I’m talking time hacks on the blog every Friday in April. This is the second of four posts where I’ll share tips of how I maximize my time while triathlon training + racing, working full-time and fitting in quality time with family + friends.
Like clockwork, every Sunday coach puts the upcoming week’s workouts in TrainingPeaks. And, every Sunday, I review so I can plan my week – not only setting myself up mentally for the work I *get* to do, but also for how I’m going to arrange my schedule to fit it in and make the most of my time each day. Which leads me to…
Time hack #2: Plan ahead
Planning ahead is key to maximizing your time. When your day’s more or less planned out ahead of time, you know what to expect – and are more likely to stick to what you originally had scheduled. And, that means your day’s less stressful because you’re not frantically trying to squeeze in everything plus some. That said, if your day or week doesn’t go as planned, don’t be discouraged. Let it go, and onward!
Planning ahead can also help you reach your goals. Think about it: You don’t get to an ironman start or finish line without being intentional with your training and race plans. Reaching any goal – getting that KQ or being promoted at work, for example – comes with meticulous planning (and a ton of hard work).
A few ways I plan ahead each week:
- On masters swim mornings, I prep post-swim breakfast the night before (mainly so I can squeeze in another five minutes of sleep).
- Pack my work + gear bags the night before (and leave them in the same place each time so I don’t forget something).
- Determine which days each week I’m going to work remote. This is the best and biggest time saver… no getting ready, no commute, no parking ramp. Just roll outta bed and straight to the computer.
- Stalk the weather. Because if it’s gonna rain later in the day or is -25F, and I have a run, I pack my run gear when I leave for the day so I can go straight to the gym after work (rather than home first and then to the gym). If only our treadmill worked…
- Meal plan. While we haven’t quite mastered this yet, we do bulk shop on Sundays so the fridge + freezer are stocked and ready for a busy week. Since we started this in January, it’s been so nice to not stop at the co-op almost every night after work.
Your turn: How do you plan ahead?
Week one: a day in the life… and, let’s talk time hacks
Week two: time hack #1 // routines
10 Comments
I’m beginning to learn we are very much alike: I too do all of these. I even prep my coffee in the espresso maker the night before and put it on the stove so that in the morning, I just have to turn on the stove. I also add butter, xylitol and coconut oil to my mug the night before.
I also put everything on the calendar: plans with friends/family, races, long runs, appointments and even writing deadlines. We have gone so far as to block off weekends if we feel life becomes too busy and hectic. I’m a visual person, so this shows me how busy my week truly is/isn’t and allows me to plan my weekend ahead, as in staying, doing house stuff, relaxing? Or going out.
You really plan ahead! We usually grind fresh coffee for the bialetti in the morning 🙂
Yes to the calendar! I put everything in my iPhone calendar as well as my spark planned (because paper + writing it down) and then use TrainingPeaks for all my workouts.
Love that you block off weekends, too. I usually only allow myself one thing per weekend otherwise I get too stressed running around the city in the middle of my training. I’m very much an introvert and would rather stay home anyway 🙂
I do a lot of this but the one thing I need to start doing is setting out my kit for evening workouts after work. One less thing to have to gather when time is short!
That’s a great idea! May have to add that one to my list. We have all of our swimbikerun gear in our office, so it makes it pretty easy to grab what I need because it’s all in one place vs. mixed in with my regular people clothes 🙂
Great tips, sista! Lately, I’ve been good about planning/packing my lunches the night before work, which has been so helpful in eating healthier (more greens!) and getting out the door a little quicker in the morning. My newest thought is to plan to have the same five meals every week (well, changing them up slightly, but always the same main things, like salmon/chicken/ground turkey/salad etc). Instead of asking the same question every day, “what should we have for dinner”. If we want to make something different/special, do that on the weekends. I think this would be huge in relieving some weekday stress — and a time saver! 🙂
Will you come make and pack our lunches, too, sis?! 😉 What are your current favorites? Love the idea of having the same main dinners each week and making something new on weekends when there’s more time… we’re definitely gonna do that! We always have turkey tacos on Tuesdays and usually bison one weeknight, too. Let’s do some recipe swaps this weekend 🙂 xo.
Meal planning is my mainstay! Every Friday night we plan what we’re going to cook over the next week, so I know if I need to pick anything up at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday. Sunday is the big shop, along with the big cook for my week’s worth of lunches. We have a whiteboard on the fridge that we call “mission control.” It lists not only the meals we’re going to cook for the week (with a little day notation so we know when to pull anything out of the freezer to thaw) but also a master list of the contents of the freezer. That’s the real key for us. How many portions of poultry stock, chili, curry, marinara, etc make it dead simple to meal plan and execute when time (and money!) are tight.
I love your tips packing the bag. I need to get better about checking the weather so I don’t waste time switching up plans last minute.
Oh, how great you shop at the farmers market! Can’t wait for ours to open this summer… nothing better than fresh local veggies! And, I LOVE that you track your meals on a white board… totally gonna steal that idea from you, so thank you for that 🙂
Looking at the weather is a must, especially the pollen count (oh my, spring allergies!)
For sure! Hope your spring allergies aren’t bad this year and that you’re feeling ok!