Think of something that you’ve considered doing over the last few years, but ended up not doing.
Anything you like.
Might be exercise related.
Changes to your eating.
A new project at work.
Launching your own business or side hustle.
Taking up a new hobby.
Something you’ve thought you’d quite like to do.
Or maybe “should”, “ought” or “need to” do.
Why didn’t you do it?
I’d wager in at least 90% of cases, the response was some variation of “too busy”.
I get that.
We’re living at a time in history where we, arguably, have more on than ever before.
Where we are contactable 24-7.
Where it feels there are so many things and people demanding of our time and energy.
But…………..
I also get that, as a quality coach (cough ** 13 consecutive months as the UK’s #1 PT on Club Training, 5 years straight as UK #1 on FreeIndex, 5 years as Cheshire #1 on Google and Facebook and two times top six at The National Fitness Awards ** cough), I’m here to help people question things.
Things that might be holding them back more than they have to.
So my question is…………
Too busy for what?
When I’ve asked this before, people usually reply with something like “this”.
Or “what I just said”.
“Sure, I get that. But run me through all the things it will involve that you currently feel too busy to do”
“All of it”
“Break that down for me. Over the course of, say, a month, exactly what do you feel that you need to do?”
“The workouts. Eating better”
“Ok – how many hours would that take?”
“What do you mean?”
“How many hours of working out and how many extra hours spent on your eating compared to what you do now?”
“Erm, ok. 3 workouts per week. 90 minutes round trip. An extra half an hour a day on the food. So, what’s that? 30 odd hours over the month?”
“Ok – I get that. How much time do you feel you could invest over the month then?”
“What do you mean?”
“If 30 hours is too much, what isn’t? Could you do 1 hour total in the month?”
“Sure”
“29 hours?”
“I wouldn’t have thought so”
“In the middle? 15?”
“I guess”
“You 100% sure? You don’t want to say 10?”
“15s fine”
“Right – so let’s look at what we can do in 15 hours over a month that will still take you in the direction you want to go in. Are there any changes we can make to your eating that will get you in a deficit that take no more time than your eating does now?”
————- Find some options —————
“Cool – we’ve still got those 15 hours left. How many Sessions here and / or home workouts could you do in 3 1/2 hours per week?”
“Two Sessions here and one short home workout?”
“Perfect”
That conversation paraphrases actual conversations, sure.
But it’s the basic gist of one we’ve had countless times.
It might end up being one workout at RISE and one home workout until other things settle down a bit.
It might be a damage limitation approach for now.
And you can apply the process to anything you might want to do but feel you are too busy for.
You may well genuinely be too busy for the version you have in your head that you need to do.
You know your life – who would I be to tell you that that’s not the case?
But I’m pretty confident that when we say we’re “too busy”………..
There is a less time consuming version………
That might not get ‘Instagram ready’ perfect results………….
But that will help us make forward progress………….
That we could be doing.
Next time you catch yourself saying “I’m too busy”………
It’s worth asking “what” we’re actually “too busy for”.
Much love,
Jon ‘Doing nothing, working the whole day through’ Hall
P.S. If you’re ready to do a knowingly sub-optimal approach that you actually will do and will get you life changing results and to leave behind limiting concepts like “too busy” and “getting my money’s worth”…………. then register your interest in what we do here –> www.myrise.co.uk/apply
——————————————————————-
RISE in Macclesfield was established in 2012 and specialise in Group Personal Training weight loss programmes for those that don’t like the gym and find diets boring and restrictive!
