Here is an interesting perspective on how we use our time... Using your time to the max Some weeks ago I was reading an article that got me thinking about how our most precious asset (time) should ideally be broken to: In a week there are 168 hours, out of which: -56 (8 per day) should (ideally, for most people) be the # of hours one should sleep -45 are normally used at work (sometimes more, sometimes less) -15+ is what most people train -14 are used in preparing and consuming breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks -10 hours commuting to\from work\gym\pool (some more, some less) -10 on personal grooming (showering once or twice per day, shaving, and making ourselves presentable for our workouts, even picking the right bib short that matches our favorite shimano bike shoes) ... now heres where it gets tricky... -10 hours a week (ok, I admit it... maybe a LOT more) on Facebook and social media, personal email (reading and responding to), and reading online articles\checking youtube In the best case scenario (if you have been doing the math), this adds up to around 160 hours, which leaves us with 8 hours (a bit over an hour per day) to: -spend time with your significant other\kids -running errands -doing laundry\washing the dishes -press the snooze button on your clock alarm -press it again... -...and again... -watch the olympics highlights at night -reading a book -taking the dog for a walk -cleaning after your pet -brushing teeth -parenting stuff (that can take a while) -discussing newest triathlon training trends with your friends\coach -discussing that new trend that makes you more aero -walking to starbucks\Tim Hortons to get your daily cup of coffee -using the toilet -cleaning\fixing\snow shoveling\laun mowing\spending time stuck in traffic\stuck in the TTC -etc So it turns out that sometimes we have more activities planned for our week than we can handle! It only takes an unplanned power outage to sabotage our plans and how do we normally try to fix it? By taking time from our sleep. But hold on a minute! We would still want to add massage and stretching in the above equation!! So instead of taking time out of your zzzzzz time here are three ways that can help you fit more in your week: Multitasking Yes, it has crossed everyones mind riding your bike to work. I did it a few years ago. That is a good start. It normally is a matter of creativity to figure out what activities can be done together to minimize our non-idle time. That way I have come across a few creative ideas (feel free to add more ideas to the list): -stretching while showering (I learned this from my swim coach) ;) -stretching in the office -listening to e-books while going for a run\while driving -reading while commuting (if you are not driving) -stretching while cooking (if no one is around) -catch up on your social media while eating (only doable if you are the only one on the table; otherwise that would take time from your family time) -stretching or doing push-ups while watching tv or listening to an audio book -theres rumors of people taking conference calls while riding a trainer (of course, they work from home). This has been unconfirmed, but wouldnt it be neat, if you could minimize the breathing and cycling sounds? -advanced multitasking: taking the dog for a jog while listening to an e-book? (please dont do this if you are running on the street) -What do YOU do? I am interested to know... Prioritizing I know we would all like to believe all of our daily activities are essential, but sometimes we have to be realistic: do we really have to watch one hour of The John Stewart show or the Colbert Report every day? I admit those are two of our favorite shows, but if I think how watching those shows add to my ultimate goals, I dont thin they rank high in my priority list (besides it conflicts with another activity that ranks high on my list: getting more sleep!). So why not trying to get as many high priority activities as possible (everybody is different and we all have different needs and goals), and leaving the lower ones for the end of the day? You may not be able to finish everything in one day, but you will for sure get the most important ones! ...and last, but certainly not least (the one we have all been waiting for, that we fear to talk about): Limiting \ Eliminating some non-essential activities Ok, we have been multitasking and prioritizing buy you still are unable to finish your core activities during the day. What should we do? Once you have set a goal for you, and have prioritized your daily tasks you can now consider limiting (or eliminating) some of your non-essential tasks. It will not be easy, but go baby steps at a time. Visualize your ultimate goals and remember that every little sacrifice will pay off on race day! Consistency is the key. Author:Rodolfo
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 16:34:05 +0000
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