On October 8 2016 I will be competing at the Ironman World Championships, tackling the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run in Hawaii. Nope I am not a professional athlete; I am preparing for this event in between my full time university commitments and working two jobs. What’s my secret? There are no secrets!! We all have the same 168 hours a week to work with and I try to make use of every last one! Here are my three pieces of advice to help you achieve more this week!
- Make a Schedule
I would be lost without my daily schedule; honestly, I would forget to go to work.
Monday to Friday I have almost every minute accounted for between 5am and 7pm. Everything I need to get done in a day is listed (sometimes in my head, sometimes on a whiteboard) and prioritised. I start with what is inflexible (i.e. work), then add in Uni, training, study etc. and try to find a way to make it all fit. Having a schedule constantly reminds me that there is no time to procrastinate, and guides me to get the most out of every day. - Become a Morning Person
Frankly, you need to stop snoozing the alarm. I very rarely train or study after 6pm; to be most effective I need to be able to put 100% into the task at hand and by the evening I am mentally and physically fatigued. How do I fit everything in? I wake up early. I am up before 5am on 5 days of the week – there have even been a couple of times I have set the alarm for 3:30am to get my required training in before work! This allows me to get a full night’s sleep every night and be refreshed physically and mentally for the next day! - Set Yourself Goals (and make them scary!)
Motivation always starts off okay but dwindles when the going gets tough. What’s going to be getting you out of the warmth of your bed and into the cold, dark winter mornings? Set yourself a time or a goal race that will roll you out of bed when the alarm goes off. I have a picture of the finish line in Hawaii that stares me in the face every morning – every day when I pull myself out of bed and get moving is a step closer to my goals.
Lace up your On’s and get out there!
By Emily Kempson Follow her on Instagram @emkemp_yep
