I was chatting to a mate recently who had decided to use the time slot of 0900-10am, each day, to take his dog for a walk and do some admin, using texts and voice notes. His first word of warning was to watch out for lampposts, especially when texting. I found that quite funny and could imagine him learning that lesson!
When I asked him why he had started taking these walks, he told me he was using time more productively and “killing two birds with one stone”. His dog needed walking and he wanted to get his steps up to 10,000 per day and he could also do some ‘low concentration’ admin on the way. So, I thought I’d give it a go!
I completed 5 days this week and here are the results:
- 14 poo bags used
- 2 pairs of wet trainers
- 3 dog walking friends made (by me)
- 10+ dog friends by Reggie
- Multiple bits of advice about dog training – I clearly need it!
On a serious note, I averaged about 2 miles each walk, I had 4 ‘walking meetings’ and I felt calm, relaxed and ready for the day. it was great for my mental clarity, I listened to some 15 minute sound bites on ‘Headway’ and also listened to some great music, and, the weather was fantastic.
This change in routine is not massive. I’ve changed from having a coffee, and warming up into the day slowly, to walking the dog, having a bit of exercise and catching up with people I haven’t spoken to recently. This has had a knock on effect with how the rest of my day is approached as well. I just seem to be in a better space to get stuff done.
What could you change in your daily routine that would give you some added value? It doesn’t have to take a lot of effort, like going to the gym at 0600, but it can be added with some simple planning.
I am going to make a list of people to call whilst I am on my walks, for next week. My plan is to check in with a few people before Christmas, as I’m not sending Christmas cards again, this year. This will give me a chance to wish them well and promise to meet up for a beer soon.
Sometimes we get too busy to connect and say hello, for no other reason than, to say hello! No hidden agendas, no reasons, just catching up and checking in.
Have you let a relationship drift and who do you need to reconnect with? They might actually like to hear your voice!