How Productive Can You Be In A Day?

If you are reading this looking for something to the effect of “Top 10 Tips for Productivity,” I will have you know this is personal account more meaningful than that.

On this day I will have accomplished:

-Training others and myself for 7 hours

-Conduct our very first screens of new members in which I am the head operator

-Be scolded multiple times by superiors

-Contrary to being scolded, have the most productive day at work in my life

-Be offered a more permanent position at my current job due to the growth of my youth program over the last six months

-Have an encounter that reminded me of how crucial perspective is among our daily living.

4:45-5:45: I rose to cook my typical 4 egg, avocado breakfast washed down with a 600-calorie smoothie.  The commute always goes swiftly at that hour as cars are sparsely spaced throughout the valley.

5:45-9:00: Our open gym is a great experience for everyone that makes up our team because we have the opportunity to work with people whom we have not had the chance to before.  I take pride in “speaking the same language” as other strength coaches but presenting it in a slightly different manner.  You never know what will stick with somebody allowing them to bust through a plateau.

9:00-10:45: I typically allot 90+ minutes for myself to train including a warm-up and cool down.

10:45-12:00:  Squeaking in 15 minutes to hastily set up our very first screening process of new members in our laboratory.  Upon completion, I met with two wonderful women that I train on a weekly basis for one hour.

12:00-2:30: I have never fully executed our entire process of the hour examination of individuals overall health at this point.  While intimidating, I am able to administer the exams with a façade of confidence.  After breezing through the tests with no problem whatsoever I began to clean the lab.  A fellow worker sprang in at this point visibly angry.  He spouted asinine accusations toward me leaving feelings of gloom and confusion.

2:30-3:15: Waltzing up the 24 stairs it takes to get to my office, I left for my quick lunch.  Before I could open the door, my supervisor was waiting for me.   At first I thought this was more bad news but in fact he was there to express his gratitude for my work since being hired and to inform me of my file being reviewed for a more permanent status position; essentially a raise.

Now more exuberant but still having conflicting experiences I walked out of the building toward the hospital’s cafeteria.  A brief encounter took place and is the most influential experience I’ve had in recent memory.

By shear chance, a close family friend was walking into the hospital as I was carrying my lunch out.  I didn’t actually recognize him at first, but exuberantly shook his hand when I realized who it was!  Even that was too much.  He said, “Easy there I might fall over.”  Known as a jokester, I quickly noticed he was not kidding in this instance.  His eyes a mixture of bloodshot and jaundice yellow.  Pale skin stretched over a frail body was left after an advanced procedure that, “took all my insides out an rearranged them.  I’ve been pent up in a hospital bed for weeks in Seattle,” he said.  “It did give me a chance to check out the small college basketball teams punch their ticket to the NCAA tourney for the right to get beaten in the first round,” he cheekily stated.  An eager and genuine grin appeared on his face as he proceeded to ask how I was doing.  My trepidations of that long day seemed to melt away as I grasped how amazing my life has become.  I spoke of being able to pursue my dreams of bringing advanced training to young athletes and how special home is to me.  People like him make the area I grew up in unbeatable.  Through a gruesome surgery and a tough uphill battle about to take place, he was able to eloquently communicate (without even really trying) the importance of both health and kindness.  He intently listened to my newest pursuits before shining one last smile and a wink before going to check into his newest hospital bed. 

3:15-7:30:  It was as if I had just been anointed this found again ability to see through all the pettiness surrounding me, and focus on what is truly meaningful in life.  I taught my last few classes of the day with joy and enthusiasm, finally calling it a day at 7:30 PM.

Through this day filled with high highs, and new lows, the only thing I really took from it was that brief encounter walking out of the hospital.  It reminded me to seek immediate action, one step toward something I’ve always wanted to do because life can take unfair turns.  Even with these unexpected happenings that everyone inevitably experiences, the one thing we can do is have perspective.  Today: take a step back, slow down, and be kind because that is something always within our control.