Gimme 20! How just 20 minutes a day to yourself could transform your life

When you're overloaded with work/parenting/caring/domestic admin/stuff to faff around with on your phone, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that every second is accounted for.

• Spending time doing whatever you want will help you get everything else done; that it's not selfish, but actually practical.
• Set aside 20 minutes each morning for yourself.

Try to do nothing. It is rewarding, to just do nothing for a short while at least.

• Take a break if it’s something you enjoy.
• Work is not the only thing we do in life - taking a break gives us our humanity.
• Don't worry whether you’re wasting time or using it well, just enjoy it.
• Set your alarm half an hour before your kids wake so you can sit and read or listen to music without interrupting them.

• If you don’t schedule those 20 minutes, it will take effort and willpower to try to make it happen, and finding that time will become a hassle.
• To make it work, you’ll need to schedule your entire day.
• Do not wait until the alarm goes off to decide what to do.
• Prepare what you'll need the night before.
• A schedule is a visual representation of how much time you have every day.

• Take five minutes and ask yourself why you struggle to make time for yourself.
• Is it because you don't set healthy boundaries or are afraid of being alone with your thoughts?
• Taking care of mental health can improve time management and improve your mental health, a two-way street.
• Prioritize your needs,  whether it's a run, white space or sitting down with a blank sheet of paper to write down your ideas and be creative.

• When you have cash in your hand, you can count it, it's quantifiable. But you can't see or feel time, or put a real value on it.
• Because time is invisible, we have a hard time accounting for it. We always think there's going to be more time in the future, but there isn't.
• If it's something that you enjoy, it is time well spent

• Solitude is a lovely word. It means being alone but not lonely.
• Simple things like listening to music or looking at art can be just as important as meditation.
• Some people find solitude very rewarding and enjoyable, while others are not looking for it.
• Don't be alone, just be in a positive aloneness for a while and see how a blossoming happens.