RiseUp Fitness co-owners (from left) Emily Foley, Kyle Visin, and Addie Clarke

Since it opened last July, RiseUp Fitness has aimed to pair the motivation and accountability of group fitness classes with the individual attention of a personal trainer. That combination is one thing that distinguishes its cardio and strength training workouts, according to its trio of owners, Kyle Visin, Emily Foley, and Addie Clarke.

But as a new participant — and a longtime productivity coach — I can tell you that Kyle, Emily, and Addie excel at something else. They run an incredibly organized studio. Workouts are exactly 60 minutes on the nose, and I always leave feeling like my time is being respected. And the workouts focus on lots of numbers. I can see exactly how many more meters I’m able to row than I was three months ago when I started.

Naturally, I was curious to talk with Kyle, Emily, and Addie about how they run a studio where everything feels dialed in.

What is your #1 time-saving hack?

Kyle Visin:  The best thing I do to save time is to spend time planning — not only my days, but also my weeks and months. Tracking how you spend every minute of your day lets you see where you’re being inefficient, which in turn leaves more free time for my family, friends, hobbies, and fun! 

Emily Foley:  Lists. When I plan out what I need to get done for the day or week, I am much more efficient.

Addie Clarke:  I agree with Kyle and Emily! On Mondays, I spend a chunk of time planning out my week. I use a pad of paper for daily tasks and an app called Asana to help keep track of longer-term projects and deadlines. 

Name something you do now that you wish you had started earlier in your career.

KV:  I have an engineering degree from UCSB, but I wish I had diversified my education more while I was there. I’m a firm believer that you can teach yourself any necessary skill you need. However, a more formalized education in business, marketing, sales, management, etc. would not have been a bad thing! 

EF:  I wish I had learned earlier the importance of balance. Working hard is important, but overworking can easily lead to burnout and loss of passion. 

AC:  Yes! I wish I’d understood how to better compartmentalize my work and personal time. Learning to leave my work at work — not always possible when you own a business — and then enjoying quality time off has made everything feel much more balanced. 

If you had more “white space” in your day, how would you spend that time?

KV:  More white space would probably be split between the non-work things that I already make time for: my 3-year-old daughter, training and racing triathlon, and fun times with friends. 

EF:  I would choose to spend it doing what I love — namely, being with family and friends.

AC:  I would say doing more of those things that bring me happiness and engage my creativity — spending time with my friends and family, baking, reading, playing music, and writing.

Bonus question: What is the ultimate productivity tool that you can’t live without?

KV:  The number-one way for me to be productive is to get up early, even if I don’t want to! Most of us are much more productive in the first three hours of our day than the last three, so I don’t spend that time sleeping! If I’m tired, I go to bed early. 

EF:  Working out — mostly cardio. This is my hidden secret. Working out daily makes me the most productive person I can be.

AC:  Coffee! But I couldn’t do my job (or my life!) without a legal pad and a good set of colored pens. 


For more info, visit riseupfitnesssb.com.

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