How to Practice Organized & Intentional Self-Care

Welcome to this multi-part series! I am a loud and proud advocate for practicing organized and intentional self-care. But recently I realized that I don't explain what I mean by this statement. The key to this approach is to add structure and to plan your self-care routines!

If you read this post then you know that my self-care routines prior to 2020 were ineffective and surface-level at best. I had to get my self-care life together fast before things fell apart even more. I went to therapy and learned how to take an audit of my life, feelings, and emotions to see what areas need the most help. I chose practices and routines that would meet and address those needs. I also began tracking my habits to make sure that I achieve my self-care goals. This organized approach to self-care has helped me over the past few months in ways that words can't explain. This experience is why I advocate for organized and intentional self-care. I saw how this approach helped me and I want to help everyone else. But more about the benefits of organized self-care in the second installment!

Here are three ways I add structure to my self-care practices:

1) Planner

This section should not be a huge surprise at all! I love using my planner to practice self-care. But there are two ways that I incorporate my planner into my self-care routine. So let me clarify what I mean here. 

First, planning is self-care because it's calming and therapeutic. I love writing and highlighting, using stickers, and smelling the paper! But that's not what I mean here. Planning is (and requires) self-care because the process of planning can help add structure to your routines. Structure turns a simple activity into a habit. Adding structure will help you be consistent with your self-care. 

I use my planner to add structure to my routines in several different ways!

Scheduling

Schedule your self-care! We schedule meetings, appointments, dinner reservations, and more. Why can't we be as organized with self-care as we are with other areas of our lives? The answer is that we can and we should be just as organized with our self-care. For example, I schedule time daily for self-care. (I incorporate self-care in my morning and evening routines. Do you ever recall seeing financial check-in on my planner spreads? That's my financial self-care!) 

I'll admit that my circumstances allow me to schedule a time for a moment or two of self-care because I do not have kids nor am married. So when a practice appears on my schedule, I am usually the only barrier to achieving that action. 

But it's important to take time for you! Even if you set aside only 5 minutes every day to complete some deep-breathing or meditation exercises, every minute and practice counts. 

Habit-Trackers

Do you use habit-trackers? Trackers are a great way to add structure to your routines and habits, whether they are related to your self-care practices or not! I am a visual person. So if I see that I am not achieving my self-care goals, this visual motivates me to take action. If you do not have a habit tracker, that is okay! I love to make my own. Check out this weekly spread that I made on lined paper where I added my own habit tracker!

This method works best for daily and weekly habits. I'm sure there is a way to track your monthly self-care habits too on a monthly spread! 

To-do List

If you do not have a habit tracker and you don't want to make one, that is perfectly fine. You can also use to-do lists to keep you on track and hold you accountable for practicing self-care. This method works for me because I hate leaving items unchecked on my to-do list. 

2) Planner Accessories

Yes, this category also focuses on planners! Of course. 

Sticky Notes

Sticky notes are underrated as a way to practice self-care. Think about it -- you can use sticky notes as reminders to meditate, pray, or read. But you can also use sticky notes for emotional and mental self-care. I like to write Bible verses, affirmations, and words of encouragement. I place the sticky notes throughout my planner for constant reminders. (Self-care requires constant effort. But that's a topic for another day.)

Dashboards

Dashboards can function similarly to sticky notes. Many companies sell dashboards with inspiring quotes and affirmations. So take some time out of your day to read a dashboard in your planner rather than using them as pure decoration.

3) Phone

Self-care requires constant effort. This statement is true for the actual practice of self-care but also for the effect of self-care as well. Sometimes I forget to do a quick yoga routine or write in my journal. But I've learned to incorporate my phone in my self-care practices as well. I add reminders to breathe, review my finances, and schedule a FaceTime session with a friend. Using your phone is helpful if you are as forgetful as I am sometimes!

However, I also use my phone for substantive self-care. I write affirmations in the Notes app and place them in a widget on my home screen. I can read a Bible plan for inspiration. 

Do you practice organized and intentional self-care? How can you add more structure to your routines?