We are in such a hectic world where there is so much going on, it does not matter if you have children, pets, or if you work long hours. In general, we never have enough time for ourselves; it seems a sense of duty for others always takes priority.
The following suggestions are based on our experiences that we have found helpful. We hope you will too.
Below are examples of exercise/activities, food, water, general routine (including shift working) and more.
Daily tips
Trying to fit exercise into your day can be super hard, especially if you participate in a sport like swimming, where you have to allot time to travel to a venue. The following are tips on how to complement your usual routine without taking extra time.
Have a think about the times you are waiting for something throughout your day. Perhaps the coffee machine to finish, maybe the last few minutes on the washing machine (you know, those 2 minutes where you might as well stay downstairs rather than go back up to your desk). What about the time waiting for a sandwich or waffle maker to finish frying, for tea to brew, for the water filter to fill your bottle, the microwave to finish, cleaning your teeth, or a page to load on your phone?
There will be pauses throughout these processes, and there are probably other things that you are doing in those spare few minutes here and there, but if you have any ‘dead time’, add it up, and you may find you have time to slot in some other activities instead, if you want.
In the dead time, you could do some:
- Squats (these can include different types of squats such as goddess, goblet, knees and feet together and so on).
- Standing straight leg kick backs. These and squats are good to do when cleaning your teeth, but a hygienist told us that it is good to ensure you are positioned in front of a mirror so you can still concentrate on your teeth.
- Waist twists.
- Horizontal arm circles.
- Standing shoulder stretches (eg if you bend your arms outwards away from the body at a right angle, and pull them down to your waist, pushing your chest out, this is a good, quick stretch to loosen the shoulders and work on posture).
- Toe touches.
- If you mix batter or something alike regularly with a whisk, move the whisk between your hands fast, like you would do if you were starting a campfire – turning your hands into a makeshift electric whisk tones the arms and chest muscles.
- Side step walk and squat or jump from one location to another.
You could also put on some music and just dance on the spot. Music is a therapy in itself; it is not only good for your body, but also your mind and mood.
If you really want to mix it up, one of our contributors had success with Jaana Kunitz, Body FX workouts, as you can do them on the spot, and Jaana is brilliant at breaking down the steps. Click on the video below to see the Merengue Tutorial.
You may not be in a sedentary position most of the day (eg desk work). If you are on your feet all of the time, it is still good to do some sort of exercise such as stretching to loosen the muscles.
The British Heart Foundation states the following on it’s website:
It’s recommended that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. Moderate exercise is when you feel warm and comfortably breathless like when walking or pushing a lawn mower. Intense exercise is when you breathe hard and fast like when running, swimming or cycling.
The important stuff
- Proceed with caution if you are going to do the above exercises in the kitchen, especially when the cooker or hob is on, something is boiling, there could be something slippery on the floor and so on. Consider leaving the room if you are concerned about safety.
- Be careful not to overload your joints and muscles. Do not rush the exercises; it is not a race, no one is keeping score.
- If you are not used to doing any of the exercises mentioned above, or you have any medical issues that impact you being able to carry out exercises, please seek professional advice BEFORE proceeding.
- There are many more exercises that could be done, and some work better for some than others, and location is important. After all, you may not wish to do squats in your work kitchen, but you might also start a trend!
- There are no rules with regard to the duration of dead time. For example, 2 minutes of listening and/or dancing to music is 2 minutes you are less stressed. Unless it is life or death, anything else can wait 2 minutes.
Technology
Investment in devices can help you save time, but as we know, technology can become addictive, so it is good to only purchase the items you need (ie like a coffee machine, or a fruit and vegetable quick cutter). No one else has your schedule, so get items that help you be more efficient with your time and help you get time back for yourself.
We have had some great success with the Amazon Kindle Scribe. It is especially good for those who write and read. If you are a heavy note taker, mark-up documents or list creator, the Notebooks function is fantastic as it allows you to convert handwriting to text in a few seconds. The device syncs with the Kindle app, which can also be installed on your mobile device so you always have access to your notebooks.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself when counting steps. While there is science-backed evidence to support the benefits, people can become obsessed in trying to accomplish a set number of steps per day (akin to behaviour addiction). If you are curious to know the number of steps you are doing per day, there is nothing wrong with getting a watch or using your mobile phone.
Watches are more accurate as you don’t carry your phone 24/7 (well some might). It is worth getting a watch that counts your steps because you are probably doing more than you realise, and then you end up doing more because you think you haven’t done as many as you think you have (if that makes sense).
Water consumption
Don’t use a bottle if you don’t get up from your desk much. Use a glass as it encourages you to get up regularly to refill. This method can take some time to get into.
Hydrate steadily; dehydration feels like fatigue and can give you severe headaches and/or migraines.
If you aren’t near a toilet throughout the course of your day, then just take sips every few minutes. The quicker you consume water, the quicker you will need to use the toilet.
Working routines (including shift workers and emergency services)
When you are working, it is normally easier to set a routine with food.
Not every workplace has a start time of 09:30, lunch at 13:00 and finish at 17:30, but normally there will be a lunch break in the middle of your workday. Even if you don’t take your lunch break, the time is still a trigger to remind you to eat. If you split your day into thirds, then you have snack times too.
The hardest routines will be for emergency services and other shift workers, as often they have to work with urgency and may not know when a break will come (consider this when you next see an ambulance or police car spontaneously parked up and grabbing something to eat). Therefore, these routines need to have adaptability, which our bodies are not great at. We are habit formers.
Preparation is key, but grab-and-go meals are great for shift workers. You just need to be careful of the calorific meals as often emergency service workers (depending on the role) can be sat in a vehicle for long periods of time.
The key is also consistency. For example, and this can be applied to a general routine:
- Main meal: 1–2 hours before your shift
- Mid‑shift meal: halfway through
- Light snack: final 1–2 hours
- Small meal: before sleep
Good rotating-shift foods
- Prepped bowls (rice, veg, protein)
- Wraps and sandwiches
- Slow‑release carbs (oats, whole grains)
- High‑protein snacks (nuts, yogurt, boiled eggs)
- Hydration boosters (water, herbal tea, electrolyte tablets)
Tips that make ANY routine work better include slow‑release energy foods, such as whole grains, beans, nuts, and lean proteins.
Eat at consistent times where possible. Your body loves routine even if your schedule doesn’t.
Avoid heavy meals near the end of a night shift as they can disrupt sleep.
Finally….the intention here is to provide you with tips on how you can maximise your time and complete more in the time you have. As a result, you will hopefully get more time back to yourself. However, it is your time, so it is up to you how you use it.
Parts of the brain that deal with time management
The Prefrontal Cortex is located behind the forehead. This region is central to executive functions, including planning, decision-making, attention, self-control, and working memory. It is crucial for prioritizing tasks and focusing on long-term goals over immediate gratification.
The Basal Ganglia are a group of deep, interconnected subcortical structures located at the base of the forebrain. They play crucial roles in motor control, learning, emotion, and cognition by forming complex circuits with the cerebral cortex and thalamus. These are also involved in habit formation and the perception of time intervals in the range of milliseconds to several seconds.
The Cerebellum is traditionally associated with motor functions and is also essential for processing very short, sub-second time intervals and motor timing.
The Parietal Cortex integrates sensory information and is involved in how accurately we perceive the duration of time, particularly the right inferior parietal cortex for longer durations.
The Hippocampus is part of the limbic system, and is crucial for memory formation, including encoding the temporal sequence of events and integrating space and time in memories.
The Anterior Cingulate Cortex is the region that helps with emotional regulation, making choices, switching between tasks, and monitoring progress, which is important for time management.
This page, like the others on this website is updated regularly, but if you have any suggestions, please contact us.