Fitness and wellness coaches require tools and support that help them to optimize their time effectively. Throughout the course of my career, I’ve realized how easily time can go into a vacuum and how necessary it was for me to find ways to optimize my time. I won’t speak for us all, but I know that many of us juggle a lot when it comes to being coaches and that can include other jobs, multiple roles in the home, or our own health and wellness routines. With many innovations shaping the way that we do life in our day-to-day, it only makes sense to use available tools and apps to support our need to move the needle with proper time management. The more we can maximize our time, the more clients we can help, and the better balance we have with our lives as a whole!

Timeboxing

Timeboxing is a tool I started doing about 10 years ago that made a huge impact on my work day and helped me to establish better boundaries with my life overall. I essentially use my calendar app of choice (one that I can toggle between both on my laptop and my phone) and use it as a way to keep me on task, allow for buffers between events and meetings, as well as ensure I am staying mindful of a well-rounded day. Timeboxing makes planning fun, helps us to understand how long tasks can take and budget time appropriately, sets clear expectations for all involved, and enhances focus for boxed time blocks to be centered on key priorities.

Steps for effective timeboxing on a digital or paper calendar:

1. Identify your tasks
   • Pick tasks that work well with a set time limit. If you often spend too long perfecting things, try giving yourself just 30 minutes for that task. Setting a strict time limit helps you avoid getting caught up in perfectionism and saves you from spending too much time on one thing.
2. Understand your top 2-3 priorities or goals
   • Once you’ve set time limits, it’s crucial to prioritize your tasks for the week. Start by listing all your responsibilities and identifying which ones are most important. Focus on these key priorities first, ensuring they get the attention they deserve. This approach not only keeps you on track but also helps you manage your workload more efficiently. By tackling the most important tasks early, you’ll have a clearer, less stressful path for the rest of the week.
3. Delineate tasks and themes with colors, text variations, and emojis 🤓😅👍🏽
   • Speaking of keeping things fun, try using different options to make your schedule stand out. If you’re like me and need clear distinctions, use different colors for personal time, coaching sessions, work, family events, and holidays. Customize it to suit your style!
4. Encourage focused time by respecting time boundaries
   • Center the focus of each time block around working on that particular item or being focused for that time. You can even set alarms to remind you to unplug and shift into another mode as needed. 
5. Eliminate distractions
   • Having a neurodivergent brain that gets distracted easily, I know how important it is for me to stay focused in a way that works for me. I might have to put my phone in another room. I might have to turn off sounds and TV while others put music or a show on to stay focused. Find what works for you! 

Here is a condensed list of the best Timetracking apps you can reference as well – including some that eliminate distractions while you work on your coaching business!

Generative AI to maximize time

I have had a love/hate relationship with technology ever since AI came onto the scene. I had to realize, one sunshiny day, that I either learned how to use the tool for good or allow it to seem like an evil to constantly work against. How can coaches use generative AI for their coaching business?

Some might assume that I mean using ChatGPT to create fitness programs and nutrition plans out of thin air without putting in the work that you offer as a unique coach. That’s not at all what I mean. I mean that you can use the behind-the-scenes information within the internet to blend in with your coaching technique as a way to structure prompts in ChatGPT and build workout templates with your exercise guide, provide recipes for a client to help their meal plan for a picky eater, or even be sure to reference the proper considerations when dealing with a client with a particular co-condition medically (along with partnering with their care provider.) 

Here is a list of ways that you can use Generative AI to optimize time as a coach:

1. Workout Planning: Quickly generate personalized workout plans for clients based on their goals, fitness levels, and preferences using exercises that fit your coaching style or input.
2. Nutrition Advice: Provide dietary suggestions and meal plans tailored to individual client needs. Consider medical conditions, movement limitations, and even food aversions. 
3. Content Creation: Create engaging social media posts, blog articles, and newsletters to keep clients informed and motivated.
4. Client Communication: Draft and automate responses for frequently asked questions or routine client check-ins.
5. Scheduling: Assist with managing and organizing client appointments, classes, and personal training sessions.
6. Fitness Tips: Offer quick fitness tips, exercises, and routines that clients can try between sessions.
7. Program Adjustments: Help make quick adjustments to fitness programs based on client feedback or progress.
8. Market Research: Provide insights into the latest fitness trends and competitor analysis to stay ahead in the industry.
9. Educational Resources: Create informative guides and resources for clients about fitness, wellness, and lifestyle changes.
10. Data Analysis: Analyze client progress data to make informed decisions about their training programs. Use AI to generate content that can inform a tracking sheet of your choice.
11. Motivational Support: Generate motivational messages or quotes to keep clients engaged and encouraged.
12. Administrative Tasks: Assist with administrative tasks such as invoicing, tracking payments, and updating client records.

By leveraging timeboxing along with the use of AI coaching tasks, fitness and wellness professionals can save time, streamline their workflows, and focus more on delivering high-quality training and support to their clients. This is what we ideally want right? Also, these are just two main ways that time can be optimized using tech in the wellness coaching industry. 

What are other suggestions that have worked for you?

Katrina is a global educator and Certified Wellness Specialist dedicated to bridging gaps through equitable access and collaborative coaching. With over 20 years of experience, she leads diverse teams, creates support groups, and mentors future leaders. Katrina specializes in Bias Unearthing, Neurodiversity Inclusion, and Intersectional Inclusion. She holds a Master of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, certificates in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell and USF, and an Associate of Science in Graphic Design. Katrina’s mission is to foster unity through self-care and compassion, making healing a path to deeper purpose and inclusivity.