Why You Should Create More Time for Yourself (And How to Do It)

Do you think you get enough time for yourself? Although there are social biases against being alone and introversion, taking time for yourself can work to your benefit.

Many writers, thinkers, entrepreneurs, inventors, creatives from Michelangelo to Goethe and Confucius all made time for themselves to reconnect with the essence of life and produce their masterpieces.

The best part about it all is that solitude and creating time for yourself doesn’t mean you are lonely or on your own. It means minding your own self and doing those things that you particularly enjoy

But Why Create More "Me" Time?

Research shows that solitude is a great incubator for creativity and can bring specific cognitive benefits, such as improved concentration.

In addition to incubating creativity and improving concentration, solitude or "me" time in its purest form offers various other benefits, including:

1. It helps you clear your mind and ‘recharge.’

"Me" time affords you a chance to rest, ‘recharge your batteries’ and just be you away from all the noise, busyness and distractions of life. You can sit quietly, clear your mind and get back in touch with yourself. In the end, you come out of it revitalized, happier and more energized to face life again.

2. It reminds you that you can enjoy your own company.

Strange as it may sound, spending quality time with yourself is a more exciting prospect, and a greater necessity than ever before. It is liberating to discover that you can actually enjoy being alone instead of being carried away in the frantic design of our modern lives.

"Me" time gives you a chance to do what you want to do without having to conform to others’ expectations, which is quite exciting and freeing.

3. It enhances your self-esteem and self-love.

The key to greater self-esteem and self-appreciation is loving yourself and understanding you are a wonderful person who, like many others, is doing the best you can. The more you spend time with yourself, the better you understand this truth and the better your relationship with yourself becomes.

Studies show that a strong sense of personal freedom and higher self-acceptance comes with increased capacity for solitude.

4. It allows you to reflect 

As you spend more time with yourself, you get an opportunity to escape modern life’s great snare of busyness long enough to reflect on those things that matter most to you.

You reflect on life in general and the direction your own life is headed. This puts you at a vantage point where you can better predict, understand and respond to life’s realities.

5. It enhances your decision making process

Moreover, time spent alone in reflection can make it easier to think through difficult situations and help you make more clearly thought-out decisions faster than if you’d dragged everyone along with you. "Me" time does that. It makes you a happier, healthier, more perceptive and effective individual.

How to Create Enough "Me" Time for Yourself - Infographic

Happify, a website dedicated to helping people build skills for happiness through science-based activities, put together a fantastic infographic that shows you just how much cultivating the “art of solitude” and building in some "me" time contributes to your happiness, among other benefits.

Check out the infographic below to learn more on why building in some "me" time is so important, and how you can best achieve it.