How to keep training with a busy schedule? Help!!!

[Fat Donkey]

Hi everybody the Donkey is back in business and started the year off right by finding a new school and training. It offers BJJ, MT, Wrestling and MMA. It's great training, great instructors and great people. I also started Kali on saturdays after my MT and Wrestling classes . HOWEVER I work the graveyard shift at a busy warehouse 9:30 pm to 6:00 am with tons of overtime and now saturday shifts 10 to 20 hrs of ot a week. Plus I volunteer. I have already begun to miss classes weeks at atime because i'm too burnt out and can't get enough sleep 4 hrs a day is not enough and I wonder if any of u have the same problem. How do u maintain a good sleep regimen. How do u balance paying the bills and practising MA's? Any help would be welcome as I love MA's so much I wish I did them full time, but I need to eat and pay rent too.

[ShotokanKid]

It's tough. As a 14 year old, I can't help too much but just to say that grab sleep and money whenever possible and do everything in a neat organized fasion. The more you do, the more time you have to do stuff with. Hope I helped, GOOD LUCK!

[P.A.L]

i sleep around 5hrs. and practice 4 days 7-8:30PM

 

sometimes feel tired but i can sleep Sundays i sleep around 10hrs so i can catch up a little bit. i also use vitamin * and C every day. make sure you are getting enough of B6 and B12.

[KnifeHand]

I'm in college, a music education major. I have class all day and ensemble rehearsals in the evening. I've found that by making my training a priority like my other classes I rarely miss them. I realize that sleeping is difficult too. Eating right and exercising when not training makes you feel less fatiqued. I guess my only real suggestion is to try to form a schedule that works, with a little flexibility. Good luck.

[krzychicano]

I travel extensively on jobs and I miss up to a few weeks of practice at times. The best thing to remember is that you are not competing with anyone. If it takes you longer to reach your goal than the next person then so be it. But even if you can't attend practices still do something on your own at your residence. I practice when I am away. I go over all my material and make sure I stay sharp so I can have an easy transition when I do resume training at my dojang. Just stay focused and don't give up.

[SBN Doug]

My article is my first reply:

 

http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=14047

 

Secondly, if you are not in deperate need for the extra money, don't pick up as much of the overtime. I remember almost working myself to death back when I was on a rotating shift schedule. All that overtime made for a nifty bank statement. However, I was sacrificing everything else I enjojed to do it.

[krzychicano]

That is an excellent article doug I suggest reading it.

[Thruhiker]

How bad do you want to work out?

 

KSD Doug has some wonderful ideas with looking at where you spend your time. Another spin on Doug's idea is to look at where you spend your money. Doug mentioned the following "Time Management is more than just keeping track of what your appointments are. It's also tracking what ALL your time each day is spent on. It's finding the gaps you wouldn't normally see, because you're going a million miles an hour. It's finding inefficiencies in your schedule you wouldn't normally look for "

 

Lets take that exact idea and see where ALL you money is being spent. Track your spending habits for a couple weeks by saving EVERY receipt. Sit down with those receipts and see how much is spent at the convenience store, fast food, movies, bar, etc.

 

Rent/Mortgage

 

Car

 

Food

 

Gas

 

Electric

 

School

 

Kids

 

Insurance

 

Martial Arts

 

Cable

 

Phone

 

Credit Cards

 

Bar

 

Etc

 

What can you do to cut your overhead to work less hours? Is the cable t.v. or internet that important? Do you have a land line and a cell phone? Are they both necessary?. Can you buy a cheaper vehicle and sell the more expensive one? Can you find cheaper insurance? Can you pack a lunch instead of going out to eat. Which may also help with eating healthy to give you more energy.

 

Is there anything around the house you can sell on ebay to make a couple extra bucks? Apply that money onto your bills to cut them back.

 

Get on a budget and tell your money where to go. Make sure you leave a little fudge factor or cushion of spending cash. With out that item most budgets will fail.

 

These are a few suggestions that might help you out.

 

Final solution. Win the Lotto

[seersin]

I seem to have tha same money/time issues myself.I'm only 23 married with a 20 month old son and just had a little girl 1-31-05,Trying to pay tha bills,then I'm at church wednesday and all day sunday.So trying to get to class gets a little rough sometimes.Espcially when I need quality time with my Wife and my children,I dont wanna spend all of our spare time doing things I wanna do,So I figure I'll bring them to class to let them watch in tha waiting area,then afterwards I;ll take all of them out so they can do a little something as well.