schedule a better life
This is a quick email but could be the most practical and effective thing I've written this month!
If you are feeling:
> anxious
> guilty
> lonely
> lazy
...and any other negative emotion really.
Then 9 times out of 10 it can be traced back to a bad weekly schedule
What a bad schedule does is damage your emotional energy levels.
You work too much and don't rest
You then feel tired and don't train
Not training leads to feelings of quitting
Quitting leads to low willpower and unhealthy eating
Your mental state only gets worse from here.
A good schedule however, will give you:
> lots of free time and hobby time to recharge your batteries
> sacred time where you train and improve your health
> family time to improve relationships
> social time to catch up with friends and feel human again
How is your schedule going this week?
If it's non-existent and you already feel burnt out and ready for the weekend, well consider this:
WE ARE ONLY 3 FULL DAYS INTO THE WEEK!
If that's not an indication you need to improve your schedule I don't know what is
But, the problem is this process can be overwhelming if done wrong
So let's take a baby step today.
Grab a sheet of paper - paper and pen works better than an app or online calendar (by all means transfer it to digital once done)
STEP 1) draw a weekly framework - Monday to Sunday
STEP 2) block off work times - time you HAVE to be at work. If you work from home or are self-employed don't just mindlessly fill out this time. Do you really have to do that many hours? Are you being effective? Anyway, we can't do anything for ourselves in work time so let's block it out
STEP 3) block off 30-90 mins EVERY day that is YOUR sacred alone time. Mornings are best for this IF you will get up earlier to do it. But any time works. Lunch times are also good.
STEP 4) add in ONE dedicated family time every week. Perhaps 3-4 hours one evening. Or a Saturday afternoon
NOW the fun part
Brainstorm a load of things, the more extreme and outlandish the better, that you 'could' do in your sacred time.
learn French
learn piano
read shakespeare
practice chess
do yoga
walk whilst listening to audiobooks
phone radio stations and try to win all their competitions
...whatever you like!!
Now pick what you want and make a little routine:
> 30 mins of piano practice
OR
> 1 hour of learning French
Make your time structured and practical, but above all make it something you want to do. Something that will make you happy.
Then do the same for family stuff.
> big meal out at a nice restaurant
> go to a new town for a walk/shop
> cinema
> big family walk
...anything you want.
Then the obvious part:
GRAB YOUR PIECE OF PAPER AND PUT IN WHAT YOU WANT YOUR WEEK TO LOOK LIKE!
Then go live that week
Anxiety and stress is normal and we all have it
But plan ways to recharge your batteries and enrich the lives of your loved ones and trust me, life will get a hell of a lot better
:-)
***
Rise Above
Ant
Anthony Shaw
Head Coach
Raw Strength Gym, Warrington
PS - want our help to get started?
Get more info on our 6 week introductory program here: http://rawstrength.co.uk/rise/