There is a lot to do during the school year. Priorities such as attending class, studying, and working may put a time crunch on your weekends. It’s tempting to skip the climbing gym and catch up on your sleep. Surprisingly, many people don’t realize that keeping an extracurricular activity such as climbing helps us perform our other tasks more efficiently. So, it would be best if you didn’t give up on a good thing. Set your climbing sessions as your priority and create balance in your life.
Climbing: Work-Play Balance
Climbing helps keep stress in check
It’s essential to keep training, especially when you have much to do. A stressful, busy life can get out of balance quickly if you are stuck in the monotony of all work and no play. Climbing is especially beneficial to busy people because it is the type of sport that improves focus. When you are climbing, you can forget about deadlines and upcoming projects. It is a total body experience that requires us to be mindful of our actions. It’s almost meditative. It gives the mind a break from the anxiety and stress of daily life and allows us time to rejuvenate.
Tips on time management
Do you want to keep climbing but don’t know how to find the time? Most climbing gyms are open seven days a week, from early morning to late night. You can easily find gyms with flexible hours, and finding the time and day that will work for you will be easy. Below are five tips to help you keep your gym routine a priority in your busy schedule.
- Resist the temptation to give in to laziness.
- Don’t procrastinate.
- Get into the habit of scheduling gym time.
- Set the alarm to remind you to go.
- Go to bed at a time that allows you to get up early for more time in your day.
When we are busy, if we procrastinate on upcoming tasks, we create more stressful situations for the future. These tasks wait in the wings while we procrastinate, only to take center stage when we’re down to the last minute. We end up having to scramble to get the job done frantically. The quality of our work suffers as much as our stress level increases. It’s much better to do tasks as we get them and work on them consistently, little by little, until they are accomplished.
Scheduling gym time is as important as getting to class before the bell rings or submitting a project before its deadline. If you are serious about getting good, don’t let your climbing get eclipsed by other elements of your daily life. Give training its own space. Find a time that works consistently with your schedule. Having a planner would be helpful. When you enter your weekly work and school schedules into your phone or planner, mark the time to visit the gym. This habit will help you stay organized; it will help you get to the training consistently. Make it a priority to keep up with your climbing routine, even when your schedule is stressful.
Efficiency is key
Work efficiently to shorten your to-do list. Still in school and have a lot of notes to study? Record your classes and listen to them during your commute—to school, work, or the gym. If there is downtime at work, ask your manager if you can do your reading while you wait for customers. You can also listen to audiobooks to study while climbing your gym route.
Sleep can also make or break our schedule. If you struggle to balance gym time with school-year responsibilities, a good sleep schedule may help. If you get adequate sleep, you can accomplish more tasks because you’ll be able to start your day earlier. Don’t compromise your sleep or exercise routines to keep your life in balance. Keep climbing!
