I have always been a rather busy person. I like it when my day is filled with things to do and I have become quite good at multitasking and getting a lot done in a day. Some of you have asked me to explain to you how I manage my time and how I am able to stay focused on my fitness goals in the process.
This was something I needed to really think about because I never considered myself as someone who managed their time well, in fact, I also saw myself as a procrastinator. That’s the beautiful thing about social media – when you capture everything you managed to do in a day and play it back it can be quite eye opening.
Since becoming a mom, my plate has become even fuller, and time management has become more crucial. I think what counts in my favour is the fact that my day job requires me to always keep to very specific times – working in live television teaches you the true meaning of 30 seconds. I never knew how much one can get done in half a minute until I started working as a tv journalist 17 years ago. A minute is a lifetime in TV.
It’s a skill however anyone can learn. It’s amazing how much you can cram into a day if you know the truly value of a minute.
So here are my tips:
- Plan your day: Whether you write it down or make a mental note of everything you need to have done for the day or the next few days – have a good idea of what you need to achieve for the day.
- Prioritise your tasks: List your tasks for the day in terms of what takes top priority and what is of lesser importance. Once you have identified the main task of the day, plan your day around that one. Eg. On a day I know I need to take Esa to his baby swim classes – I make sure then I go to gym in the morning, when I get up, I immediately plan what I am making for supper and take whatever meat I need out the freezer to thaw for the day while I am running errands. Before I head off to gym, I put on a load of washing, when I come back its done and ready to be hung, either I will do it or my domestic.
- Exercise first thing in the morning: If this is on your daily to do list like me, it’s best to get your training done first thing in the morning. It tends to get me up earlier than normal and also energises me for the whole day.
- Simplify your life as much as possible: You will see on my Insta stories I mainly shop at Woolworths, the reason being, it makes my life so much easier. I always buy the prepared veggies – it might seem silly, but starting a pot of food with pre-peeled onions saves a few minutes and remember what I said above about the value of a minute…Cook for two nights, some of you may have husbands who ‘claim’ to never eat the same thing twice, let me tell you, they all try that stunt, it’s then up to you to give into it or refuse. My hubby tried that when we first got married – shame, it didn’t last. If they are set on eating different food every night, by all means – they need to pitch in and cook a few nights a week then. They need to help you simplify your life, as a busy mom/wife. Also, plan your outfits the night before, have an idea of what you’ll want to wear and make sure its ironed or something that requires no ironing.
STAYING FOCUSED
Through all the madness of the average day, I do struggle to stay focused on my fitness goals. It is tiring to have a fulltime job, study part-time, be a mom and run a home and make time to have a bit of a social life. The last few days have been murder. Lack of sleep has been my biggest challenge. It’s not all due to Esa, but also the late night shifts I work at my fulltime job. I end my day at 11:30 at night and often only get to bed after 12pm, then am up at 6am with Esa and then have a gruelling gym session at 8:30am.
Some days, I honestly have no idea how I get through the day. I am so exhausted sometimes, I just want to cry. What keeps me focused and motivated is my family and my goals that I would like to achieve. I often have internal pep talks with myself, “Wardah, I know you’re tired, but we have got to do this. This is just a brief moment of chaos and discomfort in the greater scheme of things, you can get through this.” – This really works for me.
‘The journey of a thousand miles is started with one step’ (I am paraphrasing), sometimes, when you are exhausted, your kids are driving you crazy, your house is a mess – my advice is – just start with doing one thing at a time, just keep going, like Dori said “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.”
Wardah
Happy Healthy Fabulous
What I am wearing: Entire outfit is Under Armour
Photography: Tegan Smith
