Let’s face it, today’s world is crazy busy! Between jobs, family, friends, errands, home projects and trying to maintain fitness goals, every day life can sometimes feel like it’s spinning out of control. For me, the key is always time management. Here are a few tips from me to you to help you get through the crazy and stay focused!
Create a calendar – Whether you go old school and hang an actual calendar on your wall or create a shared calendar through your phone, pick the calendar type you like best, and put EVERYTHING on it! When I say everything, I mean everything. This includes social commitments, kids’ sport activities, doctor appointments, meetings and yes – even your workout. If it’s on the calendar not only will you be more likely to commit to it, you’ll also have an advanced view of what your day or week entails, and can make adjustments before you become overwhelmed.
The 80/20 rule – The 80/20 rule is simple and can be applied to life, fitness or even your diet. It means, 80% of the time you do good, 20% of the time you cut yourself some slack. Example – 80% of the time eat perfect or make sure you’re logging those workouts. 20% of the time go ahead and have some wine or a slice of pizza, or skip a workout. This could also mean that 80% of the time you make every soccer game or every social commitment. 20% of the time you skip it in favor of some “you” time. You don’t have to be perfect at everything to still be successful. When you need a break (or a piece of chocolate) – take it! As long as you’re on track more often than not, everything will be fine!
Delegate when possible – Sure, being in control feels amazing. When you can rock it at work and still cook dinner, get in a workout, run errands, clean the house, get the kids bathed, AND get all caught up on episodes of Games of Thrones, you feel amazing! You also likely feel exhausted, and the idea of getting up and doing it again tomorrow seems unbearable. You don’t have to do everything yourself. More than likely there is someone in your life who offers to help. Maybe it’s your spouse, a sibling, your best friend or maybe your mom. Let them! There is zero shame in enlisting someone to pick up your kids from school so you can get to the gym or letting your husband take care of bath time so you can get caught up on work or run an errand. We all need a little help sometimes. If you’re lucky enough to have a willing party, let them help.
Don’t over commit yourself – This tip ties in with the calendar one. Before I commit to anything, I always do a quick double check on my calendar. Sure, I may love to take another meeting or meet a friend for lunch; however, if my day is already packed, I’m just going to stress myself out if I make another commitment. Review your day and week, and see what can be moved around. If it’s just too hard to fit in one more thing, then don’t. Unless it’s an absolute emergency, it will be as important later as it is right now.
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