by David B. Glover
A huge challenge that most triathletes – and truthfully most people for that matter – have is managing time.
There are just too many things to do, too many things to think about and too many commitments to meet in order to do everything:
- spouse/partner,
- family,
- job,
- friends,
- hobbies,
- workouts,
- school,
- social activities,
- etc.
When I sit down and think about all the roles I play in my life, it’s simply overwhelming to me! Being self-employed, I’ve also realized that I can literally work 24/7 and still not get everything done that I want to get done. I also don’t want to work all the time so that I can do other things that I enjoy and are important to me.
One of the useful habits I’ve picked up recently is to spend 15 minutes each week creating a weekly plan.
Why a plan? Because it helps me prioritize what’s most important to me. By creating a plan, I proactively identify what those important things are.
Why a week? Because we tend to think in weeks and a monthly plan is too long and a daily plan is too narrowly focused.
At the end of each week (typically Sunday), I sit down and list out the important things that I accomplish for the week for each of the roles I play. Roles that I play include being Krista’s partner, a son to my parents, a coach to my clients, a writer, an event director, etc.
I then plug the bigger items into my calendar. For example, racing well at Ironman Coeur d’Alene is important to me so one of my goals every week is to complete all the workouts that my coach gives me. After I create my weekly plan, I then add all my workouts for the week into my calendar to block off the time. Sure, the time may change based on other commitments, but I have the time blocked off so I know what I need to get done that day.
My list of weekly goals is something I keep visible at my desk all week to remind me of what it’s important to me that week.
Once I accomplish a goal on my list, I put a check mark next to it. If I end up doing something unexpected but important, I simply add it to my list.
At the end of the week, I now also have a list of the things that I did accomplish that week – which is important to the “Achiever” in me who gets satisfaction from being productive and crossing things off my list.
Here’s the weekly planning template I created for myself in Microsoft Word as an example of a weekly plan:
Weekly Goals
Week of: ____________
What can I do for the people that are important to me?
As a partner, I will love, listen, share and enjoy life.
As a son, brother, uncle, I will love, share and have fun.
As a coach, I will inspire, teach, and develop.
As an entrepreneur, I will create.
As an event organizer, I will make a difference.
As an athlete, I will maximize potential and have fun.
As a friend, I will share, develop relationships and assist.
As a writer, I will share, teach and inspire.
As a student, I will learn and teach.
Last week, one of my clients was complaining about having too much to do and running around from activity to activity without any sense of purpose, but simply reacting. When I suggested creating a weekly plan to prioritize what’s most important, she said “That’s a great idea, but I don’t have time for that.”
But wait, isn’t the purpose of the plan to help prioritize so you don’t have to run around as much?!?!?!?!
