Fitting in Tennis with Work and Life

[jc4.0]

This has been a nice post to read, I just started a full time job four months ago, after being a freelancer for 8 years when I could play tennis 6 days a week! But the economy has been so slow, I'm so grateful that I could get a good paying job so my house and car payments are not in jeopardy.

Having said that, it has been a struggle to get back into playing tennis at night. I do play every saturday and sunday but week nights, after working 10 hours I just don't often feel like playing tennis and then getting home at 9:30 or 10, all sweaty, having not eaten dinner, so I don't get to bed until 11 or 12. I'm a morning person! Plus, I don't see well at night even with my contacts.

whine, whine, whine. wish I had some cheese right now!

I make myself play at least 1-2 nights a week, but to be honest I don't enjoy it as much. Even if I do have some nice players in the same boat - I am really grateful for that. Some of these night players are really the best at the park.

 

[mucat]

When I was single, I played 5 days/nights per week. It was so easy. Now, I am married with 2 young children and I am lucky to scrape out 2x per week. I have to play and I want to play because just working and doing things with the family are not enough. When you are used to doing something that you love, it is very hard to compromise. I play mostly with a local teaching pro and friends, as well as the occasional league or tournament. I use to love traveling to different areas to play tennis and meet fellow tennis nuts. How things have changed. Oh well...

It is sad to see other fellow member describing my life.

 

[DCaicedo]

Me: Married here too- no kids (yet). Work 4 days out of the week, 7-8 hours per. PhD student, but done with coursework.
Live in the NYC area- where real estate is expensive, and so are hourly rates.

Plan: Play twice (hopefully; if not- once) a week really early in the morning right before work (6 or 7am). Rates are also the cheapest, so I can still stay within my weekly budget. Play at some point during the weekend (a MUST if I only played once during the work week). Get some swimming in too to mix-up the pace (much more flexible schedule- could do this after work).

Schedule works for me since I get home at a reasonable time to spend time with said wife. Rarely any tennis for me M-F after 6pm. Limits my partner pool but oh well.

 

[dizzlmcwizzl]

Is this possible? Am I kidding myself? It seems if it is possible, there would be no room for error time-wise, no time to breathe or relax. Any thoughts?

Yes it is possible but you need to be very organized. Over the last 7 years I moved from a middling 3.5 to a near the top 4.0 while:

Helping my wife with a new~born second child
Finishing a doctoral degree
Writing and defending a doctoral dissertation
Buying a house
Changing jobs

It can be done but you gotta be committed ... or perhaps my wife thinks I should be committed.

 

[mucat]

Yes it is possible but you need to be very organized. Over the last 7 years I moved from a middling 3.5 to a near the top 4.0 while:

Helping my wife with a new~born second child
Finishing a doctoral degree
Writing and defending a doctoral dissertation
Buying a house
Changing jobs

It can be done but you gotta be committed ... or perhaps my wife thinks I should be committed.

Ok, this is unreal. You are not the norm, stop giving other people false hope.




BTW, good job!!

 

[dizzlmcwizzl]

Ok, this is unreal. You are not the norm, stop giving other people false hope.




BTW, good job!!

Thanks ... but really any accolades go to my wife. She did the hard work while I was in the lab / library.

 

[DCaicedo]

Hey dizz,
quick question: From your experience, do you think tennis got in the way or enhanced your diss prep/writing/defense?

 

[Yaz]

I think you could squeeze all that stuff in, especially as a single guy with no kids. Just depends on your personality...are the type that likes to be out and about, or do you like a lot of down time where you're just lounging around? If you like to just hang out you may have to sacrifice one or two things.

You could probably streamline your day by making things more efficient...for example can you do your gym workout or run during lunch? Can you find tennis partners near your office? If you workout/hit some balls during lunch that would leave your evenings free for classes and or socializing. On the weekends you can probably find a bunch of people that like to play in the mornings, that way you have the rest of day to do whatever else you want.

I've got a wife and 2 young kids so it gets more difficult for sure, but I've a great and understanding wife that lets me play tennis about 2-3x/week because she knows I'll be in a bad mood if I don't get my hitting in! Having said that, I've pretty much had to give up regular gym workouts and any other meaningful hobbies so I've had to prioritize for sure.

If I were you though, I would do as much as possible because once you have a family chances are you won't nearly have as much freedom as you do now so live it up and burn the candle at both ends!

Hey, I haven't posted on this thread in a while, but I could use some more advice now that I have a job and am finding it very difficult to fit in everything I want to do.

I work from 7:30-4 and my commute takes me roughly 35 minutes each way every day and I am trying to get in 8-9 hours of sleep if I can.

I am also trying to lose weight and get in better shape by going to the gym and running and lifting weights while trying to play some more tennis (2-3 times a week). I am also trying to see if I can take an evening class too and I still want to have time with hang out with friends and family. I'm also single with no kids, so no marital or parental commitments.

Is this possible? Am I kidding myself? It seems if it is possible, there would be no room for error time-wise, no time to breathe or relax. Any thoughts?

 

[dizzlmcwizzl]

Hey dizz,
quick question: From your experience, do you think tennis got in the way or enhanced your diss prep/writing/defense?

I firmly believe I need to sweat hard at least 3-4 times a week. I prefer tennis to running, swimming etc. SO in my case the tennis was a necessity ... I could not play as much as I wanted, but without it I would have been disowned (or worse) by my wife because I would have been so crabby.

One of the things that helped greatly for me was scheduling tennis every time she was doing something else with the girls (like church). That way I did not intrude to much on time I could be spending with them. Missing them some was inevitable but I tried to be there for them as much as I could.

 

[dizzlmcwizzl]

Hey dizz,
quick question: From your experience, do you think tennis got in the way or enhanced your diss prep/writing/defense?

Now to actually answer your question (sorry) ....

I was very organized about when I would write ... Every Saturday afternoon ... every Tuesday /Thurs evening after the kids bedtime. During the summer for 40 hours a week during the day while the kids went to day care. So I would do nothing to interfere with that time ... I considered it sacred to me.

Tennis happened on Sunday mornings, Friday after work (before the wife got home) and the League matches kept me sane enough so that my wife did not divorce me. Her name should be on the diploma right next to mine.

 

[Tnsguy25]

I barely have time to finish eating during my lunch break, much less have time for anything else. Taking on a busier after-work schedule is kind of intimidating in the sense that it leaves no room for error, like heavier traffic or being sick or something and feeling you are on a tight schedule with no time to relax and breathe after a hard day at work.

I think you could squeeze all that stuff in, especially as a single guy with no kids. Just depends on your personality...are the type that likes to be out and about, or do you like a lot of down time where you're just lounging around? If you like to just hang out you may have to sacrifice one or two things.

You could probably streamline your day by making things more efficient...for example can you do your gym workout or run during lunch? Can you find tennis partners near your office? If you workout/hit some balls during lunch that would leave your evenings free for classes and or socializing. On the weekends you can probably find a bunch of people that like to play in the mornings, that way you have the rest of day to do whatever else you want.

I've got a wife and 2 young kids so it gets more difficult for sure, but I've a great and understanding wife that lets me play tennis about 2-3x/week because she knows I'll be in a bad mood if I don't get my hitting in! Having said that, I've pretty much had to give up regular gym workouts and any other meaningful hobbies so I've had to prioritize for sure.

If I were you though, I would do as much as possible because once you have a family chances are you won't nearly have as much freedom as you do now so live it up and burn the candle at both ends!

 

[DCaicedo]

I was very organized about when I would write ... Every Saturday afternoon ... every Tuesday /Thurs evening after the kids bedtime. During the summer for 40 hours a week during the day while the kids went to day care. So I would do nothing to interfere with that time ... I considered it sacred to me.

Finding it hard to write- but it appears to be from lack of organization.
Thanks for the response- much obliged.

 

[parasailing]

If your girlfriend doesn't love tennis as much as you do, then DON'T GET MARRIED.

Tennis first, everything else second or get your gf or wife to be as addicted to it and you are all set .