How To Find More Time In Your Day For Healthy Habits

Life can fly by at a mile a minute. Sometimes, it’s hard to find a second to hear yourself think, let alone squeeze in some meditation or a healthy meal. Sure, we’d all love to start our days by waking up before sunrise, choosing from an assortment of organic drinks in our fully-stocked fridge to start our day, and hitting a lengthy yoga class before work, but reality is rarely that zen.

As busy as life can be, however, it’s often more simple than you think to find some extra time in your day for wellness. There are all kinds of easy hacks you can bring into your life to add more healthy habits into your routine and to find extra time for more self-care. An extra twenty to thirty minutes a day for exercise, meditation, or other healthy habits has the power to make a huge difference in your wellbeing.

These Healthy Mindsets, and A Weekly Juice Delivery, May Be the Keys to Living Well

It’s all about mindset.

Of course, like so many other things in life, time management and health get a whole lot easier to deal with when you have the right mindset. If you truly believe you can find the time to take care of yourself, it will be much easier to actually make it happen. There are a few thoughts you’ll want to consider before you dive into finding more time.

Making room for wellness will actually give you more time.

Before you get started, remind yourself that a healthy lifestyle can open up your schedule (and your world) like never before. When you’re taking care of yourself, it’s much easier to operate at your mental and physical peak. That means that at work, you’ll be able to focus better and get projects done faster. You’ll be your most content and most creative, so you just might come up with ideas left and right that will streamline your life and free up more time. (You’ll also likely be in a way better mood and a lot more fun to be around, which certainly doesn’t hurt either.)

Instead of wincing at the time you’re spending away from your desk to fit in a quick jog, consider it an investment. Before you know it, you’ll be getting that “lost time” back in spades.

Instead of “I don’t have time,” try saying “it’s not a priority.”

This isn’t to say that if you’re busy, you simply don’t care about wellness. But when you re-examine your thoughts, you might realize that you actually can find time for healthy habits by acknowledging which parts of your life are a lower priority. For example, can you prioritize wellness over your love of watching TV at night by trading in a bit of your evening couch time for exercise?

Once you’re in a positive mindset, try a few of these tricks to find extra time in your day.

Get your favorite juice delivery.

You won’t have to waste time running errands if you have juice delivery and meal delivery services bringing healthy meals to your door. Organic drinks, whole nutritious foods, and cold-pressed juice from your local juice bar franchise taste better when you don’t have to run to the store to get them. With the help of a juice delivery service, you can simply wake up, grab a ginger shot or favorite cold-pressed juice, and start your day on a healthy note first thing. If you get foods delivered as well, you can come home to a healthy dinner and a side of delicious juice without any extra time spent cooking or running errands.

Outsource your chores.

If you’re able to, pay a service to run errands or tidy up your living space. Time saved on day to day chores is time you can spend focusing on your wellness and self-care.

Make use of your downtime.

If you take public transportation to work, why not use that time to meditate or read an inspiring book? If you regularly drive a distance you could easily walk or bike, consider switching things up a few times a week. Once you start to notice how many potential windows there are to make the most of your downtime, you’ll start to see opportunities everywhere. Before you know it, you’ll be sipping on organic drinks while waiting in line at the DMV and doing squats while you blow-dry your hair.

Schedule it.

If something doesn’t get scheduled, it probably won’t get done. It might feel awkward at first to write “me time” in big bold letters in your planner, but sometimes that’s what it takes in order to remember to treat it as an appointment. Take a look at your planner and make some changes. Start by scheduling in the dates your food delivery, cold-pressed juice delivery, and any other services you’ve outsourced will arrive, so you know you’ll always be prepared. Then, think about areas where you could trim unnecessary appointments or squeeze in extra minutes to make time for taking care of you. Could you wake up fifteen minutes earlier? Instead of your weekly happy hour meetup, could you invite those same friends to join you at spin class? It’s all about getting creative, and examining your schedule is the way to make that happen.

Create a routine.

If you follow the same habits and schedule every day, you just might magically find more time. A routine can put your productivity on autopilot. When you don’t have to waste time each morning or each time you finish a project deciding what needs to be tackled next, you’ll finish things faster and end up with extra time for wellness. From there, make your healthy habits a part of your routine. Work out at the same time every day, schedule your juice delivery to arrive at the same time, or pair your meditation habit with another regular activity like brushing your teeth.

Another great habit to incorporate into your routine is to “batch” your to-do list into similar tasks. When you’re not wasting brain power switching between types of to-dos, you’ll finish them more quickly.

Give yourself permission to say “no.”

Healthy boundaries are everything, especially when it comes to protecting your valuable time. People will regularly ask you to take on more responsibilities than you’re comfortable with, and it’s important to remember that in most cases, you have every right to politely decline. You don’t have to go to every single happy hour you get invited to when you’d rather take a hot bath at home. You don’t have to order a milkshake like everyone else at your restaurant table when you’d rather be sipping on organic drinks. You don’t have to take on a coworker’s extra assignments when you’d rather leave the office on time to make your pilates class. A polite, honest, and firm “no” can change your life. Your time belongs to you, and it’s totally okay to honor that fact.

Put your phone down.

Phones are addictive, and they can be really hard to put down. When you do, though, you just might notice that you magically have way more extra time than you did before. Imagine how much you could do if you didn’t stare at your phone in every grocery line and every time you ride public transportation. Download an app that will track how many minutes you spend on your phone each day, and challenge yourself to bring that number down. It’s not alway easy to break the phone habit, but once you do, you’ll feel so much more free.

Figure out your “why.”

What is most important to you when it comes to wellness? Why do you want to live a healthier life? When you dig deep and answer these questions, you’ll have more clear motivation to squeeze in as much extra time for your health as you can. Whether you want to be less stressed, live longer, get clearer skin, or feel lighter on your feet, knowing your “why” can make all the difference.

Don’t be afraid to start small.

A few minutes each day can add up to so much more than that. If you can only devote two minutes to a positive habit each day—or five, or ten—it can still make a difference. Celebrate the fact that you have time for anything at all, and stick to those few minutes even if they don’t seem like they matter. Sticking to your habits, even if they’re small ones, can help to build momentum and put willpower in place for someday down the line when you might have more time.