3 Minutes

3 minutes is a long time. If you don't believe me, try holding a plank or even push-up position for 3 minutes. You'll find out just how long it actually is. You can accomplish a lot in 3 minutes, as I have found as a weight lifter. Let's talk about rest intervals and time management.

The Rest Interval

Most people who exercise seriously know about rest intervals. The time between sets, rounds, or intervals. For me, I have a living room gym and have 3 minute rest intervals. 

Not long after I started lifting, I got to thinking about what I was using the time for. I take roughly 30 minutes worth of 3 minute rest intervals throughout a lifting routine. 3 minutes doesn't seem like a long time when it's a rest interval, but that time is still spent. I don't know about you, but I can an awful lot with 30 minutes.

I started experimenting with things I could do during each 3 minute interval. Prep my food for the day. Make sure my supplements are portioned. Lay my clothes out. Pay bills. Shave. The list goes on. Before I knew it, my mornings became infinitely more productive, and I was never in a rush to get out the door on time.

Obviously not everyone has their weights, or whatever it is they're doing, in the comfort of their own home. But that doesn't mean you can't be productive with your rest intervals and breaks between things. Waiting for something to complete at work, sitting at a stop light, or waiting in line at the store are all rest intervals. 

How Can You Tell?

Sometimes you can feel so busy that you don't feel like you're taking rest intervals at all. But if you honestly evaluate how you're using your time, you can find them everywhere.

Are you checking social media? That's a rest interval. Do something else. Are you texting someone when you're supposed to be working on a project or completing something? That's a rest interval. Do something else. You get the idea.

Once you start identifying the little gaps of time that are going to waste, you can start using them for all kinds of things. Don't worry about this making you feel overwhelmed. I'm not telling you to add extra tasks, simply to chip away at things that are already on your list.

This could be anything from sending that E-mail your boss wants during a spare moment to paying your bills online from the office during your lunch break or even while something installs, loads, or processes. The point is to not spend those seemingly brief intervals doing nothing or something meaningless and distracting. 

What Can You Do In 3 Minutes?

As always, I want to hear from all of you. Tell us about what you doing during your intervals. Or, if you're just starting out with this strategy, share some of the things you plan to try.