How to Prioritize Your time.
Do you ever feel like there is never enough time in the day?
In 2016, my beautiful daughter Elliora was born. Physical activity has always been a commonality shared between me and my phenomenally, extraordinary wife, JoAnna. So, we were uneasy with the feeling of not knowing how we would continue to prioritize essential components of our lives, and rightfully so. There is a popular notion around modern day parenthood. It states that you must sacrifice the life you desire to live, for your child(ren). A smart man once said that sacrifice entails giving up things you do not want to give up.
For me, thus far, applying this definition, I have had to sacrifice ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Trust me when I say that I realize all journeys are different and that this proclamation is due in large part to the support I have around me (my phenomenally, extraordinary wife, referenced above).
So, the idea of giving things up to achieve a set outcome, is not what I would define as a sacrifice. This can be applied to EVERYTHING. Do you want to achieve the goal more than you want that THING?
My wife and I agreed that the sacrifice of three life essentials were not an option, one of them encompassed physical activity. We made sure to allot certain days and times, so we could engage in physical activity.
Newborns: My wife’s work schedule did not allow for her to work out on the days she worked. My position requires quite a bit of travel (Physical Activity While on Travel, stay tuned for that post). The last thing I wanted was to add on to my wife’s “duties” as a full time professional, by having to watch Elliora in my absence, for me to get a workout in. Since my mid-20’s, I have been a morning worker outerER (made that word up). This ruled out evening workouts. This was an easy call. I was never much for working out after a full day’s work, I have tried. The drive home would be a back and forth negotiation with myself. I would try and talk myself up to get motivated, or I would make it home first then get too comfortable to leave. Soon, my 6:30 pm workout time would be 7:00 p.m., then 7:30, 8:00, 8:30…too late. I no longer have that kind of time to waste. So, I am up before anyone else is up, most days at 4:30 a.m. My optimal time for physical activity is on an empty stomach and with empty BOWELS (TMI, I know). With a morning workout out of the way, I found myself able to focus on conquering the rest of your day. This continued once Elliora was born. Having a newborn, you realize the value of time, ESPECIALLY nap time!
*Fast-forward… to March 24, 2019. In comes Tiras Malachi (referenced in the video above). Boy, Oh Boy! What is an Active-Dad to do?!?!
I will tell you exactly what an Active-Dad is to do…in a blog post! 🙂 But I will foreshadow by stating, it will include a having good support system (AKA my magnificent wife, JoAnna) flexibility and commitment. Surprise! Surprise!
But I am not a morning person: I have been with JoAnna long enough to remember when she would practically bite my head off for trying to wake her up to work out with me in the wee hours of the morning. Eventually, my wife began to come to the dark side…the UP BEFORE THE SUN, dark side. Now, as much as I would like to take full credit for this transition (I’ll just take 95%), I can more confidently give a time frame when this transition happened. Her change from evening to morning workouts occurred after Elliora was born. Coincidence? My guess is that she realized how limited her free time became. To me, when you have a mindset that prioritizes physical activity, you no longer say “I CANNOT do that”, you say “How CAN I do that?” Maybe I can convince her to tell her side one day. I lightheartedly accuse her of taking my time slot. The truth is, there exists enough morning hours for both of us to GET IT IN! Being more efficient with the physical activity I engage in, I typically go first (It was my morning slot first anyway!). I return and JoAnna is off! All the while, Elliora is still sleep or just waking up when JoAnna returns.
Now, is this ideal for all? Certainly not. But, it may work for some. What is the harm in just trying?
What else changed? Our tandem vacations quickly morphed into traveling with an infant, then a toddler. We realized slimming down our daily itinerary was SO necessary. Our “sites to see” went from three, to one. JoAnna and I came to the same conclusion that physical activity would continue to be a priority, even on travel. JoAnna, being the exceptional travel planner that she is, went to work on reserving time for physical activity. For our trips to greater metropolises, she made sure to allow time in our day for a morning run. As Elliora became old enough, we endeavored to take trips exploring State and National Parks. ALL OF THEM! Our “vacations” have become travel adventures, with physical activity engrained in them. I tell my colleagues, I need a vacation after my vacation. We seldom sit around and just exist. We “like to Move It Move It!”
(Un)Intended Consequences: Our daughter has been on some of the most breathtaking, as well as, extrenuous hikes (in my child carrier hiking back pack). This includes a 12-mile hike at Glacier National Park in Montana (stay tuned for that blog post). Now, could our family have been so bold if we were not confident in our fitness, and our dedication to physical activity? I would say NO. Moreover, what remains to be seen is the imprint we hope to have accomplished on her. We relish the day of seeing her expressing the same love for physical activity as we do. But, like everything else, consistency is the key. We grow closer as a family, trip by trip.
Check out my next blog post on But Why?, followed by The Privileged: Paternity Leave.