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For most of our lives, we’ve heard that time management is the key to being productive, getting through the to-do list, and enjoying that feeling of accomplishment. But how do you achieve that level of satisfaction (even if you manage your time well) if you don’t have energy?
Picture this, you wake up and start your day already feeling a little behind and kicking yourself for falling for the snooze button, again! You've got a slammed day, and you're still trying to figure out how to be multiple places at once. No matter how "busy" you are, never feeling like you can "get it all done" keeps you feeling overwhelmed with all you have to do. Not to mention it's now almost 2 o'clock, and you'd like nothing more than to close your eyes and nap the afternoon away!
I feel you on an emotional level. But the truth is we can shift our focus, expectations, and trajectory to manage our lives better and take control of our day! I'll give you a hint here. Your fix isn't managing your time. Let's turn our attention to assessing how you're managing your energy.
Stay with me here as we flip the script from the feeling of "too much on our plate" to giving your best energy to each part of your day
If the picture I painted above sounded familiar, the good news is there's hope! Let's assess a few things.
Let’s turn the conversation to energy management.
Rest& Relaxation
1. If your mental and or physical energy is down, it could be from inadequate sleep. Focus on rest and make the goal of getting 8 hours of sleep a priority. It will be easier to complete the rest of your tasks when you aren’t in a sleep deficit.
Tip: Create a wind-down ritual or healthy end of day habits that will help replenish you as you reset and recharge for a new day. Maybe an Epsom salt bath before bed, a Sleepy Time Tea, a book and a heating pad, or self-exploration practices like yoga or meditation before you hit the sheets! Also, for those of you with partners, don't overlook sex to initiate a relaxed state before bed. Shoot, even if you aren't partnered up, I bet you can get creative and find a way to achieve that level of relaxation...
Focus & Intention
2. Take note of where you are lending your precious bandwidth. Are you bogged down by saying yes to too much? Or, as times change, you find yourself working and being a homeschool mom or just living that busy life? Carve out some time to take inventory of all you have to do and the many tasks you tackle daily - it may be time to downsize.
Writing out a list of your daily schedule or tasks, including things like social media, volunteering, etc., can help you get an outside look at where your precious energy is going. Begin to cut back on time spent on things that suck more from you than they give back. Maybe you need to learn to say no to a few things and allow more time for things that fill your cup.
Tip: Setting boundaries for yourself, especially when you commit to something, can help you protect the critical parts of your day! Learn to say no WITHOUT holding onto guilt for making the best choice for yourself. Guilt holds you back. Focus instead on propelling yourself forward!
Find your Flow
3. STOP TRYING TO MULTITASK. For decades, we’ve all been trying to do it all at one time. Scientists and researchers have studied multitasking for years. Guess what? It’s not helping you be more effective! It’s pulling more from you mentally and requiring more time to complete tasks than if you were to focus on one thing at a time.
Set aside time for each task and move on to the next when you have finished the previous one. Are you homeschooling your kids? Excellent! Schedule in the time and do only that (plus maybe a few squats or push-ups). When that job is finished, move on. Now hold on, I know that probably has you thinking, "if I don't multitask, I would never get it all done..." I understand it can be important in our busiest times. But do yourself a favor and cut out any unnecessary overstimulating bouts of multitasking.
Tip: Working from a calendar, a time-conscious daily to-do list, or in blocks can help you increase productivity by allowing you to get into a flow state and show up with your highest level of focus and productivity!
Limit Your Distractions
4. Turn off the notifications and make space between you and your phone or other devices! A constant attunement to all that's going on in the digital world can mentally pull you off task and take hostage of your focus and productivity. Choose to mute things like social media, app notifications, email, and even text messages when you are in work mode!
Tip: Most phones and apps have mute notifications. Use them! Social media can be a rabbit hole you don't have time for, so get into your settings and choose to hold all notifications for 1,2,4, or 8 hours while you focus!
Get Out Of Your Way
5. STOP OVERTHINKING EVERYTHING. Sorry, I don't mean to bust out the caps lock on you, but, my friend, how much mental and emotional time are you spending hashing out everything you've got going on? Maybe you need to chat with a friend, pray, or simply make your decision and move on. Don't drain your precious mental health by sitting too long in deliberation about things. Choose and move on.
Release Your Wild Side
6. Let your hair down and get an energy buzz. Maybe the majority of your day is spent elbow deep in heavy mental or physical work that drains your battery. Schedule time to play, laugh, and cultivate positive memories with your family and friends! I can attest to the bold truth that the more I focus on NOT taking myself too seriously, the more I feel my cup fill!
Tip: Don't overthink what play is. It may not be the easiest part of ourselves to expose (especially publically), but your soul will come alive. Get goofy with the kids, play a game you used to do in high school, get the friends together, indulge in office hide and seek (make sure your co-workers know what's going on), or join a community group! Whatever you do, make sure there is lots of laughter involved!
What's On Your Plate
7. Keep your energy up and give yourself a brain boost with good food (enough of it) and water. Nutrition and hydration are crucial elements in overall energy production. If you question whether your food habits are helping or hindering you, I encourage you to take a week and log your food. Using an easy-to-follow app like My Fitness Pal or Carb Manager can help you paint a picture of your overall nutritional fitness!
Falling into patterns of eating a standard diet or indulging in the convenience of easy to come by processed food can create nutritional deficiencies. If you can, stay in the loop with your doctor and communicate changes in your mental or physical wellness with them. Evaluating blood work and labs can help you better understand if your lackluster vibe could be coming from food or vitamin imbalances.
Tip: If you're into this kind of thing, you can look at adding a high-quality supplementation! Wilderness Athlete makes up a big part of my nutritional supplements. Whether you chose their high-quality Multi-Vitamin or their line of nootropics to support your mental performance and focus, there are a few things that can support your overall energy!
**Multi-Vitamin: Power up the full range of your body's biochemistry to keep you healthy, strong, and energized. High-Performance Multi-Vitamin provides a full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and vital metabolic cofactors to build a rock-solid foundation for long-lasting performance enhancement.
**Edge: Edge helps you master your day with pinpoint memory, diligent focus, and high functioning energy. Bring the full power of your brain to any task that requires more than just the status quo. With specific ratios of the right ingredients, Edge boosts the mental performance you feel today and secures your brain’s health in the future.
**Unplug: Now, this one may have you wondering how "unplugging" can help you manage your energy. Let me circle you back to the beginning of this blog and throw a highlighter on sleep. Unplug was created to give you the most restorative sleep possible by supporting mental calmness and optimizing your sleep cycle. Sleep steady through the night and wake up alert, clear, and full of high functioning energy to propel your day. Oh yeah, and it’s non-habit forming and doesn’t contain melatonin. Win!
**Because you are a part of this community you can save on products at Wilderness Athlete. Use the code NOEXCUSES at checkout for a discount.
The moral of this story about energy management, reclaiming healthy boundaries, and improved productivity is this, small steps, being aware, and owning your actions can make a world of difference! Choose one area or all mentioned above to make the days ahead your best days yet!