot (and I love it!) and I’m also building up a business. This means I’m very careful and structured about how I use my time (at least I’ve tried to be).

But more and more, even though I took measures to practice better self care and mindfulness at work, I still often neglected my self care at home or when I was alone. The self care ideas above are a great way to get started with some QUICK self care wins!