Find time for yourself

• Print
• Mail

Find out how to manage your time effectively and save some of it for yourself

Life coach Suzy Greaves has three top tips to create and enjoy some "me" time:

Pinpoint what makes you happy. Spending time on everyone else can make you out of touch with your own needs. Over a month, ask yourself, "What was my favourite part of the day, and why?" Record your answers and watch a pattern emerge.

Change gear. Take 15 minutes of every day to sit or lie totally still. Think what you'd have to change in your life to slow down a gear - more childcare, more support from your boss, better support systems in place? When the time's up, write a list of what you can do differently to get more quality time.

Recognise time well spent. Reading a book, baking cookies or gossiping on the phone often trigger guilt that you could be spending your time more effectively. But time spent on things that make you happy is never wasted.

For more suggestions, see The Big Peace by Suzy Greaves (Hay House, £8.99).

Dr Robert Holden, director of The Happiness Project, suggests that you manage your time effectively. here is how:

Split your time. We tend to put the things that make us happy - think reading, yoga, seeing friends - last. Divide your time into work, creative, family and "you" time. Now allocate boundaries for time to spend on each.

Channel time into the life you want. Define what you need to do to have a successful life, then focus your energy, time and attention on that.

Block guilt. Internal messages tell us that others come first. But if you make time for you, you'll be happier, and others will benefit too.