As much as I hate saying goodbye to summer, I do love September! I have always loved the change in season, going back to school and getting back into good routines.

Whether you are in high school, university or working full time, it’s easy to get caught up in how busy we are. Here are my Top 5 ways to manage sport/life or work/life balance:

• Planning!

  My first tip is get yourself organized. Getting to a new destination without GPS is a struggle. Same goes for real life! Trying to achieve your goals without a plan is a recipe for disaster. Through LOTS of trial and error here are my go-tos for planning:

  • Brain dump strategy

    1. A brain dump is essentially when you pour all your thoughts, tasks and wish list onto a piece of paper. Every thought that comes to mind gets written down.

       1. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when we have so much on our plate. I find this strategy really helps me clear my mind and visually see how many tasks I have to do. More often than not, the list becomes way more manageable and my anxiety is significantly reduced when I see the tasks laid out.

  • To Do Lists

    1. Next I organize all those things I’ve laid out in the brain dump into 3 categories:

       • Top 3 - Non Negotiable, have a timeline

         1. What you must get done, a priority either time sensitive or ranked by importance.

       • Easy 3 - Quick Ticks, will takes less than 10 minutes.

         1. Get yourself ahead in your day and tackle the easy tasks first. A lot of times we avoid a task when it could be easily done in a couple of minutes.

       • Next 3 - Coming up next

         1. What you may not have a chance to achieve today or this week, but are next in line for your Top 3 list. This allows you to forecast for upcoming weeks and preview what you may be able to take on or when you need to start saying no to things.

  • Use a planner

    • Time management is a vital life skill! I personally still use a paper agenda. There is just something about writing out my tasks that helps me feel more organized.

      1. Now that you have your to do lists made, schedule out your day, week and month. Start with the broadest, most important anchors in your schedule: practice times, games, tournaments, exams, assignments etc and then slowly zoom in to weekly and finally daily scheduling.

      2. My favourite Planners!

         1. Passion Planner - Uses hourly scheduling which is best for time blocking! They also have added tools to keep track of your goals, keep motivated and stay accountable!

         2. CleverFox - Undated so you don’t waste pages when you fall behind! Lot’s of space for to-do lists, and note taking. Also has tools to keep track of your goals, reflect on your weekly, monthly and quarterly wins and has space to list your priority items!

         3. iCal - Connects easily between all my iOS devices so even when I’m without my physical planner I can check important dates. Use Google cal if you use android!!

• Set Boundaries!

  • It is important to be realistic what you have time for. Sometimes more is just more and not always better.

    • What do you actually have time for?

      • Lay out your school, work and sport schedule and then decide if you have time for more commitments

        • Playing every school sport, multiple rep teams, trying to juggle a social life and then throw in a job will just lead you to burnout.

    • Learning when to say no

      • If you are starting to feel overwhelmed by your schedule, it is in your best interest and a strong practice of self care to say no!

    • Prioritize

      • When it comes down to time conflicts who do you say no to? It is important to know where your commitments lay and be upfront and open about these from the get go with your coaches, friends and co-workers.

• Prioritize Joy

  • Busy isn’t always bad, especially when your day is filled with activities you truly love.

    • Get rid of things that don’t truly light you up! You can’t pour from an empty cup, you can’t even pour from a full cup. That would mean taking away from yourself for others. Make sure you have a balance of activities that OVERFILL your cup so you can pour from the overflow.

• Enjoy a variety of activities

  • Variety is the spice of life!

    • Try different sports, hobbies and activities

    • Maybe there is something outside of sport you love, make sure to enjoy that activity as well

    • This helps to avoid burnout. Being creativity and using different parts of your brain and your body is great for your overall mental and physical health. That’s not to say add another activity to the mix … (see point about setting boundaries) but maybe that means cutting down time in one activity to have space and room for another activity.

• Create a daily routine

  • Instead of dragging yourself out of bed, be excited to wake up and take on the day.

    • Some ideas to incorporate into your morning routine

      • Make your bed

      • Practice your favourite skin care routine

      • Make a healthy, FUELLING breakfast

      • Journal, meditate or practice gratitude

      • Move your body by going on a walk or getting in some exercise

      • Read a book or listen to your favourite podcast

Being intentional and structured in your time helps you to stay feeling in control and empowered. There is nothing more difficult than feeling overwhelmed and that our time is not our own. So hopefully some of these tips help set you up for your best season yet with a solid sport/life balance!