Finding freedom to focus on what’s happening in the moment takes much more than having oodles of lists or managing your time. It takes managing your personal energy. It’s all about practicing and maintaining energy wellness. It doesn’t matter how many lists you consult in a day, how organized you think you are, or how skilled at multi-tasking you think you are, if you are not mindful of your energy you are sunk before you even get started. So, what should you do?
One thing we can all agree on is that time is finite. Every person gets 24 hours, or 1,440 minutes, in a day. When you think of 1,440 minutes it seems like plenty of time to accomplish whatever you may want. The reality is there are many times you’re using sheer willpower to muscle through the day. You find yourself putting pressure on yourself to just finish one more thing in the office before you take lunch. You find yourself saying yes to requests you don’t want to do in your heart but feel compelled to do because of who asked or because it’s the kind thing to do. With each demand put on yourself, your energy level declines. It’s only natural. You’ve been chasing minutes to bring them back to you to complete all these things. These examples, and others like them, can morph into unhealthy habits with repercussions on your mental and physical health. These things zap your energy so that without refueling in some way you will soon be running on empty.
Paying Attention to Your Natural Energy Cycle
How does someone find their energy even if they didn’t realize they may be suffering? By working during your natural energy cycles. You have probably noticed that specific times of the day you’re naturally feeling more energized. For some it’s the morning. Others find their best energy levels in the evening or afternoons. Find yours and work your most complex tasks during this time.
If your peak energy cycle is outside of your traditional work hours than practice using lists to capture the ideas and dump the nagging thoughts competing for your attention until you’re ready in a place to work through things. For additional tips in being more present in the moment and utilizing lists read my blog post Being Fully Present in Your Day.
Additionally, you discover much more about finding your focus beyond time management and juggling task lists by listening to my full podcast, How to Be More Present in Everything You Do, with guest David Allen, author of the best-selling book Getting Things Done.
If you would rather have someone to guide you with tapping into your personal energy please reach out to me. Click here to schedule a 1:1 Consulting session. This action step can be the first towards getting your focus and feeling energized again.