I am frequently asked by various people how I manage to do so much and how I almost always seem full of energy. Of course, there are plenty of people out there who have more hectic lives than me and somehow balance their careers with a busy family life. I’m very aware of that. At the same time, I am pretty productive and get a fair bit done.
This year I have two books coming out and I have just started three more. I have travelled between 70-100 flights per year every year for the last ten years or so. I have never missed a day of work because of sickness and I make time to see friends, have my hobbies and do fun things I look forward to as well. I pack a lot in.
In this week’s post, I want to offer some suggestions on how you can feel more energised every day. Here are a few steps which may help:
- Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. This is so critical and though obvious, it needs to be stated again and again. When I started prioritising this more a few years ago it made a big difference to me.
- Eat better. Again, since I improved my diet I developed far more energy. It is not perfect but much better than it was.
- Plan rewards for yourself after tough tasks. Split your tasks so that the ones you enjoy become a reward for the ones you do not. This will help you keep motivated.
- Have a larger, bigger dream that you are striving for and allow it to keep you inspired during the daily tasks.
- Take time out to do what you love and give yourself the experiences that make you happiest. Also when doing so, be in the moment.
- Surround yourself with people who make you feel good and make you laugh. To me, I found this particularly important. They do not have to be positive always. Sometimes someone negative works better for me as long as they are funny!
- Work out and exercise regularly. This is one of the most important suggestions. Exercise is good for you ESPECIALLY if you are tired. Most of our exhaustion comes from emotional or cognitive exhaustion not physical exhaustion. Exercise gives our brain a break and gives us plenty more energy.
- Use a worry list and write all of your problems or worries out on a sheet of paper. By putting them out of your head and down on paper or on your device, you free up space in your head and stop your brain wasting energy on them.
- Minimalise. Declutter. Throw stuff out which you do not need. This is something I could get better at but I notice when I do I feel much better.
- Listen to your body and brain. Do what feels right for them.
- Practice things like Mindfulness, Yoga, Pilates and Meditation.
- Change how you think about what you do. This is critical. Often, I feel tired when I think about all I have to do in the future rather than what I have done. When you change the way you think about your future events and chunk them into smaller pieces you do not feel nearly as bad.
Hope this helps you to increase your energy levels!
