How to find time for personal development

I’ve mentioned before just how important personal development is to a successful life and business. You will frequently hear me recommending certain books to my doTERRA team leaders and it’s certainly something I prioritize in my own life as well.

Often, though, people will tell me that have they have a really hard time fitting personal development into their schedule. But personal development played such a big part in the mindset shift that changed everything for me that I am adamant you make the time in your schedule to pursue it.

If you need a little bit of help with finding time for personal development, here are some tips for you:

Schedule it, just like you do your work time

You are doing that, right? If there’s one thing that sets a hobby apart from a business, it’s consistency. Just like you need to be consistently working on your business, you also need to consistently make time for (and do) personal development.

One simple way to do that is to put it on the calendar.

So you could carve out an hour after lunch or thirty minutes in the early morning. Or, you could get a great start to your day by scheduling it first thing. Whenever you choose, put it on the calendar and honor that appointment.

Make it a top priority

We make time for what matters most to us. Sometimes, people don’t make time for personal development because they simply don’t understand how important it is.

While it may seem that it’s just another nice thing you could add to your to-do list, the truth is personal development is vital to your success.

Personal development:

1. Increases self-awareness
2. Provides a sense of direction
3. Improves focus and effectiveness
4. Increases motivation
5. Provides greater resilience
6. Leads to more fulfilling relationships

(source)

All of those benefits work together to help you reach your goals faster and provide the motivation when you want to throw in the towel. And trust me…those moments WILL come and you want to be prepared for it!

Make it something you look forward to

It’s easy to approach personal development with an “I have to do this this” attitude. Like it’s just another thing to cross off your to-do list. With this approach it’s easy push it to the bottom and forget about it.

However, I’ve found that personal development is one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. Why? Because it’s something I look forward to.

Let’s say you’ve decided to do personal development first thing in the morning – and you’ll be getting up a bit earlier to do it. It will be very, very tempting to just stay in bed and sleep through that designated time. That’s why I recommend making it something you get really excited about.

Maybe you create a ritual where you pour yourself a hot cup of tea and sit in a cozy chair where you can look out the window at your favorite view. Or maybe you curl up in front of the fire with a cozy blanket and cup of coffee.

Whatever the ritual looks like, make it something that you look forward to each day so you take the time to invest in yourself. For me, I grab a cup of tea and read my devotional first. Sometimes I listen to a meditation and sometimes I dive right into something I’m currently reading. Or sometimes I go through my affirmations and do some visualization.  Whether it’s 15 min, 30 or 45 min, it’s time that I LOVE to spend on myself.

Try making personal development a top priority for the next 30 days to see the benefits in your own life.

Here are some books you could start with.