I wrote this last year when I was in the middle of my 5K a Day In May self imposed challenge. So, it’s very timely that the topic today for Tuesdays on The Run is time management and training. Needed to re-read this to remind myself! It’s gonna be tough again to fit it in EVERY SINGLE DAY but we will make it work! Make sure you go check out what all the other great bloggers have to say on this topic – I know I ALWAYS need new, fresh advice on how to make all 24 of the hours work for me!

Today I want to chat about time. We all think we have too little. And we are ALL busy. A friend of mine used to say she hated it when people said they didn’t have time for this or that. “We ALL have the same amount of time” she would say. “It’s how we choose to spend it.”

She wished that instead of saying I would but I don’t have time, we would all say I would but I choose not to spend my time that way. Blunt? Yes. But also quite honest.

I’ve been devoting 35 – 50 minutes every day to exercise for the past 26 days. The 5K a day challenge is more than just a mileage challenge, it’s a time challenge as well. Because I have had to find that time in every day, most of which were already filled to overflowing. Here’s what I’m learning right now about finding the time to run:

1. Schedule it. Time to exercise will rarely NEVER just appear. This may seem obvious but the first few weeks of this adventure, too many times I failed to plan well. Which, as my dad often told me growing up, is the same as planning to fail.
2. Be willing to be flexible. Just because it doesn’t happen when scheduled doesn’t mean I can’t still do it. The day of my son’s 8th grade athletic banquet we didn’t get home until 9pm. I had planned on running after the banquet but anticipated it being over at 8. And yes, I still got my 5K in. Working out at 9:30pm is certainly not ideal for me but I did it and I was glad I stuck to my commitment to ME. My friend Stephanie routinely runs over her lunch hour. And yes, she takes a bit of a sponge bath in the bathroom, re-dresses in her work clothes, and goes right back at it. Where there’s a will, there is, most definitely, a way.
3. Say no. I can’t do it all. I disappoint people ALL THE TIME and I’m OK with it, because I’ve structured my life in such a way that I say yes to the things I know I need to be successful. If others don’t understand my priorities that has to be OK with me.
4. Change your expectations. Quote of the decade for me was from the book Overwhelmed by Brigid Schulte. “So much of our overwhelm comes from unrealistic expectations.” It’s just simple math, really. Spend more than you make and you will eventually go broke. Schedule more activity then you have time for and you will eventually feel overwhelmed and out of time. I am working on scheduling my life realistically with actual margin for the inevitable things that go wrong. See #3 for how that works for me. Lately this means that I’m having to accept a certain amount of chaos in my home in order to make space to run. But that means there is less chaos in my mind. So for me, for this season? 100% worth it.
5. Spend time on the things that have the most long term value. That’s a very individual choice. I know that not making time to workout means my depression will be less manageable and my family history of diabetes, heart disease and obesity will become a very real threat.  Doing it is a medical necessity for my long term health. I would much rather make the time to run and take care of myself now than have to make the time for dr’s appointments and medical procedures later.

If you’re frustrated about the lack of time in your life to take care of your physical body, it’s time to get real. Get your schedule under control, deploy your support team (family, friends, co-workers) to help you figure it out, and TAKE CARE OF YOU. Because you strong and healthy is one of the best gifts you can give those that you love.

Happy Running!

Jen