Fight Science Made Simple

Welcome to episode 4 of the Fight Science made simple podcast. I'm your host, Adam Snyder. I'm a lifelong martial artist, active anime fighter, and performance and recovery coach. I dedicated my life to the fight game and helping fighters train harder, recover faster, and stay on the map for life.In today's episode, we are talking about, honestly, one of the most important skills that you can learn, not just as a fighter but as a human being.I talk to hundreds of fighters every single week, and one of the [...0.5s] biggest challenges that I hear most of them struggling with, it's very common across the board, is time, time management, time structure, scheduling, time optimization. And [...0.5s] it makes a lot of sense.You have a lot going on between fighting and training and probably working a full time job, you might have a family, you have a lot of other responsibilities that are going on in your life.And it may seem that there just isn't enough time to do everything that you need to do to succeed as a fighter. And that's why I wanted to make this episode because I think it's so important to understand it's not about [...0.5s] needing more time.It's not even about making more time. It comes down to optimizing the time that you do have. And this is one of the very first things that I do with our clients when they join the Fight Science Collective is help them learn the skills and strategies to manage their time better. We call this creating a performance lifestyle.So I'm going to walk you through our process for creating a performance lifestyle. Today we're gonna talk about time management. We're gonna be talking about the perfect training schedule for you and your life.And we're gonna talk about how to make the most of the time that you, you have so you can really make it as a successful fighter and also lay down the foundations for your career, your success, [...0.5s] your time on this planet after you fight.So if you're excited about this episode, then please go ahead and follow the show if you don't already. We drop weekly episodes every single Monday.And if you wanna support this show, please share this with your training partners, your friends, your teammates. The more fighters that we can get these episodes in the ears of, [...0.6s] the more success we're gonna have together. And this the more the fighting is gonna grow, that's what we're here to do. So I would really, really appreciate it.Without further ado, let's jump into episode four. [...1.2s] Alright, so I wanna start this episode with a story. There was a college professor, and he walked in to his class, and he laid a few objects out on a table in front of his class. He laid a jar, a pile of rocks, [...0.6s] a pile of pebbles, and a pile of sand.He filled the jar with the rocks and asked his class, [...0.7s] is the jar full? They all looked at the jar, they all looked at him, they said, yeah, the, the jar is full.Then he took the pebbles. He filled the empty spaces in the jar with the pebbles. He shook the jar, tapped it on the table so the pebbles would fall to the bottom. And then he asked his class, how about now is the jar full? The class kind of smile, they're like, yeah, the jar is full.Then he took the sand and he poured the sand into the remaining spaces of the jar, in between the pebbles, in between the rocks, filled in every last crack. And then he asked the class one more time, now is the jar full? And the class said, yes, the jar is full. The professor said, the jar is your life, it's your time.The rocks are the most important things in your life, your passions, your relationships, the time with your family. The pebbles are the important things that you have to do, like work and chores and taking care of your house and taking care of your car.And then the sand is [...0.4s] everything else, watching Netflix, playing video games, scrolling, all of the less important things that you do with your life. Now if you took the jar and you filled it as high as you could with just sand, you don't have any time for the pebbles or the rocks.Same thing if you filled it with sand first, and then tried to squeeze the pebbles, and then tried to squeeze in the rocks. You still wouldn't be able to fit in everything that you wanna get into your life.But if you put the rocks down first, then you put the pebbles, then you put the sand, you'll be able to prioritize the things that you're passion about, that you want to do, the things that you have to do.And then you can sprinkle in some of the things that are fun and nice to do, but maybe aren't the most aligned with what you want to achieve in your life. And I love this story because it's a perfect analogy not just to college students, but to you as a fighter and how you can manage your time.I get it. You have so much going on. Fighting is hard and it can feel like you're [...0.8s] trapped in a whirlwind, but time is a skill. Time management is a skill. And you're gonna go through different phases of life where time gets allocated to different areas of your life.And so understanding and learning the skill of time management is really important so you can prioritize the things that matter most, no matter what phase of life that you're in.And so [...0.5s] we need to understand and develop is a routine and a habit and [...0.5s] a skill of how to fill our jar optimally with our rocks, [...0.4s] with our pebbles, and with our sand. And this is what we help our clients do at the Fight Science Collective.A lot of fighters will look at their life and they'll look at, okay, I have to work. And they'll look at that as [...1.0s] a negative thing, as something that's holding them back. When in reality, [...0.6s] working and making money is something that can propel your career forward.Because a lot of guys and girls will just quit their job to train full time. And it's not sustainable because they can't fund and they can't support their travel, they can't support their training, their gyms, investing in coaches, straining, conditioning nutrition, the food that they need to eat.And so [...0.5s] working a job is something that allows you to fund and invest in everything that you need to, to get to the point where you can quit your job and then train full time.And optimizing your time while you're working, while you have a family is a really, really crucial skill. And that's what we're going to learn today. And so if your life is the jar, then [...0.6s] our calendar is [...0.5s] our way of organizing our life and managing our life, managing the jar.And so [...0.8s] the very first thing that you're gonna do when it comes to time management is pick a calendar. I use Google Calendar, you can use apple calendars, you can use whatever you want, but pick a calendar. This is gonna be where you fit in your rocks and your pebbles and your sand.I would recommend. This is what I do, is what our clients do, is that you pick one [...0.5s] day where you're going to plan your week.I do mine on Sunday, some people do it on Saturday. You do whatever you want. Pick one day where you plan your entire week, and then you're gonna look at your calendar, and the very first thing that you're going to do is [...0.5s] obviously, you wanna put your rocks down first, because of the biggest, most important things, but before you put down the rocks, you have to put your non negotiable things in things that you can't skip, things that have to get done in your life, like work.Even though work, I would consider a Pebble, you still have a schedule, you still have to show up, or you're gonna get fired. So you put the things that are 100% you can't get around, you have to do. You put that in your calendar, but then you can start fitting your other rocks in.Put your training schedule and have a training schedule. Know when you're striking, know when you're grappling, know when you're sparring, know what time it is, and have the same classes on the same days every single week. Put it into your calendar. Put your strengthening conditioning into your calendar, calendar.Put your grocery shopping and your meal prepping and your recovery time, your time with friends and family, put that all into your calendar. Prioritize the rocks and the pebbles because what's going to happen is you're gonna be able to get so much done.And then the other thing that's gonna happen is that you're going to realize how much time you're wasting on the sand.I guarantee if you open your phone right now and you go to the Screen Time section, the phone, you'll be shocked at how much time you spend on Instagram, on TikTok, on YouTube, playing games, getting [...0.4s] angry over the news.You're wasting your life away, and a lot of the time that you're complaining about not having is just going to [...0.6s] the sand.And so by using a calendar and being really diligent at prioritizing your time with the calendar, it lets you free up, it's like a budget, lets you free up and budget your time and really focus on the things that matter most to you.So you wanna pick one day to plan for the entire week. You wanna put your rocks in the calendar first, then you wanna put your pebbles in the calendar then.Where there's free time, if it allows for it, then you can sprinkle your sand in there, but your sand shouldn't be going first rock, pebbles, sand, very important [...0.6s] from there. I need you to review your calendar every single day.You wake up in the morning, do a little room morning routine, and then you look at your calendar. What do we have on the schedule for today? A lot of people just think, well, I know when I go to work, and I know when I go to training, and I don't need a calendar.But this is a fallacy. It's almost like saying, well, I know how much money is coming in. I know what my bills are, so I don't need to keep a budget or look at what I'm spending.I guarantee your time is being wasted on things that you don't even realize it's going towards, unless you're tracking it and monitoring it and organizing it with a calendar. So look at your calendar every single day. What is the plan for my day?And then look at it throughout the day. Make sure you're sticking to your schedule, because if you put something in your calendar, and then you don't follow it, it's like you're lying to yourself. So you gotta be a man or a woman or your word put it in your calendar and stick to it.Go through it throughout the day and then at the end of the day, you need to have a block for reflection.Look back on the day. What went well? Where did you struggle a little bit? Were you able to get everything in that you planned? Did you get distracted? Did something unexpected come up? It's going to happen.You're not going to be 100%. I'm a big fan of the 80: 20 rule. So you look and you reflect and then you move things around. If something didn't happen today, can it happen tomorrow? When can you move it to the rest of the week?Okay, I planned my Tuesday to look like this, but then these unexpected things came up. Now I have to readjust my calendar.You might set your schedule and your time on a Sunday and then life is going to happen, and then that's okay, it's normal. You just have to adjust it in real time throughout the week. And that's where a reflection and planning block comes in at the end of the day. So over the weekend, you wanna plan your entire week, rocks, pebbles, sand.Then every single day in the morning, you wanna look at your calendar, so you know what the plan is, and you get after it, maybe check it a couple times throughout the day.Then at the end of the day, you wanna have a close out where you reflect on the day, [...0.5s] see what went well, see where you struggled a little bit, and then plan the next day. Adjust where needs to be adjusted, so you can stay on track and so then you can attack it.Okay, so that's a very very, very basic structure to help you better optimize your time, right? We're not making more time, we're not creating more time. We're just optimizing the time that you have [...0.5s] and what allows this for you to do?What this allows for you to do is really fit in everything that you need to succeed as a fighter.What is everything that you need? Obviously, you need your skill training. Obviously, you need your tactical training, but you also need to study film. You need to sleep and recover, you need to have strength and conditioning, you need to work on your mindset, you need to eat the right foods, and you need to go food shopping. You need to prioritize your relationship.You can't cut everybody out in your life that you love is because you're chasing your goals that creates a miserable life. So everything that you need to do [...0.6s] needs to go into your calendar, but the calendar allows you to do it, and it makes it a lot easier in the process.Okay, this is very powerful stuff that we do with our clients in their first week of joining our Fight Science coaching program. Okay, [...0.6s] some other key tips to help you have more control over your time.The first is utilize focus modes and do not disturb modes on your phone. This is so powerful. I have notifications turned off for everything, no email notifications, no call notifications, no text, no social media, nothing, nobody can steal my time because what happens is every time your phone vibrates, it dings.Now whoever is texting you, whatever app is notifying you and you stop and you think about how much time that is. Every time you stop, you look at your phone that someone or something else owning your time, so cut that out. Only you own your time.If I'm gonna check text, I'm making the conscious decision to go and check those texts.The only exception to that rule is my partner, Alexandra. So I have a focus mode where notifications are turned off for everything except Alexandra. She can text me and she can call me just in case there's an emergency or she really needs me that and she can get a hold of me.I have another focus mode where her notifications are turned off. So for example, like Tuesday mornings, I have a deep work block where I have 90 minutes where I need [...0.5s] no interruptions, no distractions. I'm going to focus. I'm gonna get a fuck ton of work done.And I communicate that with her, hey, I'm putting you on do not disturb mode. You're not gonna be able to get a hold of me for the next 90 minutes. I'll text you when I'm done, and so having different focus modes throughout the day for work, for training, for driving is so so so, so important.So you can own your time, but then also communicating with the people in your life.Right, if people in your life are used to [...0.5s] being able to get a hold of you whenever they want, and then all of a sudden you put do not disturb on and you go dark, they're gonna get a little bit worried. So just communicate, communicate with people in your life.Hey, this is what I'm doing. I'm turning off notifications for everything. You're still gonna hear from me, but I need to have better control over my time, so focus modes are so important.The second thing that is so important is cutting out the doom scrolling. How many hours a day are you spending scrolling on social media? Are you spending on your phone? It's sucking your life, it's sucking your time, and it's rotting your brain.All right, [...0.4s] our experience on this planet is so limited, it's so finite. Do you really wanna waste it just consuming mindless content that's designed to keep you distracted, and to keep you enraged, and to keep you honestly depressed and anxious. No, it's a waste of time. Get off the news, get off social media, and own your time.Prioritize what matters most for you. And I promise you do these things. You have a weekly planning block. You plan your schedule for the entire week.You put your rocks and your pebbles and then your sand into your calendar. You review your calendar every single day. You reflect on it in the evening, and then plan for the next day.You turn off notifications for all the bullshit, you stop [...0.5s] scrolling, and you set clear boundaries with the loved ones in your life so you can focus. You are going to feel [...0.6s] like you have all the time in the world, even if you're the busiest human being in the world.You're going to feel like you have so much time because you're prioritizing your time, you know, where every minute, where every hour is going, and you're not just going through a whirlwind of life wondering, wow, the day started, and I can't even believe I'm going to bed already.Whatever happened, [...0.6s] you're sucked out of present, so let's gain our presence back, let's gain our time back, let's optimize the time that we do have. And you do this now, even as an amateur, you do this now, what's gonna happen is this is such a powerful skill to learn.When you do get to the point where you can retire from your job, and you can make enough money from training that you can train full time, you're going to have this skill of time management.You cut out eight hours of working a job that you hate and you fill that with other things, you fill that with more training, you fill that with marketing yourself, you fill that with investing what you're making as a fighter into other ventures, so you have a foundation, so you don't have to fight until you're 50 years old. Most people aren't fine.So if you know what I mean, and so this is such an important foundational skill to have.That's it. I know go back watch this episode a couple times. I, [...1.0s] a lot of information in a very short episode. This is something that we go into really finite detail. I help our clients build out. And so if that is something that you would want our help with, feel free to reach out to me. You can DM me on Instagram.I'll put a link down here where you could schedule a call with me, just to talk about scheduling and see how we might be able to help.But first give this episode a couple listens throughs, couple listen throughs, try to put, put it into paper, try to implement yourself. I know it's going to help.Thanks for taking the time. I love making these podcasts. If there are any episodes that you want to see, any topics that you want me to cover, let me know in the comments below. Please share and follow the podcast until next time. I'll catch you later. [...2.0s][...2.0s]