15 simple ways to make time for yourself at home

Time for yourself is often imagined as an empty afternoon. When that never appears, personal time becomes something you will begin later, after every useful task and everyone else’s needs.

For years, I waited for more space before allowing myself to pause. Smaller moments became more reliable because they could exist inside a real day rather than outside it.

Choose the amount of time you actually have

Time	Ideas
2 minutes	Open a window; make tea; listen to one song; stretch; stand outside
10 minutes	Read; journal; shower; walk; sit without your phone
20 minutes	Cook slowly; call a friend; practise a hobby; take a longer walk; rest

Fifteen ideas for time at home

• Drink something without doing another task at the same time.
• Listen to one album from beginning to end.
• Read five pages.
• Walk without turning it into an errand.
• Sit by an open window.
• Write one page without editing it.
• Stretch in the clothes you already have on.
• Cook something because you enjoy it.
• Take a shower without rushing into the next task.
• Work on a puzzle, drawing or craft.
• Water plants slowly.
• Call someone who makes conversation feel easy.
• Put on music and do nothing else.
• Light a candle safely and let one song mark the pause.
• Go to bed ten minutes earlier with a book.

The best choice is the one that feels like yours. Thuisarts lists movement, music, hobbies, reading, bathing and taking time to cook among everyday ways people may relax. You do not need to do all of them.

Protect the moment without making it rigid

Attach the pause to something that already happens: after lunch, before the children come home or once the kitchen is clear. If other people rely on you, say when you will be back. A clear ten minutes is easier for everyone to understand than vague unavailability.

If the phone fills every gap, prepare an alternative using this screen-light evening guide. For a repeatable structure, use a realistic evening routine.

When guilt appears

Guilt does not prove that the pause is wrong. It may simply mean you are more practised at being available than at stepping away. Keep the moment modest and return to your responsibilities when you said you would. You do not have to earn every breath of unproductive time.

Fifteen ideas organised by the time you actually have

Two to five minutes

• Stand by an open window and notice the temperature and sounds.
• Make a drink and consume it without carrying your phone around.
• Stretch the part of your body that feels stiff from the day.
• Put one song on and do nothing else until it finishes.
• Write one sentence about what you need next.

Ten to fifteen minutes

• Read one chapter or a few pages without setting a reading target.
• Take a shower without simultaneously planning tomorrow.
• Walk around the block without turning it into exercise tracking.
• Sit somewhere other than your usual work or scrolling spot.
• Follow the five-minute journalling practice and stay for tea.

Thirty minutes or more

• Cook something because you enjoy making it, not only because it is efficient.
• Take a bath with a safe, simple setup.
• Call someone who leaves you feeling more like yourself.
• Make something with your hands, even if it serves no practical purpose.
• Visit a familiar place without adding errands to the trip.

How to handle the guilt

Guilt often appears because personal time is framed as a reward after everything else is complete. At home, everything is rarely complete. Try treating a small pause like food or a shower: ordinary maintenance, not a prize for perfect productivity.

If someone else is affected, be specific instead of apologetic: “I am taking fifteen minutes and then I can help with dinner.” Clear timing is usually easier for other people to understand than a vague attempt to disappear.

Make it easier to repeat

Keep one low-effort option ready. Leave the book on the chair, save the playlist, put the notebook and pen together or keep your walking shoes near the door. A ritual may include warm light or a familiar scent, but it should never require a purchase. If you do choose a candle, let it mark the moment while you stay in the room, then extinguish it before moving on.

For days when even these ideas feel too structured, start with self-care without a perfect routine.

Sources

• Thuisarts, ways to relax
• RIVM, National Mental Health Monitor 2025