IDK this whole men on this site need advice thing has convinced me that people here really think this isn't a safe place to ask questions about how to, IDK, be?. So ask them here I guess if you didn't ask them in the other thread.
I'm drunk and going to sleep now, but I have the day off tomorrow and will sincerely commit to effort-posting responses if anyone has genuine questions they want some in depth advice to.
I will say I'm just a guy who thinks he has enough trips around the sun to have some insight to share but I am not an authority on anything, so anyone else please feel free to chime in
How do you do it? How do you manage to find the time and energy to stay fit, perform at work and maintain all those relationships?
There's lots to say here, so I'll just give a few tips.
Most important individual factor that is relatively easy to adjust is commute time. All time in a car or a crowded bus is really just time subtracted from your life - if you commute for 2 hours a day, that's like 1/8 of your waking (work day) life and 25% of your life off the clock. It's a huge god damned time suck. I have prioritized living close to where I work and where my friends live, even if that means we get a lot less living space or pay more that we would otherwise as a result. (Commuting is an insidious hidden cost because it's basically work time you're not paid for, so while it costs more sometimes I see it as purchasing back that time). I currently live actually pretty far from my work for me because we got evicted, but I ride my bike there and back (1.5 hours a day) so it doesn't feel as much like wasted time. That being said we're talking about moving again to be closer to things.
As for fitness/friends, the manner in which I stay fit is a very social activity that involves spending a lot of time with people - so my fitness has never been in conflict with my friendships but rather strengthens them and also serves as a vehicle to expand my circle. People here always seem to talk about going to the gym and I don't get that at all. Shit seems pretty boring to me, and I think bodybuilding is lame. I'd much rather be getting fit while hanging out with my friends.
Lastly, when I start to put on a bit of weight (usually around this time of year) I start running. I hate running, I think it's boring, but it is the most time-effective way to burn calories that I'm aware of. This kind of maintenance is boring and I try to reduce how much time I put into it, hence running. I usually run once a week as far as I can - by the time the weather starts getting good I'm usually up to about 20k, then I stop and start doing more fun activities outside.