So at the beginning of the year, my instructor decided to move our Hap Ki Do Classes to Thursday nights. Initially, I was hesitant about this change, as I had a very steady routine of going to work, assisting with class, then going home for dinner and chores. Admittedly, Thursdays exhausted me, but it was the routine that I knew. My instructor allowed me to continue to assist with my time slot on Thursdays on weeks when we did not have Hap Ki Do, so I decided to give this schedule adjustment a try!
My first concern with this schedule change was when I would do my usual Thursday night chores. As crazy as it sounds, I struggled with the idea of moving that to a different time of the week, but easily enough, I moved them to Tuesdays. The first week that went by with this schedule change was a success, and even not having these chores on my plate on a Thursday night made me feel a lot less exhausted. I then began to challenge some of my other patterns and made a few other changes. On top of being exhausted by the time I made it home on Thursday nights, I was also starving! I decided to start packing not only lunch when heading to work, but also a dinner such that I could eat between going to work and class. This provided me with the necessary energy to make it through class, and also prevented me from overeating after class due to how hungry I was. Seeing how successful these changes were, I decided to move my Monday chores to Sunday as well such that I did not have to rush between getting home from work, eating dinner and leaving to get to class.
I am also reminded of a student that I used to work with at my Tang Soo Do studio at the university. This student would always struggle to have good stances during his forms, and there was a reason! He would always say, “David, my knees can’t handle it. I did leg day before class!” This was his routine that he knew, but I encouraged him to do as I do and try lifting weights after class instead (Side Note, Martial Arts can be a good warm up for lifting weights!). Sure enough, he posted on social media later that week that he did leg day after class, and it was a success.
Chances are there will be things in your own schedule and planning that are comfortable to you, but are wildly inefficient! If you are stuck in a rut, never hesitate to shake things up. You may be pleasantly surprised and relieved.