A block schedule is one where you block off time during the day for each type of task you plan on doing, in order to use up just about every hour of the day. It can help you stay on track and get everything you need, but should also leave room for your own personal time.
If you use a block schedule, here are 3 ways to be sure you fit in your self-care.
1. Create a Daily Block for Your Self-Care Routine
The first and most obvious way to add self-care to your block schedule is actually making a block for it. It can be anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or longer, depending on what you plan to do. But adding it as an actual block lets you schedule time for it every day so you don’t miss it.
Don’t be stressed about feeling like it doesn’t fit anywhere. Self-care really doesn’t need to take much time, so if you have just a 10-minute time block in your schedule, then that’s where it should go.
2. Use Your “Free” Block of Time for Self-Care
Another way you can use your block schedule is to choose one of the free windows you have for your self-care. Many times, you have a little free block that you leave open so that you can decide at the time what you want to do, and this works great for your self-care routine.
If you haven’t been doing this, now might be a good time to introduce it into your schedule. The free windows allow you to choose what you want to do, and not feel like it is getting in the way of the rest of your responsibilities. See if you can have a short block (or multiple ones) every day in between other tasks so you can choose those for your self-care.
3. Add it to Your Morning or Nighttime Routine
The last way you can make room for self-care is by adding to either your morning or nighttime routine. This would often be part of these daily routines, making it an easy transition into adding more activities you do for yourself.
For example, if you typically turn off electronics an hour before bed and lay down with a book an hour before bedtime, try doing it an hour and 15 minutes before, and write in your journal for those extra 15 minutes. It gives you a short task that is easy to do and can really help with your self-care.
