Energy Management: The Other Side of the Peace of Mind Coin

Last article, we talked about the key things that set the stage for excellent time management. The amount of time we have is a constant in our lives and will never change. Our energy level is the other key factor that determines how well we will respond to the demands of each day. Are you often exhausted when you wake up, or have low energy during different periods of your work day? Do you use up all your energy reserves during the day and have nothing left for yourself or your family? If so, don’t despair.
Our energy is our greatest asset. Without it, we can’t work. In fact, we can’t do much of anything anything. We are perfectly designed to be able to manage our energy and maintain a high level of performance within each 24 hour cycle. Let’s look at some of the reasons why we start our day depleted of energy and/or have significant swings of energy throughout or day.
• Dehydration-70% of Americans are severely dehydrated and don’t know it! That translates to Billions of dollars in lost productivity, including sick time. Are you contributing to this fund?
• Poor diet. You are what you eat. Eat foods that are low on the Glycemic index-Almonds, Apples, eggs, nutrition bars, oranges, peaches, peanut butter, tuna, turkey, plain yogurt. Google “Glycemic Index Examples” so you know what you are eating. There are plenty of good tasting foods to choose from.
• No exercise program-physical energy is the most fundamental source of energy. If you are not on a regular(min.3 days per week) cardio and strength building exercise program, you are in trouble. How do you expect to keep up with the speed of the world if your physical body is left behind? Don’t have time to exercise? Stop lying to yourself and read my article from last week about time. The most successful people, also the most busy, find time to work out. They know it is the secret to being at their best in everything they do.
• No breaks during the day-We are designed to take a short break every 90 minutes to 2 hours, especially after intense mental focus or stress. The problem is we keep pressing on until we crash and we still have several hours to go each day. When we take road trips, we usually get out of the car every couple of hours to stretch, take a breath, change the tempo, not just to gas up and use the restroom. When we do this we get mentally recharged. Put 2 to 3 mental recharges into your day as often as you can. Your focus will love you for it! ( strong focus is the by-product of managing energy properly)
• No caffeine after 12noon, (ok 3:00pm at the latest!) Half the caffeine you intake at noon is still in your system at 8pm. If you’re not going to sleep quickly and/or sleeping fitfully, caffeine may be the culprit.
Hopefully now you understand why your motivation and drive is so erratic. Yes, it’s the way you manage your energy. When you work toward mastering proper use of time and energy, you will feel better and become way more productive and happier.