The First Thing You Need To Know
We're going to expand on the previous post. If you missed it, here it is.
To start building a system that is going to reduce the inconvenience of getting in shape you need to take inventory of where your time goes.
This is your absolute first step. Do not skip this. Do not pass "Go" and collect $200.
Slotting and sequencing are two keys to allocating your time. They are infinitely more important than having a windfall of free time.
I'm going to repeat that for you.
Slotting and sequencing are infinitely more important than having a windfall of free time.
This might seem weird to you. But how often have you not done something because of a supposed lack of time?
Lack of time isn't the problem. Managing your time is the problem. If I gave you $100 dollars could you give me a report at the end of two weeks on where you spent that money?
You probably stand a better chance of telling me where your last 24 hours went, right?
Before taking your personal time inventory (actually it's more like a time budget), I want you to keep slotting and sequencing top-of-mind.
Slotting is figuring out what activity is assigned to what time slot in your schedule.
Sequencing is figuring out the order of events. For example, can't workout in the morning? Can you do it in the evening? Could you do it on your lunch break?
On to the inventory/time budget.
You're going to stop using your calendar to simply inform you of what you have to do at certain times. You're going to start using it as a tracker for where your time goes.
- Setup a minimum of two calendars. One calendar is for your personal life. The other calendar is for work. You might also have a third calendar for family stuff that you share with your spouse, partner, etc.. DO NOT USE one calendar for everything.
- After setting up how every many calendars you have, pick an app that allows you to sync all calendars and see them in one place.
- On your personal calendar - Create an entry for when you think you normally wake up on your schedule. Also create an entry for the time you think you normally go to bed on your schedule. You are going to leave these times as-is on your calendar. Next, you're going to create two separate entries. One for when you actually wake up. Another for when your actually go to bed. After a two weeks of doing this, ask yourself "Is there a huge difference between when I think I routinely wake up and go to bed and when I actually do?
- Next, you're going to add all other activities to your personal calendar at the times they happen. Don't worry about what these are for now. Just be honest and list them all out.
- Last, whatever you do during your downtime on your personal calendar, create an entries for those as well. I strongly recommend that you create one entry per thing that you do. Itemize everything. Did something the night before? Put it on your calendar retroactively. Keep the habit of logging your time for at least two weeks.
- After doing this, you're going to have a sample size of where your time actually goes. The idea here it to spot inconsistencies. If your calendar says you normally go to bed at 9PM but you're actually going to bed at 11PM - something is off. If you're noticing that you routinely spend more time at the bar or watching Netflix before your 9PM bedtime, you might be creating a problem for yourself.
- Next, you're going to go through your daily calendar with a fine-tooth comb. I want you to look at each individual activity on your calendar and rank it 1-3. If an activity is ranked as a 1, it is top priority. You cannot miss this or shift this. If an activity is a 2, you have some wiggle room to shift the time slot for it or swap different days for it etc. It's important but you can flex on this a little bit. If it is a 3 then it is a BS activity that you should either cut back on or skip altogether.
Guess what your workout should be ranked as? You guessed it - it should be labeled a 1.
Now, you can't label it as a 1 and treat it like a 2 and keep moving it around all over your schedule. You can't label it a 1 and treat it like a 3.
This entire exercise is intended to help you answer two questions:
Where does your time go?
What are your priorities?
The answer to these are going to help you build a routine. A routine is foundational to developing the good habits you need.