We’ve all heard the age-old saying, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” And when it comes to our health and fitness, that saying couldn’t be more accurate.
A typical week holds 7 days or 168 hours. Assuming we aim for at least 7 hours of sleep per night (a much-needed rest!), that leaves us with roughly 119 waking hours.
Now, with our myriad of responsibilities – work, school, kids, managing a business, or perhaps all of the above – it’s easy to get overwhelmed and fall into the common narrative we tell ourselves: “I don’t have enough time.”
So, I’d like to share a practice that has been a game-changer for me, enhancing both my productivity and my overall mood. It’s amazing how fantastic it feels to have a clear sense of your available time so that you can use it wisely.
I highly recommend using a physical planner or calendar for this. Our phones and laptops are constantly buzzing with distractions, and it’s easy for those Google calendar notifications to get lost in the digital noise.
Here’s what you need to do once a week (I find Sunday to be a great day for this):
1. Block out all the times you’re already committed during the upcoming week. These could be work meetings, client appointments, school drop-offs/pick-ups, or any other non-negotiable time slots when you absolutely must be somewhere.
2. Create a list of the three most crucial things you want to achieve during the week. These should be actions that will advance your personal life, professional goals, or healthy lifestyle.
3. Identify the blocks of free time that remain and schedule specific, manageable steps that will bring you closer to achieving those important goals.
Give it a shot for the upcoming week. You might be pleasantly surprised by the weight that lifts off your shoulders when you can see and define the available time at your disposal. Decisions and choices become empowering.
When you fly blind without a plan, it’s easy to get derailed by time-wasting activities that do you no favors. Yet, once you’ve mapped out your non-negotiable commitments on paper, you’ll discover how easy it is to pinpoint:
– An hour for grocery shopping here.
– Another hour for meal prep there.
– Three 30-minute windows for workouts scattered throughout your schedule.
To maximize this approach, I recommend a daily check-in with yourself before bedtime. This helps ensure you stay on track with your plan and reinforces the specific actions you’ll take the next day to move closer to your goals.
Give it a whirl, and I’d love to hear how it works out for you!