***3 Tips For How to Get More Free Time - For Busy Women Entrepreneurs

“When my husband and I began dating we would often have a ‘veg out’ Saturday. It would involve sleeping in, watching or renting movies, playing games and eating left over's. It was quiet, relaxing and also very fun.

Fast-forward 7 years of married life with 3 daughters … it surely has changed that little bit of respite during the weekend.

Last month during our Financial Date® I suggested that we look into incorporating the ‘veg out’ Saturdays and try involving the children.

So now on Friday night we remind the kids that they are encouraged to sleep in Saturday and that we will make popco
later on for some family movies and family games to enjoy and then take a walk to the playground.

It is very relaxing and makes you realize the value in having this time for your body, mind and soul to rejuvenate. It has created peace and eliminated the mentality and desire to go shopping right after a pay week and instead enjoy more quality family time.

I wanted to send you an email to share this with you because you inspired me with your latest article on having a ‘stay-cation’, and creating a vacation at home instead of traveling.”

This email arrived in my in-box from one of my on-line newsletter subscribers. I immediately smiled when I read about her inspiration of having a designated weekly “veg out” day.

It’s easy to get busy and overcommitted

I’ve noticed that as a mother and business owner it’s all too easy to get focused on forward- thinking and planning everything for every minute of the day and every day of the week.

Many women entrepreneurs easily fall into the trap of believing that relaxation and down time must be reserved as the ultimate reward we indulge in only after completing our work,
errands and family obligations.

But this kind of thinking has a faulty error. As long as we’re living, breathing human beings we are kidding ourselves when we think that there will come a point in time when we’ve completed all the tasks on our never-ending business and personal to-do lists.
If we wait until we have more time for “vegging out,” relaxing and simply just “being” that time will never arrive.

Slowing down can actually be something that you easily integrate on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

My husband and I recently re-discovered the joy and simplicity in eating a warm breakfast together in the morning and consistently having dinners as a family in the evening.

I found some placemats and a new candle centerpiece for our dining room table so that eating meals can be a beautiful experience instead of just a matter of functionality.

It’s amazing how these simple acts of sharing meals can serve as a cornerstone for good old fashion family connection.

Weekly, it can be as simple as designating a “veg-out” day, like the subscriber of my newsletter suggested.

I love the idea of discussing the many possibilities for how women might want to spend their day off in advance so the entire family can anticipate it. At first it might take some getting used to - you don’t make any plans or commitments but just allow yourselves to be spontaneous AND laid back.

Every month my husband and I plan a weekend get-away to someplace different. We might escape to a forest service cabin, go soak at a nearby hot springs or go camping. We look at our calendars and schedule these weekend retreats 2 to 3 months out.

We actually mark them down even though we don’t usually know for certain where we’re going or what we’re actually going to do – we plan to figure it out a week or two before we leave.

We’ve also planned some retreats as “staycations” where we don’t make any plans at all for the entire weekend. Instead we’ll incorporate a “veg out weekend” where we might go for a hike, bike ride or ski in the mountains depending on the season, work on a puzzle together or just lounge around and watch a movie.

I have come to realize that having a busy life does not necessarily equate to being fulfilled. To me life is about much more than just working hard to make more money and get ahead - it’s about living and loving richly™.