A month or so ago, I purchased my NASM text book with plans to obtain my personal training certification.
NASM gives you 180 days from the time you purchase the study materials to take the exam, so while I feel like I have plenty of time, I want to get moving and hopefully take the exam sooner rather than later. I’ve already completed the CPR certification required to take the exam, but today was the first day I sat down and started going through the materials.
After spending several hours at the library typing up notes and reading through the first couple of chapters, it’s safe to say I have a lot of studying to do!
The other day Ryan was reading The 4-Hour Workweek and shared a little tidbit from one of the chapters with me. The book said that humans will almost always use all the time they’re given to complete a task. I couldn’t agree more.
A simple example for me is getting ready. I can shower, get dressed and be out the door in 25 minutes, but if I know I have an hour, I’ll use the entire hour. I’ll try on a couple of outfits, grab a snack, curl my hair and take my time.
I’m really hoping not to wait 180 days until I take my personal training exam and plan to study my booty off to hopefully take the test sooner rather than later.
Lunch
Lunch was a welcome break from a morning full of reading and note-taking.
I warmed up leftovers from last night’s simple summer chili.
There wasn’t too much chili left, so I also made myself a smoothie.
In the blender:
- 1 frozen banana
- Handful of frozen strawberries
- 1 spoonful cocoa powder
- 1 scoop FitMixer chocolate protein powder (The company sent me this to try last week and it’s delicious!)
- Two handfuls fresh spinach
- Enough almond milk to get everything moving
Perfect for a hot day!
Now it’s time to turn my attention to a writing assignment. Enjoy your Tuesday!
Question of the Afternoon
- Are you good about getting things done right away, or do you tend to use all the time you’re given to complete a task?
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It isn’t that cut and dry for me. Yes, if I have 60 minutes versus 25 minutes to get ready I will stretch it out and take my time. But when it comes to completing important tasks I like to get in and get done! I will power through and finish ahead of schedule.
I am all about quick quick quickness I get things done as fast yet efficiently as possible!
I like to get things done as quickly as possible. In fact, I am looking to register to receive my certificate in Nutrition and well being and I am waiting to register for the courses as soon as my schedule is cleared so I can bang it out without hesitation! I don’t like having things on my mind so if I know it needs to get done, I get it done asap.
It depends what the task is. If it’s something I really want to do then usually I’ll do it right away. If it’s not, or it can wait then usually I’ll use up all the time. I am rarely late on anything though! Knock on wood!
It really depends. If I know something is going to be unpleasant or not fun, I will wait until the last minute to get it done. If I love doing something or am passionate about, I may stretch it out and make sure I’ve got it perfect. Or I may get a tinge of enthusiasm and get it done quickly. It really depends.
Hahaha I took the NASM exam EXACTLY on the 179th day. I guess that answers that for ya’ 😉
I giggled when I read about your 4-hour work week notation…I actually registered for the cPT through NASM as well in May and had every intention to study hard, fast and try to get the exam done early. However, it doesn’t seem to be working that way…good think I have until Oct.!! Outside of this, I would have to to say that I do take the time that I am given with anything…no need to rush, right?!? 😉
I like to do things just to get them over with.
When I took the Caliper test for work, my sense of urgency was literally off the chart! I DONT procrastinate to the point that when I work in groups I have to be cognizant that most people do and make sure I keep that in mind.
ahhhhhhhhhh the evil “procrastinating” curse! lol. I was JUST thinking about this today! That the more free time (or longer length of time) I have, the longer I’ll take to do something. But if I have to wake up at 5 am everyday and do everything within an hour, I’ll be able to do it with no problem. Well sorta…I’ll still be half awake haha.
I’m the same way. It’s amazing how much I can get done when I’m under pressure.
How many grams per scoop is in your protein powders? Yours always look so good , but mine not so…maybe I need your exact recipe. Is a 20 g scoop (about 16 g protein)or 30 g scoop (about 25 g protein) better?
When I eat chilli I must scoop it up with tortilla chips or crusty bread.
i use a 30g scoop 🙂
Thanks, I usually add in tablespoon of flax and a tbsp of oil or something…i have a love/hate with smoothies. Not sure …
I usually get it done as soon as possible!
I have to be careful that I do not let the procrastinating monster take over.. because if I do… Oh boy, nothing gets done. lol 😛
The smoothie looks appetizing! 🙂
I loved the 4 hr workout week. Has Ryan read the 4 Hour Body yet? Pretty good too.
I notice that many people use frozen bananas instead of fresh ones. Why is that? Does it taste better?
“A simple example for me is getting ready. I can shower, get dressed and be out the door in 25 minutes, but if I know I have an hour, I’ll use the entire hour. I’ll try on a couple of outfits, grab a snack, curl my hair and take my time. ”
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OMG! Story.of.my life!!!! hahaha i was reading that and i was thinking, ‘um, that was me today!!” i had a job interview and gave myself plenty of time to get ready but of course used it all and still felt a little rushed getting out the door, lol!
Good for you for getting your cert! that’s awesome and inspiring, girl! :]
I ALWAYS take the full time to get things done! Gotta love deadlines!!
I will hurry to get ready or complete a project, but if I have time left over I will almost always use it up… especially when it comes to big projects for work.
Good luck studying for your CPT! I can’t wait to follow your journey. I’m considering getting my CPT to supplement my current degree, but just can’t seem to commit yet. :-/
I procrastinate usually…but then I work better under pressure (sometimes)!
Nice! It’s exciting to see you are going for your personal training certification! I was studying for the ACE Personal Training Certification last summer, but once school started up again, it just became too much. I hope to return to it at some point though!
Also, I added you to my blogroll! I just imported my wordpress.com site to wordpress.org and am working on turning my old ramblings blog into something a little bit more legitimate. Your blogging advice has really helped me out!
TOTALLY agree about using all the time given…my mom always called it “expanding to fill.”
Love 4-Hour Workweek, too. Not all of it is applicable, but Tim Ferriss has some awesome ideas.
your smoothies always loook the creamiest!!! <3
Hmm I don’t know if it’s good or bad but I am someone who likes to get things done sooner- but sometimes that means I rush and quality diminishes. Woops. But with assignments and stuff I usually start them pronto and finish them early.
i think it depends on the task. if it is something i’m looking forward to (even if its labeled as “work”) i will get right to it but more often than not, i pretty much wait until the last minute. i seem to be really efficient then! hee! 🙂
Congrats! One of my best friends just took her test on the very last possible day, and she felt uncomfortable about her chances of doing well (don’t we all for these big things though?). She ended up doing wonderfully! I have complete faith in you. Go get em!
I tend to procrastinate a lot when doing some tasks in order for me to utilize all the time allocated to it. I tend to feel that if i complete my task before the allocated time then I may have missed something out. But I am slowly changing this as I am also reading the fourhourworkweek which also talks about working for results as opposed for time; thus if you will obtain the required results in completing the task in 3 hours instead of 8 hours, so be it!