How to Find Time
To find time for yourself, set a goal for yourself each day, like reading a chapter of a book or practicing the piano, and schedule time in your day to do it. Make it a priority instead of treating it like something you'll get to if you finish all of your other tasks. Then, when you're ready to do it, find a place where you won't be distracted, and turn off your phone so you don't get sidetracked by a text or phone call.
Plan your days in advance. Whether this occurs on Monday morning  or over the weekend, it's good to create a loose sketch of what you'll need to accomplish each day of your week. New tasks will surely crop up, especially if you're working for full-time or caring for your children, but it's good to have a rough outline of your weekly schedule. Don't overload yourself—just prioritize the most important tasks you need to accomplish on each day. Make sure that you're adding to this guide throughout each day. This way, you won't forget to take care of new issues that present themselves. You might want to rely on an iPhone Calendar or online planner, but a hand-written list is often very helpful, especially because writing by hand can improve your subconscious memory of your tasks. Keep multiple plans or lists for different responsibilities in your life, (i.e. Groceries, Work, Kids' Schedules), as well as a Master List that can dictate the entire schedule of each day. Try color coordinating your lists. Creating these distinctions between your responsibilities will keep them organized. In addition to your daily schedules, it's helpful to have a list of larger weekly tasks that you'll need to accomplish. This will put the smaller responsibilities in context with more overarching responsibilities that you certainly can't ignore. It's important to balance your energy between day-to-day and weekly tasks. This will ensure that you don't forget things on a minute scale or on a larger scale. Meditate on what you hope to accomplish. Whenever you get the opportunity to be alone during your busy week, take five minutes to think about an achievable goal for that particular day. The practice of setting daily goals is immensely important to your personal happiness. Try to fit the time necessary to accomplish this goal into your schedule. Your daily goal doesn't have to be attached to how you'll be spending the majority of the day itself. In fact, it's often useful to separate this goal from your work schedule or other more time-consuming commitments. That way, this time will feel like your time and no one else's. Creative types might fill this time with working on finishing the latest draft of their novel or sketching out an animation design. Even if you don't consider yourself a creative type, however, you still have the right to this time. The goal will vary on a case-by-case basis, so make sure that it aligns specifically with what you feel you need to accomplish on that particular day. Nail down the little tasks sooner rather than later. Whether this is responding to an email you've been ignoring, cleaning your counters, or taking the dog out for a walk, make sure that you don't ignore the small daily chores. They will linger in your mind throughout the day, distracting you. Be comfortable with alone time. 55% of Americans believe that their alone time “very important,” while an additional 30% call it “important” to their happiness. Take solitary moments throughout the day and don't feel uncomfortable about wanting them. Everyone needs some time to cool off, and you'll find yourself refreshed if you take this time, especially if your daily schedule involves a great deal of communication with others. In the technological age, it's tough to feel completely detached, as we're constantly in communication with others because of our phones. For that reason, your alone time might also involve shutting off your mobile device to avoid distractions. Let anyone that you're speaking with know that you're going offline for a while; they might have the desire to do the same! Ingest some of your favorite media. This could range from reading a book to listening a brand-new album that you've discovered. Regardless, it's important to enjoy some entertainment when you can in order to reduce stress levels. If you're more into the idea of doing something active, take a long run or hit the gym. Whether you need mental or physical stimulation is up to you. Take time to complete the daily goal that you meditated on. If you haven't done it already, make sure that you take the time to achieve your goal. If you had a more open-ended goal, like making more eye contact with others, you may have been achieving this goal all day. If not, however, take some time to be productive for yourself. Get to bed at a reasonable hour. It's tough to always get eight hours of sleep with any busy schedule. If you've planned your day out right, hopefully you can. Research shows that even an extra 60-90 minutes a night can help your happiness, so starting there might be more realistic. Even after a busy work day, it's often tough to calm the overactive mind before falling asleep. Some tips for falling asleep include: Slow your heart rate with long, calming breaths. Exhale any of the troubling or anxious feelings from the day. Lead yourself through a guided meditation, either with strategies that you've learned or using an audio CD. Read a book, but not one with too much intensity, or else you may not be able to fall asleep. Turn off your computer far before bedtime, as the glowing screen will keep your eyes from properly settling down. Make sure you’re prepared. This could be more mental, like sleeping enough to operate at your highest level of efficiency. It also could be quite practical, like making sure you have all your needed supplies and uniform. Try to prepare the night before, setting out your clothes and work bag in a place where you can easily access them. When you wake up, everything will be laid out for you and ready to go. Look over your weekly schedule. Before each work week, you should organize your schedule for the entirety of the week. It's also beneficial to plan out each work day into a separate daily schedule. Make sure that you're comfortable not only with the work you'll have to do each way, but also with the amount of work that you've committed to for the week. If you plan realistically for your own workflow pace, then you can avoid falling behind. Use a priority matrix to help you organize responsibilities in a simple, direct way. Any task that falls into the First Quadrant should be taken care of immediately. That way, you won't miss any deadlines. This will give you ample time to work on important Second Quadrant tasks, which you can complete at a comfortable and productive pace. This will also showcase your highest capabilities as an employee. Using this method of organization will prevent you from wasting time on unimportant busy work or forgetting about important tasks that aren't yet urgent. Use your commute to focus your energy. Whether you're taking public transportation or driving, the commute can be a great time to shut out outside stress and attempt to reduce it in a healthy way. You may want to use this time to manage loose ends in your job itself, i.e. responding to emails, but it's often best to focus elsewhere during your commute, if you can. Listen to a podcast or journal on the train. If you hold yourself to a day of productivity, you should feel comfortable taking this time for yourself. Keep smiling and listening throughout the day. Even though the work week can be long, it's highly beneficial for both you and your co-workers if you keep up a positive energy. Your negative attitude can have a much larger effect on the group than you might think. If you tune others out throughout the day or allow mistakes to frustrate you, you'll not only be less efficient, but will also damage relationships with your co-workers, precipitating a more hostile work environment. Try using a mantra or affirmation to help yourself stay positive. For instance, throughout the day, you might repeat something like, "This is going to be a great day, no matter what!" Eliminate potential distractions from your workplace. There are countless ways to distract yourself from your work, especially while working at jobs that require a great deal of computer usage. From Facebook to Instagram to reading articles in the New Yorker, any excessive web surfing can really take your mind off of completing your work. If you receive an email or message from a friend online, don't feel the pressure to respond. Send them a short message letting them know that you'll get back to them when you have time, or just save your response until after work, especially if it doesn't seem urgent. Even if you do have some downtime at work, don't fall back on these distractions. If these forces stop you from completing your work, you'll regret it at the end of your work day, spilling your job stress into your personal life. Avoid it! Catch up as quickly as you can. If you are falling behind, don't push your incomplete work until the next day. It will end up piling up over time, and you'll finish your work week unsatisfied and frustrated. If you're attempting to get a week ahead, there are many strategies for completing extra work. Don't think about this as completing additional work in a more expedited way. Instead, imagine that you're still working at your normal pace, but simply doing work for the future. This will probably require dipping into your relaxation or social time for the present, but if you know that you're getting ahead for upcoming leisure time, you'll thank yourself later. Learn how to say "no. " It's okay to kindly refuse an offer to take on more work at your job. When you're just starting at a company or hoping to move up, you might feel the pressure to accept all offers thrown your way. If you know that you can't handle any additional responsibilities, you can be honest about this with your employer. Here are some guidelines to know when saying "no" might be appropriate: You're already a little behind, or feeling overwhelmed by your current workload. There aren't enough hours in the day. This might seem simplistic, but look at your current schedule to figure out if you actually have enough free hours to take on more work. You won't be able to complete your other responsibilities if you take on a heavier load. You aren't qualified for the tasks that have been laid out for. The company's progress might suffer because of your inability to complete your tasks. Remember why you love your job. At the end of the day, you should be satisfied by your work. Even if it's a day job that doesn't align completely with your passions, something about the job, whether it's the work environment or the cause that your work supports, should inspire you. Never forget why you wanted the job in the first place. If you can't find a reason for liking your job, find a new one. It's very hard to get yourself unstuck from a bad job , but if you aren't happy working there, then it will benefit you to look elsewhere. Plan ahead. People often have trouble finding time for socialization because of the meticulous planning that it requires, especially with busy work schedules. If you really want to see another person at a particular time, contact them early in the week before you both get too busy. Meet somewhere convenient for both of you. This might mean that you'll have to travel to them, if they have a crammed week. Don't be afraid, however, to ask people to come to you if you're short on time. They'll appreciate your honesty. Even better, meet somewhere in the middle. Don’t be self-conscious about asking people to hang out. It's not always easy to reach out, especially when you haven't seen this person in a while or your last attempt to make plans was unsuccessful. Don't let this hold back your attempts to maintain interpersonal relationships. Even though it requires some extra effort, don't shut yourself off from forging new relationships. These might include colleagues or people you're taking an outside class with. Part of socialization involves getting to know new individuals and introducing them to old friends. It'll be an exciting blend for all parties involved! Create big groups to get more people involved. When everyone is busy, it's often tough to find one-on-one time for everyone. Invite a group of friends to your home for board game night or out to a local bar. Most people will appreciate this opportunity to catch up with a larger number of friends. Don't let socialization suck up all of your money. Hanging out can often get expensive, especially if you make plans for dinner, drinks, movies, etc. Be honest with your friends and yourself and do some free activities when you can! If you sense that a person does need alone time with you, you should be sensitive to that. This is especially true for a significant other, who may want time away from a massive group. Large social situations will be great for some couples, but you don't want to ignore your partner's desire for a more intimate environment. Make sure your friend time isn’t distracting from alone time. Even though socialization can help you cut loose, it's still important to take time for yourself, especially after a long week. You'll also struggle to be as fully responsive and present with your friends if you haven't taken the time to check in with yourself. 
Plan your days in advance. Meditate on what you hope to accomplish. Nail down the little tasks sooner rather than later. Be comfortable with alone time. Ingest some of your favorite media. Take time to complete the daily goal that you meditated on. Get to bed at a reasonable hour. Make sure you’re prepared. Look over your weekly schedule. Use your commute to focus your energy. Keep smiling and listening throughout the day. Eliminate potential distractions from your workplace. Catch up as quickly as you can. Learn how to say "no. Remember why you love your job. Plan ahead. Meet somewhere convenient for both of you. Don’t be self-conscious about asking people to hang out. Create big groups to get more people involved. Make sure your friend time isn’t distracting from alone time. 