How to be efficient at work

Why going to the gym was the best thing that happened to my work

I am a workoholic. No doubt about that. I like my days to be organised to the last minute and everything I do needs to be beneficial to my carreer. I have everything planned.

I try to work as much as I can, drain every second of my day, but I have made some bad decisions regarding my time management. One of them is (not) going to the gym. Yep, you heard me.

My boyfriend is a gym addict. And a workoholic. But everyday he took about two hours off from work and went to the gym.

I thought to myself: “That’s some serious waste of time.”

But then the day came when he invited me to go to the gym with him. And boy was I resisting. Why would I spend two hours of my time in the gym when I can spend that two hours doing what I do best — work. I said no.

And that was the biggest mistake I made at that time. When he came back from the gym i wasn’t nearly finished with the work I needed to do.

I was inefficient and I procrastinated a lot. I mean A LOT.

When my boyfriend came home he was hyped. He worked fast, efficient and finished lots of things whereas me … well, lets just say it didn’t work out as I thought it would.

I started to notice a pattern and said I’ll give this gym-thing a try. Why not?

So I went to the gym. I exhausted myself and was already getting mad because I even listened to him. But after the training (and cooking dinner and drinking a mug of coffee) a weird think happened. ENERGY. And concentration. I was so focused on my work I could work for hours.

I have made the biggest mistake of looking at exercise as an expense and didn’t see the long-term effects it will have on my well-being and productivity. Yes, I did spend two hours at the gym, but I have made so much progress when I came home. That two hours of free time at the gym were an investment in my work.

From then on I visit the gym practically everyday. I train hard, focus on exercises and don’t think about work. Not even a second.

But when I come home my problem-solving skills are renewed and my focus is better. I can work to 3AM without a problem. And that means I can get done a lot more work that before.

In order to be efficient and productive you must have a clear mind. And that means that each day for about two hours you must devote your focus to something you love to do (and is not related to work). Like baking. Or playing games. Or going to the gym.

And don’t take that as a reckless spending of your work time. Take it as an investment in your productivity. And long-term happiness.