Managing Your Time: Guest Blog by Ambassador Lindsey Bisgrove

"We hope you enjoy this guest blog from Garmin Ambassador Lindsey Bisgrove.”

When it really comes down to it, all that matters in life is where and how you spend your time. Think about it – Every single person faces different struggles and has unique advantages. Yet, what balances us out is very simple: time. We all have 24 hours in each day. What you do with that 24 hours matters – it matters for your decisions, for your tomorrow. So how do you make the most of it? How do you make the next 24 hours count? I won’t even pretend to have this calculated down to a perfect formula, but I’d love to share a few tips that I have found work for me while balancing life with teaching university and fitness classes, working, being a full-time doctoral student, and endurance training.

Manage your fitness time: You probably have thousands of other things going on in life, so it’s key to remind yourself why you are involved in fitness in the first place. Maybe it’s as a stress relief, or to be healthier, or maybe it allows you to connect with others in a fun community. Regardless, fitness is important to you! When looking at your schedule for the week, figure out what your other priority commitments look like. What time do you have work or class? How many other non-negotiable events do you have scheduled (e.g. picking up the kids, doing homework, getting a project done)? This not only helps with managing when you can fit your training in, but it also helps you see where you’re physically spending your time. Are there chunks of time that could be spent elsewhere or doing something more productive? Buying a planner that breaks down my days, hours, and to-do list has really been crucial for me this year!

Sometimes what works best for me is working backwards. If I know I will be busy Sunday and need to do my long run on Saturday, I can work backwards to figure out the rest of my schedule for the week. Since my long run demands the most amount of time, I always make sure to fit that in. Next, I start planning the rest of the week around non-negotiables. On very busy days, that can mean either running before 5am or not running until after 9pm, but I try my best to make it work! I would suggest putting on your workout clothes immediately upon knowing you need to head out – it will almost ensure you always go!

There’s a huge potential in utilizing the time that you already have as well. For me, I’m not willing to sacrifice every single free minute I have training. I love training! But I love it because I do not force it upon myself. I also love spending time with my fiancé, and seeing my friends and family! I don’t want to sacrifice other areas of my life to make training work. To utilize the time I have I multitask and really make my downtime count. For example, there are many days where I will need to fit a run in during a lunch break. There are other occasions where I have had to read a textbook or study notes while running on a treadmill. It’s all about time management and reclaiming our time!

Life is about choices. You have 24 hours today, make the most of it – and try to beat yesterday!

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