Allow Yourself Some Alone Time And See What Happens

The benefits of being alone and how to make it work for you

When I was single, I had a lot of time to myself. I could wake up whenever I wanted, sneak away from friends whenever I wanted, and spend my time however I wanted.

Then I got married and had children, and alas, my free time to be by myself was reduced dramatically.

I like to think of my time as a pie. When I was single, the entire pie was all mine. I could do what I wanted with it and eat the entire thing. When I got married that pie was cut in half. I still had half the pie to myself.

Then, we had our first daughter, and that half of the pie got cut in half again. Now, my ‘time pie’ was only a quarter. Still, that wasn’t too bad. Then my second daughter was born, and my quarter of the pie was cut in half again.

All of a sudden, in the span of 7 years, my time pie is down to an eighth of what it was in my single years. And while I could waste much of that pie when I was single, I have had to learn how to maximize the piece of pie I have today.

I have learned the hard way the importance of using my alone time to its maximum capacity.

The Benefits of Alone Time

When we spend time with ourselves, we gain some incredible benefits. There is a part of each one of us that craves this time to ourselves. Before we can go on to learn how to maximize this alone time, we need to know why it is important.

And it is important. No one on the planet should go without a little time to themselves. Whether it is early mornings before your family wakes up, your lunch hour at work, or late at night after everyone goes to bed.

Here is why it is so important for you to get a little alone time…

Centering Yourself

I have found that my time in the morning, by myself, uninterrupted brings an incredible amount of peace and centering to myself. It helps remind me of who I am and what is really important. It takes away all of the stress we deal with in the world and brings focus.

Provides Clarity

Once I come into focus, it helps provide clarity to what is going on in my life. With a family, a day job, a side hustle, and everything else going on in the world it can be easy to lose sight of what is most important. But alone time brings that clarity back.

Encourages Planning

Another important benefit is how alone time allows me to plan my day, week, month, and year. It fosters a sense of planning which is much needed for life, work, and family. But it can only come when I can be alone with my thoughts and have found the previous two things.

Sparks Creativity

Once we have gotten these other things in order in our minds, time alone allows us to begin to think creatively. When our minds are in order and the dust has settled on our stressors, we can begin to see answers and ways to solve problems in our lives.

Increases Productivity

My ability to be productive throughout the day is multiplied when I can have time to myself. When we spend a little time alone, it goes a long way in how we can focus the rest of the day. It also brings about our mind's ability to quickly move between tasks and events.

But, how do we take advantage of these benefits and actually maximize this small chunk of time in our day?

Maximizing Your Alone Time to Improve Your Day

There are three important factors to how we can maximize our alone time. First, we need to pick a time. Second, we need to pick a place. Third, we need to preplan this time. When we do these things, we can make the most of our alone time.

Pick Your Time

For me, I spend mine along time in the morning. There is something magical about my mornings. I am a natural early riser, it works out best for me with my bustling family. Since I work from home, I don’t have a lunch hour by myself anymore. And my evenings are for my wife and me.

So, when it comes to picking a time for some alone time, you need to be conscious of your family and situation. If you are single and live with roommates, you need to think about when your roommates are around.

No matter what time you pick, you need to set that time aside as sacred.

Pick Your Place

Again, for me, I spend my morning in the guest room/den of our house. It is the quietest room in the house. There is a desk area where I can read, write, and spend my time. And it is the warmest room in the house during the winter and coolest in the summer.

The reason why you need to pick a place is so that you can establish in your mind a place of solitude and comfort. Changing up your place all the time will only make it harder to transition into your alone time and likely use up some of that time before you can find some peace.

Your location for alone time must be consistent in order to maximize your time.

Plan Your Time

Lastly, you need to plan this time. In my life, I spend my morning the same every day. My bible and journal are always ready for me to spend time reading and praying. Then I turn to my writing and knock out a few thousand words. Last, I plan out my day.

When we preplan our time, it gives us the ability to use it to the best of our ability before anyone can interrupt us. It also allows us to establish routines to help us move efficiently throughout our time and the rest of our day.

Planning your time will improve the quality of your time and your day.

Make the Most of Your Alone Time

Ultimately, it is up to you. You will need to choose when, where, and how to use your time. What works for me, may not work from you. Or, it may be exactly what you have needed. I would encourage you to explore this over the next few weeks.

Try out different times, places, and activities. Keep track of what seems to help you tap into the benefits described in this article. And then, set your alone time in stone and don’t let it be encroached upon.

What are some ways that you spend your alone time? How are they effective to bring out the best in you? Share in the responses below.