A 168 plan: The Key to fitting jiu-jitsu into your busy schedule

Fail to plan, plan to fail.

As much as life is beautiful, rewarding, fulfilling, and fun,  I think we can also admit that it definitely can get crazy, chaotic hectic, and at times, downright overwhelming, and when that feeling of overwhelm starts to creep up on us, one of the first things that starts to suffer is all of the things we like to do like training jiu-jitsu or wanting to start training Jiu-jitsu if you haven't already. So, the real question becomes, “How can I fit jiu-jitsu into my already busy schedule”?

The answer might lie in having a solidly developed 168 plan:

What is a 168 plan?

It Is a time management strategy that refers to the idea that there are 168 hours in a week and it is an exercise that allows you to examine how intentional you are in maximizing those hours to their fullest potential. A 168 plan involves intentionally planning out how you will spend each of the 168 hours of the week ahead.

What are some elements of a good 168 plan?

Everyone’s 168 plan will be different because, of course, they are your hours and nobody else’s but there are some key elements or questions to consider when developing your 168 plan. They include:

• 
  Reviewing your big -picture goals and priorities for the week.
• Mapping out your set weekly obligations like work/school hours, meetings, appointments, etc.
• Blocking off time for your highest priority activities and projects first.
• Identifying when you have peaks and valleys in your energy levels and planning high-focus activities during peak energy times.
• Scheduling time for self-care like sleep, exercise (strength training , jiu-jitsu), healthy meals.
• Balancing both social/family time and solo productivity time.
• Minimizing scheduled activities on the weekends to focus on rejuvenation or passion projects.

Questions to Consider

• 
  What activities are non-negotiable priorities for me? ( Block out time for these first .)
• When do I have the most energy and focus? Plan your deep work during these productive hours.
• How much time do I devote to self-care like exercise (jiu-jitsu, strength training) , sleep and healthy eating? Is it sufficient?
• Are my weekends purposeful or just recovery from a busy workweek?
• How balanced is my social/family time versus solo productivity time?
• When am I getting distracted or wasting time on things that don't align with my goals?

Example of a 168 plan

Monday

6am - Wake up, prayers/mediation

7am - Make breakfast

8am - Commute to work

9am - 5pm - Work

6pm - Jiu-jitsu 

7:30pm - Make and eat dinner

9pm - Free time

10pm - Bed

Tuesday

6am - Wake up, prayers meditate

7am - Make breakfast

8am - Commute to work

9am - 5pm - Work

6pm - Make and eat dinner

9pm - Read

10pm - Bed

Wednesday

6am - Wake up, 

7am - Make breakfast

8am - Commute to work

9am - 6pm - Work

6pm - Jiu-jitsu class

7:30pm - Make and eat dinner

8:30pm - Laundry and meal prep

10pm - Bed

Thursday

6am - Wake up, exercise

7am - Make breakfast

8am - Commute to work

9am - 6pm - Work

6pm - Make and eat dinner

7pm - Free time

10pm - Bed

Friday

6am - Wake up, meditate

7am - Make breakfast

8am - Commute to work

9am - 6pm - Work

6pm - Jiu-jitsu open mat

7:30pm - Dinner out 

9pm - Free time

10pm - Bed

Saturday

8am - Wake up

9am - Morning walk

10am - Make breakfast

12pm - Meet friends for lunch

3pm - Grocery shopping

6pm - Cook dinner

8pm - Watch a movie

10pm - Bed

Sunday

8am - Wake up, meditate

10am - Brunch

12pm - football 

4pm - Nap

6pm - Cook dinner

8pm - Read

10pm - Bed

Allow for Flexibility

While the above might look like what you’re doing is planning out every second of every day, what you're doing is simply trying to identify and prioritize the things that are most important to you and discarding the nonessential things. It is important to remember to allow for flexibility and adjustments as necessary. You’re not a robot and planning and adjusting a vital parts of life. You just want to make sure your getting as many of the things you have identified as nonnegotiables in as you can.

Jiu-jitsu at No Limits Grappling Academy in your 168

If you’re in the Scranton Area,  and interested in starting your jiu-jitsu training with us at No Limits Grappling Academy, we have practices in the mornings 3 days a week and in the evenings 4 days a week that can fit perfectly into most anyone’s 168 plan

Book your free first training session here