Carla Jones was anxious and irritable. Maria Riera was consumed by self-doubt. Trudi Roth was flat-out exhausted. And then they did the unthinkable. They dropped everything—kids, husbands, chores, career—to do exactly what they wanted, without an ounce of remorse.

These great escapes were temporary—just three hours—but each of these working moms came back a changed person, a better person. For more than 20 years, I've been helping clients like Carla, Maria and Trudi realize how important it is to recharge. As a leadership coach, one of the first lessons I teach everyone—from executives to religious leaders—is this: To perform your best and inspire the best in others, you need to step back from the pressure and nurture yourself. I've found it's easier to convince dads to do this than moms, who often feel guilty that they aren't giving enough of themselves to their kids. As the mother of two daughters, 12 and 8, I can relate. But once I finally do talk women into taking a mini break, it wakes up the "I need time for me" impulses buried deep in their mommy brains. Whether they're running a company or a carpool, joy is too often displaced by feelings of resentment and pointless drudgery when they don't take a breather. In fact, a recent BizRate survey reflects the burden that many mothers experience: Out of 1,062 moms polled, almost half (47 percent) said they were the "least happy person in the household." Yikes.

So how do I persuade busy, ambitious moms to take a time-out? By using this introspective quiz that I helped design with Carol Evans, CEO and founder of Working Mother Media. It's intended to help mothers shed their guilt and take three hours all to themselves. Before you unleash excuses as to why you couldn't possibly do this, humor me. The quiz takes only 20 minutes, so start thinking about what you'd do.

Some ground rules while you daydream: You can't spend the hours with your spouse or your kids. They must be spent indulgently, selfishly. The rules have a purpose. Given three extra hours, some moms instantly say, "I'd spend them with my kids." But the point of this exercise is to help you come to a connect-the-dots moment in which you realize the delight and joy in your life and reawaken the passion you feel for your work, life and family.


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