Make Time for Hygiene

Finding time for hygiene, both on the personal and home front, requires a bit of commitment and planning

Ironing clothesYou’re hard-pressed for time. So, you rush out of the door yet again. You skip the shower and breakfast, and barely run a comb through your dishevelled hair, opting for a dress that has spent most of the night on the floor.

Make time for personal care

It’s ironic how we have time for everything in our lives except for what really counts – our health and wellbeing! We often vow to take better care of ourselves, but end up neglecting it. A bit of discipline at specific times of day and a focus on hygiene is all that is required. Here are some tips that will help you make it a priority and save you precious time in the process:

  • Plan and don’t forget. In spite of all our best intentions, there are times when do forget. Use tools that will remind you of your goals. This could be anything for an alarm in your mobile phone to post-its on your table. It important to recognise the fact that forgetting is not an option any longer. The monthly CW calendar could be a tool you could use to track your goals.
  • Plan for stocks. It is easy to forget a shave because the razor’s not available. Hygiene does require tools and other hygiene materials. Buying that razor while on the way back home from work does not take too much time. That deodorant bottle that has just got over needs to be replaced. Checking your monthly stock of soaps, shampoos, and other hygiene essentials will not take time, if you do it when you order the monthly home supplies.
  • Schedule visits to the experts. A visit to dentist once in six months is recommended. It’s just of question of 20-30 minutes in six months. A monthly manicure/pedicure not only should help your nails look good, but also prevent dirt from gathering in them. Just remember that the visit is indeed important and skipping it is not conducive to your health/wellbeing. Dandruff, skin/ acne concerns are best handled by experts.
  • Mix pleasure with cleanliness. The mind is naturally attracted towards things it likes and away from things it does not. Mix pleasure and hygiene. A lot of people are bathroom singers, combining their love of singing with the chore of bathing.

Make time for home care

Following these tips will ensure that every detail at home is taken care of.

  • Make use of occasions. Take every excuse you can get to keep the house clean. Diwali cleansing, birthday cleansing, Mother’s day cleansing. Just as excuses work for not keeping the house clean, they work just as well for keeping it clean.
  • You don’t have to do it yourself. India has no problem of finding domestic help. Ask your maid if she would do some extra cleaning, if that’s not on her duty list. She would in fact be happy with the extra income, you would be saved of finding time and it would be good deed for the day. In fact there are few professional home cleaning firms that visit your homes, say for Diwali, and clean the house for you.
  • Alternate the options. Your house needs to be swept and cleaned. It would take 20 minutes but you have only 10 minutes in your schedule for that task.
  • Sweep the floor today and cleanse it tomorrow. It is not ideal, but is better than not having the house worked on for two days.
  • Make it easy to keep clean. It is already difficult to find time for cleanliness. If the tools and materials are not easy, that’s enough excuse not to do it at times. Don’t give yourself that option. Invest in a vacuum cleaner if you don’t have one. Invest in a drier along with a washing machine, if required.
  • Involve the family in house cleanliness. If cleanliness in on the agenda of only a few members of the family, the house will not stay clean. Make sure your talk about having the house clean with everybody at home. Normally everybody understands. The focus on cleanliness has to come to the fore. Once everybody is participating, the time demands on your contribution will come down and you will be able to make time.
  • Reward yourself. It is important that you reward yourself if you keep your date with cleanliness. Go for a movie, or a restaurant. Anything that you love and that will help you do that cleanliness task once again.

Tips for Personal Care

How does one implement self-care with discipline at specific times of day? Here are some tips that will help you make it a priority and save you precious time in the process:

  • Buy a daily planner and chart out a week’s health routine in advance. For instance, if you exercise five times a week, for an hour’s session of cardio each, mark the exact dates and time in your planner. Pencil in times of day to attend to other aspects of your health as well — even the details such as when to drink orange juice, eat healthful soups, pick up a re-fill on your groceries, top up on vitamins and even apply a face mask! The monthly CW calendar would be an ideal way to track your health.
  • Stick to the timings. Unless there is an earthquake or tsunami, don’t allow your pre-defined schedules to slip you by! If you exercise at 7 am every morning, make a habit out of it. It would help to select your timings for various healthful activities wisely. After carefully studying your schedule, ensure that you opt only for convenient timings that are suitable not just for you, but the whole family as well.
  • Establish a pre-bedtime ritual: An hour before bed would be the best time to unwind. Establish pre-bedtime rituals such as applying foot lotions, night creams, massaging the head and feet – anything that works for you. A warm bath or some melodious music will help de-stress. Pre-bedtime rituals are essential, because in minimal time, you’ll be able to set the stage for a restful sleep.

KAMALA Thiagarajan

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