You may find this difficult to believe, but some financial experts are saying that people need to start taking more time for themselves! If you’re feeling that you do not have enough time for yourself and your family, rest assured that you’re not alone in feeling this way. Making time for your family and yourself has been one of the top goals among Money magazine readers for years. Here are four easy ways you can start to reduce your own stress levels:
- Outsource Chores
Decide what your least enjoyable and your most time-consuming chores are, and find someone else that can do them for you. It’s worth the minor cost involved to pay your kids to do some household chores or to find a grocery delivery service. If you have more significant needs, like yard work or home repairs, try using Craigslist or an online community bulletin board to find help for hire.
- Automate Payments
Paying bills automatically online is a significant time- and cost-saver. If you’re unsure of the trustworthiness of this process, try starting with one bill. Setting up the payment should take just a few minutes, and adding other bills will be easy after the initial process is complete. Once you’re comfortable with the first online payment, set a goal off adding one more online payment each month. Let the arrival of a bill in the mail be a reminder to set that one up online. By the end of a year, you should have your bill payments fully automated. Some companies even offer financial incentives to you for setting up this process.
- Schedule Time Off
Nearly one-third of employees are not using all of the vacation days they’ve earned. Be sure you are not one of them! Contrary to popular belief, working more hours does not equate to better work. Planning in advance for your vacation time off will force you to schedule your workload so you can get everything done before you go. This forces you to coordinate with your coworkers and commit to a plan, and will give you and your family something fun to anticipate together.
Experts also advise paying for vacations in advance. This means you will more likely actually take the time off, because you would lose your deposit if you cancel.
After the vacation is over, you will be refreshed with a new commitment to get ahead. You may also feel more committed to cutting frivolous spending, because you have just experienced a significant and satisfying reward.
- Actually Relax
Thanks to the structure of modern life, it’s easier and more tempting to spend our downtime in front of screens. Spending long hours engaged in screen activities leads to low overall levels of personal satisfaction. So make sure you’re spending time without screens. Instead, engage fully in satisfying leisure activities you can immerse yourself in, and spend time socializing with people you love.
Consider this: taking time for yourself will help lower your stress levels, which will help you be able to make better decisions, which can help you get ahead. The four easy steps listed above will certainly help you begin that process!