In the last post, I talked about the wellness system I use with my kids. Today I’m giving you the foundation on how to take care of yourself.

Don’t be overwhelmed if you feel like you’re lacking in every area I’m about to go through. If you are excelling in all these areas use this to find an area you can tweak and even become more efficient in so you can have even more time for you, your family or your business.

You know I’m all about looking for opportunities to see where you are doing well and for areas you can improve if you have bee around long enough. Over time all those small changes will add up. So let’s get into my three part foundation to a self-care system.

Whatever kind of self-care you need, emotional, physical, or spiritual, these are the things you have to have in place in order to begin to have the foundation for a self-care system in any one or all three of those areas.

Why? That’s not what you wanted to hear I’m sure. But, you have to find a time management system that works for you.

If you want a beauty routine, or to be able to exercise more, you have to have time to do it. Period. Self-care has to start with good time management. If you are strapped to the max, your kids are going to bed late and you’re cleaning the house after they go to bed then you don’t have time to take care of yourself.

I have an incredible time management system called the 5 block method that I use and teach all over the blog and podcast and inside the Systemize Your Life Academy. In our home I’m focusing on the before school routine within my 5 block system.

I know I need to be done with my stuff by 7 on the dot because I know it takes us 45 minutes every morning to get out the door to school. Because I am planning ahead of drop off time I know I’m not going to be rushed and frazzled every morning trying to get out the door. I know exactly what I need to do to prepare my kids so I then can take are of me.

I also know what time I have to get out of bed in the morning because I know how much time I need. I also know what I time I need to get to bed every night to make this happen. Step two ties right into this.

We talked about this already but let me elaborate a litte bit more. What we are specifically talking about here are what I like to call your go-zones. Those points in your day where you feel rushed often. 

Are you the mom that doesn’t want to show up to drop off in your robe and slippers anymore? Or do you want to show up to homeschool with your hair and makeup done because it makes you feel incredibly equipped and capable?

If so, you have to manage your house. You have to know where things go and how you are going to store and organize all your stuff. That will make sure you are not finding things last minute.

If this is happening to you there is a solution for you. I suggest you start by looking through different places in your home. Maybe it’s the fridge, pantry, sports bags, or car. What is your hold up when it comes to getting the kids to and from school with ease?

Is getting your hair done or makeup on, or getting dressed the issue? Are you rushing through that and feeling discouraged because you can’t get it done? Then that would be a focal point for you and your home management. Get that under control. Can your kids get dressed in the morning? Are they able to find their socks?

Think of these things in little categories or zones. If there is any kind of consistency within those fires you are trying to put out go to that specific category and fix that first. Who cares about all the others, just fix that one part first.

Let’s move onto the third part of the foundation to self-care.

You cannot be in denial about the roles you have, they are a part of you. Your home, your business, your kids. You are taking care of yourself when you take care of those things. Creating  the boundaries and discipline you need to do step one and two of this foundational self-care system is non-negotiable.

We talked about nourishing your kiddos in the the previous post so this one is for you. So what does nourishment look like? I have three points to this.

I pour a lot of time and energy into my food. Nourishment as far as food is concerned is the number one way to give yourself more or less energy. It’s the number one way to cause yourself a whole lot of stress, anxiety, depression. Simply by what you are putting in your mouth.

Everything we do throughout the day requires our body to carry us through it. If you are not nourishing yourself with whole clean food you are hurting yourself. Fake anything is going to bog you down. We know this. 

Please take the time to make this switch. Start with one thing at a time. Take a look at what you’re drinking. Does your coffee creamer say cream on it? If not, don’t drink it. 

Care enough about yourself to read the labels. 

Don’t think you can get your family on board or touch anything with a ten foot pole that doesn’t look like a Lunchable? That’s ok, leave them alone for a while and focus on you. It will be a game changer.

How are you nourishing your actual physical body. Are you stretching? Are you working out? Are you doing cardio or lifting weights or taking walks? What do you need to do to help your body feel strong? 

You have so much work to do with your body and you need to be physically fit and strong. Are you a ton overweight and so far out of shape and so unhappy with where you are? That’s ok. Whatever part of this self care nourishment system is speaking to you so hard right now that is where you start and that is where you focus. 

No milestone that is in front of you is too big for you to conquer if have the time management and home management piece squared away. You need to have your stuff in order around your house if you really are going to pour into strengthening your body. 

There is no judgment in this. If there is judgment from someone on where you are starting, be done with them. There is no time for that kind of nonsense. When you begin systemizing and creating a self-care system you need to cut certain things and certain people out of your immediate influence, not completely out of your life. You know what you need and you don’t have the time and energy to be derailed by things that really should be considered external.

You probably have so much of this in place already, you just need to fine tune it a little bit so be hopeful in that. The way you take care of your body is completely dependent on what your goals are and what you are hoping and dreaming for. If you’re not hoping and dreaming because you tried too many times, never stop trying. 

You have to figure out where you are right now. Can you commit to two or five days a week? What do you need to do right now to take care of yourself just a little bit better? Eventually that will break away to more clarity of what you can take up a notch and you will see some deep progress. I just really hope that after today’s post you have a real sense of what you should be doing to take care of yourself just a little bit better.

Where do you need to spend some more time connecting? Isolation is one of the hardest things we struggle with. When we get busy and our kids get busy we long to be with them. It is absolutely vital that you make time for connection. In my free Fundamental Needs workbook I walk you through all of this. That system will help you get all of these things in place. For me I need a date night once a week. Your Fundamental Needs will help you fine tune exactly what you need every week to be thriving and be well on your way to having an amazing self-care system.

I hope you now have a pretty good idea of just one thing you can start implementing to begin to create your own self-care system. Here is a look at what I am focusing on right now for my own self-care.

Obviously I use the 5 block method and like I said we will be focusing on our before school routine. That means I make sure I am up before my kiddos. Anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 hour. I have my short and long morning routine. I do like to pack my kid’s lunches in real time. I’m going to be trying out packing lunches the night before. Even with me as someone who feels really good with her systems and routines I’m still testing out new things.

I have a smoothie every morning and I pack my lunch with the kids. I use our menu board for our meal planning system to make sure our dinners are on point as well. That is how I make sure I’m giving my body really good food. It also makes sure I am connecting with my family most nights around the dinner table which leads into our bedtime routines when I’m spending one on one time with our kids.

For my physical health I make sure I get to the gym 3-5 times a week. Last year I experimented with taking time away from my work block to stick to my physical goals and that is something I am going to stick with for a while longer. I am really happy with the systems I have in my business and the team I have built.

I am so happy and excited to help you get the confidence you need to get these systems in place in your life. Prioritizing self-care will be a game-changer for you. Find the one small step you need to take and start today, you can do it!

If you feel like you need more step-by-step guidance and support especially in the time and home management areas come check out the Systemize Your Life Academy. You can go from overwhelmed to confident in just four weeks! I’m eager to chat with you over in Instagram and inside our Facebook community. I can’t wait to see you over there!