As a business owner, die-hard numbers girl, and a productivity junkie, I obsessively track my time at work. After all, it pays to know how many hours go to marketing, client work, invoicing, training, etc. And analyzing those hours is invaluable in assessing the value of each client and in pricing my services.

But, when I looked into my numbers a few weeks back, I noticed something shocking: Even though I was well into May, the number of hours I hadn’t worked amounted to just two (work) days off this year.

Two days off in nearly five months. During that time, I’ve seen national holidays, day care holidays, contractors milling around my home, a bad cold (that got passed around the whole gang), a mini vacation for my family, and more. But I’ve compensated by sacrificing my personal time on nights and weekends.

And most of those times I was working . . . I didn’t have to. There was no looming deadline or immediate need for me to tackle whatever project I was doing toward building and sustaining my business.

I just didn’t bother to take time off!

So I recently forced myself to close up shop on a Thursday. It was amazing! With beautiful weather, my son and I threw coins in our town’s fountain, laughed over ice cream at a streetside table, and strolled the town before hitting the library together.

But what about you?

When was the last time you took a day off for real? When you left work behind for an entire day to enjoy your family or relax on your own?

If the idea sounds laughable — or if playing hooky has you racked with guilt — consider this . . . [Read more…]

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Self-care sounds like a glorious luxury.

Focusing your attention on your own well-being instead of your kids’ extra-curriculars, your never-ending to-do list, your job, your obligations, and so on? What on earth would that be like?

But practicing self-care matters. It’s the difference between really living and simply surviving from one moment to the next.

In fact, this year, my husband and I — weary from a period of too many projects, too much stress, too many obligations, and a vibrant preschooler (whose energy I’d like to borrow!) — decided to make self-care a requirement for ourselves.

Around that same time, I coincidentally read an incredible new book by one of my favorite authors, time management guru Julie Morgenstern. My goal in reading the book was to make sure I was using my time as best as possible to be a great parent.

But Morgenstern’s book, Time to Parent, actually challenges readers to make time not only for raising a human but for being a human as well. (I highly recommend picking up a copy!)

So today I’m talking about what self-care is, why you (desperately!) need it, and how you can incorporate it easily into your life with astounding returns on your time investment!    [Read more…]

Your phone rings, and you pick it up right away. You get an E-mail or text alert and stop what you’re doing to respond. Somebody asks you for a favor, and your answer is always “yes.”

If any of these behaviors sound familiar, you’re probably way, way too accessible.

Being available for a friend or being willing to pitch in is a truly admirable quality. But constantly living your life that way comes with a cost.

You can never be everything to everyone, so people are invariably left disappointed. And things you would have liked to have accomplished — or even those things you promised other people you would do — well, they never get done.

So its time to stop being so accessible! It’s time to find that perfect balance of being a warm, generous person while taking care of yourself and prioritizing your time.

Here’s how you do it . . . [Read more…]

For many of us, a break can often feel like a frivolous luxury.

You feel like stuff is piling up while you’re vacationing. Like you’re letting down your boss, your family, or yourself if you have some “me time” for a few hours. Like you’re slacking off if you stop working for a full lunch break or even just a 10-minute breather mid-morning.

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably heard this phenomenon labeled as “mom guilt.” But that nagging sense that you simply can’t take a break is a feeling shared by many women (and men).

But, boy, do you need a break!

So today, I’m looking at why taking breaks is an absolute must, how you can beat the guilt, and what steps you can take to maximize the benefit of your breaks.  [Read more…]