Sportybrains

Because "a day in the life" revisited would be boring! 

I am borderline obsessed with managing my time. This does not mean that I am exactly good at it, just very mindful of where it goes and what it means (or doesn't mean). There are calendars posted at my office, my kitchen, and I am never without my planner (okay, I get anxious if I can't find it; and no, I have no real interest in using electronics for something so basic as planning).

This is nothing new and I see this fixation as one of my personal strengths-one that has to irritate my friends and family sometimes-but it has enabled me to do a lot of things relatively proficiently at or near the same time.

The inspiration for this type of post that is rather common in the blog world came from several activities and moments from the previous week. . That and I was the subject of a Kinesiology 101 student's career interview that contained the inevitable "day in the life of_______" question. I honestly needed some time to stop and think about how to answer a fairly straightforward question. Really, no two days are really the same, and a lot of this is by my own design and choosing.

 There are some patterns and constants, however, and I think that creates a nice balance for me without wearing me out-another thing I get asked about a lot and get weird looks by telling them usually 'no'.

Disclaimer: forgive me if this post comes across as 'preachy'-I'm simply processing what currently works for me. 

Besides the interview, this week I did a FaceTime guest lecture at Montana State U.-which was pretty cool, and helped at two coaches clinics in the evenings. Close it out with a long run and then watching some athletes run at a track meet it was a busy week, but a good one in the life of a running sport psychology consultant.

So why was I so stumped to answer the undergrad's question the other day? Let's break it down a bit, this may be good for me to look back on from time to time when I feel like things are just careening randomly around.

First, I've been in a nice rhythm of training hitting miles near 50 per week; balancing high and low intensity. Besides my usual Thursday rest day, I start the day out running or the day runs me. That's the way I see it, at least. My thoughts gravitate towards nothing to races to upcoming projects to random questions about the artists on my iPod. That or telling myself how good I'm getting-perhaps my fave! LOL I have to set aside some time to do my drills and core. Or weights. For me, it's get this stuff in or else; its just as important as actually completing the run.

After the run it's breakfast or part 2 of breakfast ALWAYS within 30-45 mins and an amino acid drink immediately after. Breakfast is typically oatmeal, fruit, greek yogurt (or some combo of). Honey Stinger waffles have entered the rotation too for pre-run and are a-mazing!  Seems to help me focus and recover even faster. Getting ready includes foam rolling to the cook time for oatmeal or coffee brewing and not to sound like too much of a robotic nut I stretch my calves using a rocker apparatus while putting on makeup. Seriously girls, don't knock it until you try it. My calves are rarely sore anymore.

Chances are there are emails to return, presentations to work on, or a client to see mid-morning (thank goodness I have some control over my hours) so it's either off to the 'real' office or to Sbux to get in a groove. Sounds relaxing, but in reality I'm typically banging away at my keyboard oblivious to what's going on! Don't worry though, if you come by and say 'hello' I'm happy to stop and chat or a bit!

I also take this time before the storm of athletes hits to work on the book I'm co-authoring "An Elephant for Dinner" (feel free to check it out on Facebook!).  Seriously, my wrists and forearms seem to have gained some muscle definition from all the writing I do! That or my grip on life is a bit too tight, but whatever!!

The office has been designed to be more like a 'living room' than anything else. Recently I have acquired a microfridge because I typically have to take food and water with me. A lot of therapists tend to sacrifice their nutrition, eating sporadically or not the right things because they're 'too busy' but I disagree with this. Even though it does not pay my bills, operating as a full-time athlete is important to me.  Just like recovering from a run, I have to stay sharp for my athletes; self-compassion in my book equals other-compassion. Especially when I see up to six per day, plus any administration work that is needed.

Being a one-woman show right now, it gets time consuming and my planner is always full of scribbles of 'to do's.I'm learning now to attack one thing at a time and if something does not get accomplished-the world will not stop spinning. I know I nailed the day when I leave knowing I did my part to help somebody move just a little further forward. It doesn't always feel like that, but I have to always review on the drive home what went right that day. For me it's a struggle to not focus on the things I should have said, done, not said, and on and on. Thinking like that does not add any time to my days, or my life. It's hard to break the habit of always trying to go above and beyond with seemingly EVERYthing, but I'm human after all.

Evenings are as random as they get. Sometimes there's a track workout, sometimes a game to go watch; sometimes a class to teach, or a workshop to give. Sometimes there's a drive involved: typically 30 minutes north to Huntsville, or anywhere from 30-60 minutes south into parts of Houston. With the exception of my Monday Sport Psych class, I could be anywhere or just at home, reading with my feet up or trying to keep a somewhat clean living space. Ok, the latter gets lower priority, but no use micromanaging. Despite always having to feel like I'm being productive, embracing rest is important. And it's possible to do if you incorporate a mindset of "recovery" for both training and life.

At the end of the day, I am trying to look at what I was successful on, got done, or made progress on.-I glance at my schedule for the next day, get out all my workout gear and do any needed meal prep, and reset to keep the "rhythm" going. I do a lot of simple 'multitasking' for the little things, such as getting ready and stretching, but some things seem to demand my immediate attention. It's knowing when to compile and when to separate that sets the tone of calm or chaos for me.

Ultimately, the goal is to not be thinking (or at least over-thinking) about tomorrow when it comes time to crash for the day; that or still trying to work through the previous day's questions.

Even in a constantly changing career and schedule, I noticed the small things that I can control seem to set the tone and help me feel ready to take things on. What about you? What are your daily constants? What helps you maximize your days and, well, yourself?

Life is both an art and a science and often feels like a race or a sport; meant to be enjoyed and purposeful. Bottom line, be mindful of what stressed you out, what you're passionate about, and what takes priority for the time being. Sometimes, even if our calendar is maxed, it can be that simple.

Stay the course.