How Do You Making Time for Hobbies as a Working Mom?

Do you make time for things you love that have nothing to do with work or being a mom?

If you don't have a regular practice of doing this, why?

For a lot of my clients, it's because they're stuck wanting to be further ahead than where they are.

They think that in order to start exercising or taking a dance class or getting back into a hobby, they have to do it the way they used to. (Which is code for the way they "should".)

Well, I want to tell you how I consistently make time to read so that you can take this lesson and apply it to the thing YOU want to go do.

You can swap out reading for sewing, painting, running, yoga, underwater basket weaving, or anything else! It's all the same ;)

So last year I read 70 books. It sounds like a lot because it is! Especially when you factor in that I have 3 kids and work full-time.

But what you don't see in that number, are the years prior when I was reading 5 books, then 10 books, and then 20.

And it all started when I was on maternity leave with my second.

You spend a lot of time sitting under a baby in those early days and I was tired of just scrolling on my phone.

There weren't enough status updates in the middle of the night to keep me satisfied and I felt like my brain was turning to mush.

So I decided enough was enough and that I would use some of that time to read.

Even though I preferred the physical copy, I knew it was easier to hold my phone one-handed, plus it was always with me.

1. I downloaded a book from my library app and committed to reading more than scrolling.

2. I didn't start with Crime & Punishment because I knew that would feel like work. I started with a light and easy rom-com (#readingisreading).

3. Because I was checking them out from the library, there was a due date, which created a slight sense of urgency.

4. I started a list of books I wanted to read next so I never had to think about what to read. I just pulled from the list.

5. I wasn't aiming for speed or even to read entire chapters at a time. My expectation was just to read one page at a time, reading when and where I could.

And by the end of my maternity leave, not only did my brain feel engaged and my mind active again, I had developed a new habit of reading.

That first year, I read 4 books and I was ECSTATIC! That was more than the previous year, which had been 0. And I thought - I wonder what will be possible next year?

I added in audiobooks to listen to while driving. And from there, I just read and read and read.

Reading no longer takes up much mental space for me because I don't have to think about how and when I'm going to do it. It's just a part of my day and how I do life.

I am a reader.

So if you're reading this today, feeling like you're not making time for anything that's just for you...

Every little bit counts. And what you do today will add up and compound over time until making time for that "thing" is just what you do.

What if you took this example of reading and...

• Opted for an easier more accessible way that suits the season you're in (kindle books), instead of doing things the way you think you "should" (physical books)?

• Let it be fun (romance or thrillers), instead of making it hard or serious (classic literature)?

• Created a sense of urgency (library due dates), instead of telling yourself you'll do it someday?

• Started where you are (one page), instead of expecting yourself to be further ahead (entire chapter)?

What's your next step? Where will you start?

What more tips like this?

I send encouragement and tips every Wednesday.

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