8 Awesome Ways To Find More “You” Time
Maybe you’ve been putting off that gym membership, cooking lessons, or commitment to healthy eating. You might tell yourself, “I just don’t have the time right now.” Well here we are, it’s the second week of January in 2012, and we’ve officially rolled into the new year. There are few things more challenging than finding enough time to adequately take care of ourselves. This is especially true with the hectic, rushed lifestyles of today. It always seems like we need to meet some kind of deadline or be in two places at once.
Here are some tips to find that “you time” and maximize your health efforts:
1. First and foremost, cut screen time. If you watch 4 different TV series, eliminate one. If you can’t bear this idea, alternate shows every week using an online TV service like Hulu.com. Watch 2 shows one week, then 2 the next. Sure, you aren’t going to see it right at the moment it premieres, but does that really matter? The great thing about this method is you will have just freed up 2 extra hours in your week for other things and the episodes will start building up in your online “queue.” Because of this, you will have extra episodes to watch after the season ends! How about that? If video games are your crutch, keep a log of your play time and have someone hold you responsible to it. Consciously track your web surfing time. This includes Facebook.
2. Multi-task as much as possible. If you are on hold on the phone, place it on speaker and conquer that heaping pile of dishes. Fold laundry or do other chores while you watch TV episodes. Do some stretches, crunches, or push ups during every commercial break. Considering every hour of network TV is about 21 minutes and 51 seconds of commercials, or 36%, You could almost get a full ab workout in! Heck, you could get all of P90X in if you had it memorized! Even if you are watching online TV with 30 second – 1 minute commercial breaks, that’s still enough time to get a lot of exercises in.
3. Use technology to automate as many tasks as possible. Schedule auto bill-payments and auto-refills on prescriptions. Make the most of your time. These little things add up.
4. Don’t reach for the TV dinners just yet. Make meal plans at the end of the week and go shopping (or have someone go shopping for you). Investing a little time for meal planning will help you avoid scrambling around the kitchen, scratching your head, “what should I eat?” At which point, you might opt out for a large bowl of ice cream. Set a meal plan. Stick to it. You’ll automatically eat better and think less about food.
5. Turn off potential distractors during times of focus. Turn off your cell phone, e-mail inbox notifications, TV, or anything. If you need some subtle background music for motivation, then go for it. 20 minutes of highly focused attention will be much better than 1 hour of a scatter-brained attempt.
6. Maximize your workouts. Why spend 1 hour running on the treadmill, when you can have the same effects (and better in some regards) (2) in 15 minutes of interval training? Get in. Push yourself. Get done. Get out.
7. Make sleep a priority. You will find that if you commit to 7-9 hours of sleep (depending on your own needs) per night, you will be more focused, and ultimately more productive. This will free up more time.
8. Don’t over-commit to civic duties / volunteer work. It is great to help others, and you should. But if you try and take on to many things at once, you will burn out. Then you won’t perform as well in these duties, and lose any time for yourself.
What do you think? Please feel free to add any ideas in the comments below.
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SOURCES:
(1) Average Hour-Long TV Show is 36% Commercials: http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/average-hour-long-show-is-36-commercials-9002/
(2) Interval Training for Performance: A Scientific and Empirical Practice: Special Recommendations for Middle- and Long-Distance Running. Part I: Aerobic Interval Training: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/adis/smd/2001/00000031/00000001/art00002
Images by: Jorge Barrios
