One of the better approaches to planning/spending my day came from my martial arts training.  “Train a little, work a little, play a little every day”.  This approach has helped me stay (a bit) more balanced, and has helped keep me from going overboard in any one area.

In the same lens of improving ourselves physically (or my addition of upskilling), taking a little bit of time to “work” is also important.  Originally I took this to mean job-related work, taking time to write a few emails, tweaking a set of slides, or thinking through a strategy.  This helps keep moving things forward, but I’ve also found it helps relieve some mental pressure (especially over weekends!) as I get time to plan things out.  

In the same way we can combine “Train a little” with both physical and upskilling, we can do this with “Work a little”.  I frequently think through a work challenge while I”m on a run.  This double dipping gives me a bit more time to figure out what I should do, while also helping me improve in multiple areas.

Play a Little

This is an important one… take time every day to play.  I interpret this to mean do something you enjoy solely because you enjoy doing it.  This could mean playing a video game, reading a book, gardening, or anything else you enjoy.  The point of this isn’t to improve a skill, or get something done, it’s to allow yourself to relax.  Relaxing helps us let go of stress, and more importantly helps us unpack our emotions and thoughts.  

I find this unpacking makes it much easier to re-engage with work (or something stressful) than if I haven’t had that time to unpack.  It's similar to organizing your closet - at the end of it you realize there’s a lot more space than you thought, and you can actually find things.

In the martial arts aspect this would mean making time to go run forms, or practice fighting, or teaching.  This could be a formal class, going to the park and training by yourself, or just taking 5 minutes to meditate during the day.  As I thought about this more I also realized it covered anything related to improving myself as a martial artist.. Going for a run, putting together a training schedule, updating my notebook, etc. all contribute towards training.

As I’ve spent more time in the workforce I’ve also come to understand this from an upskilling perspective.  In addition to the physical training aspect, I also include things like learning a new skill through a platform like Udemy (shameless plug!), reading a book that relates to business or talking to others about their approach to their career.  The point isn’t to pick a specific way to improve your skillset (whether it be physical, professional or otherwise), but that you take time every day to do SOMETHING to move the needle in those areas.

There are some ways to combine these, such as listening to podcasts while running, or having in-depth philosophical discussions while sparring (let me know how that one goes if you try it!).

All of this isn’t to say that you cannot have days that focus on just one or two of these areas.  Many of us frequently dive into work and take a lot of our time to wrangle with those challenges.  This can be a great use of time, especially when we’re in a flow state or achieve something satisfying.  The danger is we end up “stuck” in any one of these modes to our overall detriment.  By taking time to do each of these, train, work and play, we allow ourselves to trend more towards a balanced state. WE can even combine these, such as the listening to podcast while running example (improving work-related areas while also exercising).  The more balanced and stable we are, the better we will be able to react and address other things in our life.