Take a minute to think about how often you say, "I don't have enough time for {fill in the blank}." I would assume it's pretty often. Even so, as moms still we tend to take on a heavy load for the sake of others - helping with homework, running errands, maybe baking something for co-workers or the classroom, basically making sure everyone in the family are where they're supposed to be when they're supposed to be there. This leaves little time for yourself, wouldn’t you say?

It certainly seems that regardless of how I try to plan my day, it's too easy to give up something I'd do for myself for the sake of someone else in the family. I firmly believe {e.g. preach...not necessarily practice} that carving out time to dedicate to yourself not only gives you a chance to focus on you as an individual, but it also makes you a better member of the family, workplace, and friendship circle. But in all honesty, I'm far from Supermom - so can this really ever happen?!

Yes it can! There are few different strategies that can help my situation {maybe yours, too!}:

Set a goal. I've come to the conclusion that mornings are a great time to focus on myself. Having some "me" time is more appealing these days than sleeping a little later in the morning. So my new goal is to wake up earlier and enjoy some alone time while the house is still peaceful.

Find the gaps. I know myself too well and realize that consistently getting up early is going to take some time. So I took a look at my schedule to find the holes and used those holes for me. {see below}

Embrace change and the unexpected. I'm very flexible and creative with making changes to my schedule as needed. I anticipate that there will be things popping up throughout my week. Setting myself up for this eases the stress when things pop up and change needs to happen.

Ready for change. This is a biggie. You can wish all you want, but until you're really ready {and willing} to put forth the effort, not much is going to improve! Be honest with yourself about whether you can truly commit to making change.

Another great strategy that goes along with #2 is to write out your weekly schedule on a piece of paper. Label each day at the top going across, times of the day going down. Then plug in your consistent and regular {i.e. daily, weekly, bi-monthly} commitments. You can even color code things to make it easier to see where gaps are. Be specific - do you tend to feed the dog first-thing when you get home? Do you always go to the grocery store on Thursdays? Does it take you an hour to get ready in the morning? Make sure to account for these details and functional tasks that may not appear significant with a quick glance.

In looking for holes in your schedule, remember to be flexible and open minded! Can you drop Joey off at karate and fit in a run or walk while he's there? Can you take an extra 15 minutes at the end of your work day to read the paper or sift through a magazine you've wanted to look at? Maybe even just answer a few personal emails or texts via your phone? Is there a task you do {like walk and feed the dog} that you can pass on to the kids? To your husband? Are there things that can be cut from your schedule or done more efficiently?

These are just a few good questions to ask when assessing how wisely you spend your time. When we're scurrying all over town in the midst of our chaotic schedules, it's hard to really see how fitting in time for ourselves is feasible. Taking a step away from yourself to look at your schedule - and life - from an objective perspective can definitely give you some great insight.

Now that I've found a few holes in my schedule, I'm ready for action and excited to give myself a little needed TLC. The challenge now is can you put time on your side?