Case Study in Organization – Running

For those of you who follow me on Instagram (@jasonlovefiles if you feel like following me) will have seen that I had been training for a run. Training for the race (which you can see the Pic of me doing my best here) took some actual organizational work so what I would like to do is present this as a case study, not of Organizing my Digital Life but having to Organize my Physical Life.

 

This all came about by me taking part in a coaching program called “Own Your Strength” which is run by Rachel Henry who had been my trainer for a year and a half. She started a Blog about her life as a personal trainer. This evolved into a personal coaching program where there is both a Physical and Lifestyle component. In my case, the Physical element was doing a 5KM run by the end of July.

 

If you were to take a good look at my picture you can see that, well, I’m not what one would call “a natural runner.” This means that running 5 Metres when I started was a challenge, to say nothing of 5 Km’s. When I started the program in May and Rachel told me that one of my targets was to take part in a 5 KM run by the end of July I went very pale. However, when I have a goal or a goal set for me, I am incapable of giving it a go. So I started training for a run. I realized fairly early on that I could apply the same principles that I use for Organizing my Digital Life to Organizing my Physical Life. I was able to apply the seven-step process that I outlined last week, and I found that it worked well;

 

 

1) Set your destination – Part of setting goals is having an idea of where you want to be. For me, doing the run at the end of July was a significant milestone for me in my long-term fitness plan. A while back I was told that I was very overweight and it would be bad for my long-term health, so I went on a Diet and started working out.

 

I am still working on my destination of “being physically fit,” but my shorter term goal of the 5 KM run was an excellent way for me to set a shorter destination that I could see results in sooner.

 

2) List your tasks – Part of getting organized is knowing all the things you have to do to reach your destination. How many tasks you have (depending on the destination you’re trying to get to) could be few or many. Sometimes if you start out with a task list, you may find that you have to add to your task list part way through because you do not have enough things on your list to complete your goal. This is fine, all you have to do is add to your list.

 

Initially, I thought that I all I had to do to start training for running was throw my shoes on and hit the road. I will admit to not getting very far with that. With the help of my trainer showing me how to stretch before and after It not only helped with the running itself, but it also made me go faster! I also found that a new pair of shoes made me go faster

 

 

3) Set your dates – Setting updates for each of your tasks is a great way to break down what you need to do. It allows you to chuck out what tasks need to be done immediately and what can be done later.

 

For my run, I knew that I had to get a new pair of shoes, pick out a route in my neighborhood that was about 5 KM long, get into the habit of running most mornings, get my trainer to train me for the run, an about a hundred other things. In the beginning, the task seemed much more significant than it ended up being, so when I set my dates and only focused on the tasks directly in front of me. Setting you dates makes each task a lot easier.

 

4) Tick off your accomplishments – one of the most cathartic things a to-do list junkie can do, and when you start to look at your list and think to yourself “hey, I’ve done that” you will feel it too.

 

In the case of training for my run, every block I was able to run a little further than the morning before was an accomplishment for me. I would always make a mental note of when I had to stop running, and I would try and get past there the next day that I ran. Every time I did, I mentally ticked off the location that I couldn’t get past the day before, and when I had to stop running, I would picture that new place in my mind to beat for the next run.

 

5) Deal with delays – Delays happen, big or small. What defines your task is how you deal with them.

 

The most significant delay that I had to deal with is that I did something to mess up my left Achilles. I don’t know what it was, I didn’t sprain it, I didn’t twist my ankle, but for whatever reason, it was getting to the point that I would barely be able to put weight on my foot to get around. There was a bit of hobbling happening. So, on the advice of my trainer, I stopped running for about three weeks and let myself heal. It worked, and I was able to go out and get running.

 

6) Dig in – There comes a point where the only thing left to do is hang on and keep working towards your goal.

 

This is always the hardest part of trying to achieve any goal, and my run was no exception. I was getting up at 5 AM two or three times a week to go for a run, and that is a hard habit to develop.

 

 

7) Happy dance – Celebrating your accomplishment is just as important as the accomplishment itself. You have to recognize that by getting something done, you’ve improved your life.

 

As for My celebration, well…Let’s just say I’ve never won a medal before, and that was awesome. Have you ever done something out of your comfort zone?