As the clock ticks, the ability to manage one’s own time has become a must-have skill in both athletics and the business world.
Athletes know the importance of striking a balance between working hard during training and competition, and taking time for rest and recovery. But it’s not only athletes who can benefit from this kind of savvy: businesses who want to create an efficient workspace can also apply these same principles.
In this blog, we explore how Jamie Ingram, a professional swimmer, prioritises his time to reach success, and share ideas on how those time management skills can be transferred into the working world.
With careful planning and practical implementation, time management can majorly take businesses from good to amazing.
To the average viewer, watching a men’s 100m butterfly race in the Olympics only takes about one minute. For those competing, however, it’s an entirely different story—one that involves four years of hard work and dedication leading up to this momentous occasion.
Training cycles are planned out with major international meets in mind, whilst shorter training blocks allow swimmers to focus on fine-tuning their technique ahead of smaller competitions. Then all the little things need doing along these long journeys: daily rationales created by athletes to help them stay motivated and reach peak performance when it comes to game time.
Jamie understands the importance of optimising his daily routine. However, with limited pool time allocated by local authorities, Jamie has had to make necessary adjustments like split-shift working patterns and compressed meal times – all while trying to get enough sleep.
To stay on track amidst the chaos, Jamie focuses on what he can control: nutrition, hydration and creating healthy sleeping habits. For example, on Sundays, he preps meals for the week ahead in only an hour compared to twenty minutes every day. This is an intelligent way to save valuable time spent in preparation that yields nutritious ingredients cooked up fast when they are needed throughout the week.
Time Management with Jamie Ingram
Jamie must ensure his body is well-rested to meet the demanding training schedule. To do so, he follows a strict routine each day and makes sure sleep isn’t compromised for any distractions that may come up. By doing this, he can adequately repair himself between intense sessions.
Jamie’s training cycle is under the watchful eye of his Coach, who meticulously curates a schedule tailored to Jamie’s personal goals and areas for improvement. From intensive sprint sets to longer distance runs and recovery periods in between, this carefully crafted plan will have him poised for success come race day.
Race day is a carefully choreographed event for competitors, from energising meals to physical warmups and cooldowns. All the details must be timed perfectly: when to take off tight swimwear or eat fuel snacks before swimming affects performances. Muscle preparation also involves both mental strength in positive thoughts and physical activity – ideally just before the start of the competition so Jamie can return his body’s functions to a restful state afterwards.
Post-event cool down is equally important for athletes – it helps regulate post-race heart rate and blood pressure before the chance for rest can be taken.
The athletics coaching industry is booming, with people seeking that elusive “silver bullet” to success. But perhaps the key lies in taking time out of our lives more regularly – not just once every four years.
Many times, we think of business and athletics as worlds apart. However, Jamie’s experience serves to demonstrate that the same principles are applicable in both worlds – SMART objectives to reach short/medium/long term goals, a commitment of 10,000 hours for improvement, and keeping up one’s health & well-being at all times.
Consider race days analogous to critical personal events like interviews or presentations. Where successful outcomes require practice and proper structuring, just like Jamie’s approach – even in instances when plans don’t go accordingly, it can be beneficial opportunities for learning which ultimately enhances our personal growth cycle!
Being a successful professional swimmer requires strict adherence to a training schedule, but it also relies on fantastic time management skills both in and out of the pool. As swimmers know all too well, you can always do more to improve your performance; the secret lies in identifying which activities will produce the most significant results and allocating your limited time accordingly.
The same principles apply in business: by understanding how to prioritise tasks and manage your time efficiently, you can achieve amazing things both in your career and in your personal life.